A Howlin’ Good Time
River Park Off-leash News
OCTOBER 2008
UPCOMING STUFF
River Park Clean-up
TBA
9:30 - 11:00am
The City usually cuts the River
Park grass in October before
the snow flies. Guaranteed
some hidden poops will be
uncovered.
Hope you’ll join us. Please
bring some bags, gloves and
maybe a shovel and meet at
the south end near the parking
lot.
10th Annual River Park
Christmas Gathering
Sandy Beach Fire Pits
Saturday, Nov 29
7:00 - 9:00pm
Who: Everyone and their
dog (on leash)
What: People and dog party
Where: Sandy Beach Fire
Pits
When: Saturday, Nov 29
7:00 - 9:00pm
Why: It’s an opportunity
to socialize and get to
know each other even
better
Other: Sandy Beach is an
on-leash area
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
C’MON, LIGHTEN UP! Night light suggestions
It’s time to start carrying a small
flashlight and dress our dogs in
their illuminated collars. These
measures will help us to know where our
dogs and their droppings are at all times.
Don’t want to spend a fortune on light
sources? You don’t have to. There are
many good quality flashlights that are
affordable and small enough to fit in your
pocket or better yet, choose a style that fits
on your keys.
The choices for lighting our dogs’ collars
are pretty good. Online services and pet
stores typically carry pet-specific lights.
Quality and pricing varies greatly.
A HUGE Thank You
It was a clean sweep!
River Park dog owners
have once again shown
a wonderful commitment
to keeping the park clean
during our clean-up
efforts every other month.
Get ready for the results!
There were 59 people who signed up on
August 17 and 83 people joined our
October 5 clean-up. On both occasions we
concentrated on the long grass, bushes
and bark chips. A formal record of results
was sent to The City of Calgary Adopt-a-
Park representatives to recognize of our
efforts. Thanks very much to everyone for
your continued support.
Friends of River Park will begin advertising
the clean-up efforts on the bulletin board in
an attempt to gain more support for the
clean-ups and create awareness for others
who do not belong to our group or receive
this newsletter.
Consider an inexpensive alternative such
as a bike light or head lamp. Mountain
Equipment Co-op sells a small LED light
with an attached elastic cord that dog
collars conveniently fit through. They
come in two different styles and about five
different colours such as blue, orange,
red, green, pink and white. It runs on a 3V
battery that can be replaced. Selling for
less than $5 each and promising approxi-
mately 100 - 150 hours of light, this is a
great deal.
So dress up your dog in night light gear
and carry a flashlight to increase visibility
this fall and winter. All measures help to
keep River Park clean for everyone.
A Fond Farewell
Gerald recently
announced the
passing of Taz in
August as Taz joined
his “fur-sibling”,
Sandy, who passed in May of this year.
He was a happy dog that many people
still mistook for being a puppy, even in his
senior years. Taz was 16 years old.
River Park sadly lost one of its young
members on September 30. Mike’s little
Papillion, Marley, got loose and ran
across a busy street just outside their
home during rush hour. Tragically, he was
hit by a car and killed. After transporting
Marley’s remains to the CARE centre for
cremation, Mike and his dad came to
seek comfort and understanding from the
River Park family.
Marg lost Buzz (Bouvier) on October 1.
Many of us will remember Buzz as the
gentle giant who loved to eat the crab
apples that had fallen from the trees in
River Park.
River Park Update - Use in the Park
River Park is like
a second home to
our dogs and is a
special place for
us too. So
maintaining the
area shouldn’t be
just The City’s
responsibility. The
appearance of an
area is a direct reflection on the users.
With that said, here are some
observations that I hope will affect the
way you use the park.
Fountain
Staff have started to clear the water
lines in city parks. Usually the River
Park water fountain is available May
through October and true to form, it
was just turned off on October 9.
