A Howlin’ Good Time
River Park Off-leash News
November 2008
UPCOMING STUFF
10th Annual River Park
Christmas Gathering
Saturday, Nov 29
7:00 - 9:00pm
Who: Everyone with their
leashed dog
What: People and dog party
Where: Sandy Beach Fire
Pits
When: Saturday, Nov 29
7:00 - 9:00pm
Why: It’s a seasonal
opportunity to
socialize and get to
know each other
even better
Other: Sandy Beach is an
on-leash area
Bring your companion of
choice, beverage, leash, a
bag or two for poop duty and
maybe something for your
dog to lie on.
Hope to see you there.
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
River Park Update - Website News and Survey Follow-up
Here’s an update regarding
the management plan for
River Park that The City of
Calgary posted on its
website on November 12.
“The planning for River Park/Sandy
Beach/Britannia Slopes combined Park
Management/Design Development Plan is
currently in the project start-up phase.
O2 Planning & Design Inc, a local
Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and
Environmental Planning firm is the primary
consultant for the project. Opportunities for
public engagement in planning for the area
include a stakeholder workshop and an
on-line web survey proposed for early
2009, with seasonal in-park user surveys
in the spring and summer of 2009, and a
public open house, to review proposed
plans, in the fall of 2009. As dates for the
various opportunities are finalized a
schedule will be posted.”
You may recall a survey
was recently conducted in
city parks, including River
Park. People from our
group raised several
concerns about the way the survey was
conducted; it is felt the results will not reflect
the actual use in the park.
Twice I contacted several City reps about it.
Here are the results so far:
1. Director of Parks failed to give a
response both times.
2. Parks Planner failed to give a
response both times.
3. Executive Director Federation of Calgary
Communities gave no response the first
time, but answered my second request
for information saying she was not
aware of survey.
4. Volunteer Administrator, Natural Areas
and Wellness Ambassador asked me to
remove her from my inquiry list and said
Parks should respond.
5. Ward 8 Alderman, Brian Pincott gave
no response the first time. Answering
my second email, he said he had no
information that he could share. He
continued to say that the survey was
done on behalf of Parks and had
nothing to to with the off-leash review
that he’s spearheading.
6. Director of Bylaw Services responded
immediately to my first request for
information and said Parks conducted
the survey.
Some people may have also read the
President’s message in the November
issue of the South Calgary Community
Association (SCCA) newsletter which
said this:
"The issue of River Park has been an
area of concern for many people lately.
Some have noticed a small group of
volunteers performing surveys asking
questions about your usage of the area. I
have spoken with Alderman Brian Pincott
and he has informed me this is due to the
Off Leash report that he is tackling and is
gathering key information via survey
research in many off leash parks in the
city and is not focused only on River Park.
His report is expected to be completed by
the end of January and I will keep the
community informed as I know more via
Scanner and bi-montlhy membership
email distribution."
The SCCA president and I have been
given conflicting information from
Alderman Pincott. I will follow up directly
with the alderman.
It seems the director or planner can best
answer questions but for whatever
reason, neither have responded. I remain
hopeful to receive a response from
someone with The City. Any information I
receive will be relayed through this
newsletter.
Caring for Your Pet For the Health of It
Plants and Pets
When taking precautions to safeguard
your home for pets, don’t forget about
the plants in your house and yard.
Ingestion of even a small part of certain
plants can produce a wide range of
symptons and in some cases, death for
our pets.
The American Society for Prevetion
and Cruelty to Animals (ASCPA)
posted a list of common poisonous
plants to animals. They include:
Amaryllis Oleander
Autumn Crocus Kalanchoe
Azalea/Rhododendron Peace Lily
Castor Bean Pothos
Chrysanthemum Sago Palm
Cyclamen Schefflera
English Ivy Tulip/Narcissus
Lilies Yew
Marijuana
With Christmas coming, note that
Poinsettia can make pets sick, but
according to the ASPCA website, it is
not considered fatal.
Gripping News
a timely repeat article
Are icy conditions
preventing you from
walking your dog?
Regain your
confidence with
footwear designed for snow and ice.
“Icers” (approx. $36) from Lee Valley
Tools feature a slip-on rubber sole with
metal bolt-like bits on the bottom and
straps that go over your shoes.
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)
sells shoes with spikes built into the sole
as well as two different styles, similar to
the Icers. Both slip-on styles have a
rubber sole; one has metal spikey bits
on the bottom ($34) and the other has
criss-crossed springs ($35). I have
Icers, and the criss-crossed style.
The Lee Valley product works well on
compacted snow and just okay on ice,
while the MEC product works well on
both. Neither of the products is a fashion
statement, but they’re absolutely a safe bet.
Not familiar with names or the
appearances of some of these plants?
You can watch a video on the ASPCA
website at http://www.aspca.org. Dr.
Steven Hansen, veterinary toxicologist
and ASPCA Senior Vice President,
shows you examples of these plants
and explains the symptoms resulting
from ingestion.
Gum and Candy Warning
Sugar-free gum and candies containing
xylitol can be deadly for dogs. Xylitol
causes dogs to secrete insulin making
their blood sugar drop very quickly and
can lead to liver failure. Even with
aggressive treatment, it can be difficult
to save a dog that has ingested some.
So here’s a good reason to keep gum
securely stored and a great reason to
dispose of gum properly.
Thanks to Sheila H and Carla R for
checking the authenticity of this
warning on snopes.com and sharing
the information with all of us.
Monument Erected
overdue acknowledgment
Laika (c. 1954–
November 3, 1957)
was a stray dog that
underwent training to
become the first living
mammal to orbit the
Earth and sadly, the first orbital
casualty.She was the occupant of the
Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2, paving
the way for human spaceflight.
Laika died a few hours after launch
from stress and overheating, due to a
malfunction in the thermal control
system. The true cause of her death
was not made public until decades
after the flight.
On April 11, 2008, Russian officials
unveiled the overdue monument to
Laika. The small statue is near a
military research facility in Moscow
that prepared Laika’s flight to space.
It features the little dog in her space
harness, standing on top of a rocket.
source: www.wikipedia.ca
Products and
Animal Testing
Are you opposed to the
concept of companies
performing product tests
on animals? Pound Rescue has
gathered a list of products that still
adopt these practices. If this is
important to you, consider your choices
when shopping for personal care and
household items.
For a wallet-sized list of animal tested
products and more information visit the
Pound Rescue website at:
www.poundrescue.com/compassion.htm.
Thanks to Renee B from Off-leash
Calgary for providing this information.
Off-leash Newsletter
Survey Results
During August and September, I
asked for feedback on A Howlin’
Good Time off-leash newsletter.
Here are the results:
100% read it for the River Park Update
98% read it for general off-leash news
97% read it for pet health and wellness
information
91% find information is relevant and
helpful
84% prefer a monthly publication
Congratulations to Sylvie GL. Her name
was randomly drawn for a “pooch pack” as
a thank you for completing a survey.
Thanks to 47 people for helping to make
the off-leash newsletter a better
communication tool. Your feedback
helps me to determine content and
frequency of future publications.
Training Tip
Having trouble getting your dog to go
home after the off-leash walk? Make a
game of it. Load up the dog in your
vehicle as a fun exercise, then let them
come out to play again. Or try mixing
up your post-walk routine.
Thanks to trainer Sherri Olsen from
COOLDog for sharing her tip with us.