Hi,
 
I posted a while ago about a wonderful house in Lakeland, FL, where we plan
to move.  There was a neighborhood association deed restriction in place
about the number of animals each household can have.  Needless to say, we
overwhelmingly exceed the limit.  Even though most (16 out of 19) of the
animals stay inside all the time (cats and ferrets), we would not be able
to keep the animals "a secret" since we have a young child who would
inevitably have other kids over (so their parents would find out, etc.).
 
This post is an update:
 
We sent a tremendous amount of info to the current homeowner to present it
at a board meeting.  The board voted unanimously to uphold the current deed
restriction and not make an exception.  We were bitterly disappointed as
the house was ideal for our many animals and ourselves, and the owner's
situation would have meshed perfectly with our own.
 
It is a "no-brainer" that we will not be moving into that home.  Giving up
any of the animals is not even a consideration to us.  (I was very proud of
my husband for saying, "well, then we can't have the house because we ARE
NOT giving up any of the animals.")  You see, it's taken him a very long
time to warm up to the idea of all the critters we have - especially the
ferrets (more because of the number of them than the animals that they
are).  But he never suggested and was vehemently opposed to surrendering
ANY of the animals.
 
If anyone knows of a broader minded area in Lakeland - please eMail me
privately.
 
Thank you!!
 
Kim
 
PS: By the way, our home (including over 6 acres, and 2 oversized
outbuildings) in Michigan (just south of Grand Rapids) is for sale -
if anyone is interested, please eMail me privately!
[Posted in FML issue 3316]