A Howlin’ Good Time
River Park Off-leash News
MARCH 2008
UPCOMING STUFF
Scoopy Doo Day
River Park
Sunday, April 20
9am - noon
Save the date! This is the
annual clean-up event that
the City of Calgary holds.
Friends of River Park will
once again support this effort.
Watch for another reminder in
early April.
41st Annual Pathway and
River Clean-up
Sunday, May 4
10am - 1pm
Join the Sand Beachers/Elbow
Valley Mountain Goats to clean
up the pathways and river near
River Park and Sandy Beach.
Volunteers can enjoy a free
breakfast at the Stu Peppard
Arena at 8:30am. Great draw
prizes available.
Register for the clean-up at
civicaffairs@southcalgarycommunity.ca
Attention: Robin McLeod.
Please feel free to share
this newsletter with
friends. If at any time you
no longer wish to receive
communication, just let
me know.
Candice Lee
287-1029 (home)
703-1671 (cell)
leesmale@telusplanet.net
Friends of River Park Members Scoop Poop
on Another Clean-up Day
Friends of River Park had a wonderfully
successful clean-up effort on Saturday,
February 23 despite only three day’s
notice. The week’s warm weather melted
away snow, allowing 29 volunteers to
conduct a thorough cleaning.
Off-leash related complaints surface
at this time every year. Thanks to your
efforts, we have once again shown our
commitment to maintaining good
relations in the community.
Many thanks to everyone for your time
and hard work in River Park.
River Park Update
Bag Dispensers
During our last clean-up event on
February 23, some Friends of River Park
members placed four bag dispensers in
the park. They are white plastic
containers from IKEA. It appears that
dog owners are using them.This will be
a temporary measure until The City of
Calgary installs another bag dispenser
like the one on the bulletin board.
Anyone is welcome to fill the plastic
dispensers. Your bag donations are
much appreciated.
Bulletin Board
A few people have asked if they can
display information on the bulletin board.
There are a few guidelines: material
must be related to River Park, from
non-profit organizations only and not
hand-made.
If you want to post something, contact
Marcie, Public Education & Program
Services at 221-3643 or phone 3-1-1
and you’ll be directed to her through the
Adopt-a-Park program.
Matt and Ember, area residents and
FRPS members on Feb 23 clean-up day
WANTED
Dog Owner Rep for Committee
The River Valleys Committee (RVC) is
seeking a person to represent dog owners
at meetings. RVC is an advisory committee
to City Council on various issues affecting
Calgary’s rivers and river valleys. The Land
Use and Development Committee (LUD)
of RVC meet on the third Thursday of every
month from 12:00 to 1:30pm. Committee
members often bring their lunch and
sometimes lunch is provided.
Attendance at every meeting may not
be required. If the time of day doesn’t
sit well with your employer, try pitching
it to your company as community
service. Meetings are held at the Parks
Foundation Offices, 225 13 Ave SW.
Representation on the LUD might give dog
owners a voice in new area structure plans
(lands being subdivided) criteria and
planning of off-leash dog areas in old
and established communities.
If you’re interested, please contact
Robin McLeod at 243-2949 or
ramcleod@telusplanet.net.
Caring For Your Pet
For the Health of It
Jenn and Pat M
had to seek some
dental care for
their two dogs
last month. They
suggested canine
dental care for
March’s health article in the newsletter.
So here’s what I found online from the
American Veterinary Dental Society and
some advice from a veterinarian.
Just as with humans, plaque and tooth
decay in canines can lead to tooth loss.
Plaque secretes toxins that elicits an
inflammatory response from the animal’s
gingival tissues. The inflammation in the
gingiva triggers the body’s defenses to
attack the invaders but also allows those
invaders to gain access to the body. The
bacteria from the mouth can enter the
bloodstream and be carried throughout the
body. Bacteria is filtered out by the kidney
and liver, leading to a decrease in function
of these vital organs over time.
It has been suggested that bacteria can
become attached to the heart valves and
cause a disease called endocarditis. In
addition, the body must deal with these
bacteria on a daily basis, leading to a state
of chronic disease.
You can take steps to prevent dental
problems. Watch for bad breath and
behaviour changes in your pet (aggression,
gloomy, reclusive, lack of appetite, rubbing
its face on the ground or pawing its face
and drooling).
Help your dog to brush its teeth. Stripping
the meat from a raw meaty bone acts as
tooth floss and feeding a good quality dry
food helps to scrape away plaque build-up.
Even a carrot works well as a toothbrush.
Brushing your pet’s teeth requires a bit of
patience and time but it’s a cheap
investment in your dog’s health. If need be,
professional cleanings can be arranged
with your veterinarian.
Ensure your dog has a yearly dental check-
up and practice good home dental care to
keep your dog’s teeth in good condition and
safeguard its overall health.
City of Calgary Volunteer Ranger Program
Darrel Howard, Volunteer Administrator
with The City of Calgary Parks Division
recently spoke to a leadership team
member from Friends of River Park
Society (FRPS) about a volunteer
program that could complement the
work of FRPS. The City of Calgary
Volunteer Ranger Program (VRP)
aims to promote public stewardship
in Calgary’s high-use parks, promote
responsible park user etiquette and
address infractions in parks (vandalism,
activity in prohibited areas, littering,
cycling speed on pathways, not picking
up after a dog etc). Volunteers can be
anyone — a dog owner, nature
enthusiast, walker or cyclist who gives
four hours/month, completing duties
while doing what they love.
Volunteers establish a friendly and
informative presence in the parks
and pathways by providing information/
education materials to park visitors and
recording visitor numbers, bylaw
Dog Bylaws
DO YOU KNOW YOUR STUFF?
At a recent meeting with Bill Bruce,
he mentioned that several bylaw
officers were hired for the city and
we can expect an increased presence
in River Park.
Don’t be caught off-guard. Familiarize
yourself with various dog bylaws.
Some are certainly better known than
others. Here are three dog bylaws
with their respective penalties that
could affect you in the park.
$25
• Not wearing licence
$50 - $100
• Not under control at off-leash area
• In prohibited area (such as the
fenced-off escarpment or the storm
water outfall)
For more City of Calgary bylaw listings
copy and paste the following link into
your browser:http://www.calgary.ca/
docgallery/bu/cityclerks/23m2006.pdf
infractions, problems and concerns
observed within the park. A typical
volunteer shift can be done while
you walk, cycle, or blade through
the park wearing a Ranger uniform.
Volunteers go through an application
process, receive ongoing training and
receive monthly updates. Equipment
and information is provided (uniform,
communication binder, cell phone,
Bylaw and Parks handouts, rewards for
park visitors, a first aid kit, field guides,
maps, poop scoop bags etc).
For more information, visit The City
of Calgary’s website at
www.calgary.ca/parks or contact:
Darrell Howard
Volunteer Administrator
Public Education & Program Services
537-7559 or 3-1-1
Volunteerrangerprogram@calgary.ca
Permission Please
Many people can’t resist giving treats
to dogs in the park. But if a dog doesn’t
belong to you, please remember to ask
the owner for permission.
There are good reasons to take
precaution. Some dogs have allergies,
sensitive stomachs or training and
behaviour issues.
Thanks from all of us with dogs that
have special considerations.
A Fond
Farewell
to Keesha
Randy and Jose emailed some sad
news. They said goodbye to their
beloved Keesha, a gorgeous
Keeshond. Recently, she became
quite ill. Their veternarian
discovered massive internal
bleeding due to a tumor, which
resulted in the difficult decision
to let her go on February 23.