In August, I informed The City about
some damage to the fountain. A small
bell-shaped drain cover became
detached and there’s a crack in the
stonework at the base of the bowl. It
will be repaired in the near future.
Last year, the base of the fountain
sustained a fair amount of damage —-
a large chunk was broken off the front
and stress fractures showed it had
sustained a blow. The City submitted a
claim to replace it, listing the reason as
vandalism, but they noted that
concentration of urine from dogs was
also a factor. I believe the stonework is
not able to withstand the amount of
water, urine and weather it’s subject to.
I have made suggestions based on a
metal model that’s near the water
treatment plant. It has a special
custom-made protective cover for the
winter and it would also help us
“explain” to our dogs that the water is
READERS’ TIPS for a
Great Off-leash Experience
Pat H emailed her
suggestion: Please
ask dog owners to tie
their poo bags before
disposing them in the
garbage bins to
minimize the odour.
turned off. In the meantime, please try
to stop your dog from peeing on the
fountain to reduce damage and
besides, it’s not healthy for the dogs.
Bag Dispensers
I am the only volunteer who holds a
key for the green metal bag dispensers
in River Park. Each day, I fill the
dispensers with bags provided by The
City of Calgary and Cardel Homes. A
dispenser will hold 300 bags. Keeping
track of use, we went through a
whopping 6000 bags in one month!
In 2007 we were promised three bag
dispensers. Early in 2008 we got one,
followed by another six months later.
Also in 2008, our group strategically
placed three IKEA bag dispensers in
River Park and at the end of
September we installed another one in
the far north end of the park. If you
have a supply of bags, please help us
refill them.
Even though I’m in the park each day,
the bags in the metal dispensers may
run out during high-use times and
once in a while, there’s a delay in
getting supplies. Under normal
circumstances, bags should typically
be available year-round. If I am
unavailable, Linda Scarlett (another
FRPS leadership team member) will
assume responsibility for filling the
dispensers.
The City was concerned that people
would start to rely on the dispensers
instead of bringing their own. Let’s not
give them anything to talk about. All of
us are working toward a cleaner park,
so please try to remember to bring
bags. The dispensers are intended to
be an emergency supply.
Nan D walks her small and fearful
“grand-dog” in the park in an attempt
to socialize it. Please be respectful of a
dog on-leash and remember large
dogs can be intimidating. Are you in
the same boat? Animal behaviourist,
Pat P suggested classes to help the
fearful dog adapt to other dogs in a
controlled environment and to slowly
introduce it to the off-leash area until
it’s able to gain confidence.
River Park Survey
Recently a survey was conducted in River
Park as well as some other parks in the
city from September 27 to 30.
As a River Park steering committee
member, I have been involved in meetings
about the park with past and present
aldermen and various City Parks and City
Recreation representatives. Steering
committee members and park users were
surprised that there was no mention of a
survey being conducted through public
notice and that it was not made available
online or through community associations.
City 3-1-1 staff were informed on
Thursday, September 25 of surveys being
conducted in September and October, but
they said there was no notice to the public.
Speaking with a surveyor, I discovered the
survey was taking place over the four days
mentioned above. On September 30, a
surveyor told me they would also count
users and collect feedback on October 4.
Indeed they did return, but it was only for
the first part of the day, including the time
when a running event took place.
Many people emailed me, questioning the
way the survey was conducted and felt the
results will be skewed. Rather than each
person with concerns contact The City,
I offered to ask questions and forward
answers to the group. I asked the following
questions:
1. What was the intent of the survey?
2. Will there be more surveys conducted?
3. If so, will public notice be considered?
(through existing groups, community
newsletters, newspapers, community
associations and posted signs)?
4. And will people be able to complete
surveys through a variety of ways?
5. Will results be made public?
In any case, this was an opportunity to
state your opinion about general
questions. There were no right and wrong
answers. I believe survey feedback is
intended to help The City manage off-
leash areas or help with the management
plan for River Park. I’ll keep everyone
posted.