The Bark Park News



The Bark Park News

[pic]

St. Thomas Dog Owners Association

Vol. 1 Issue 2, February 2010

stthomasdogpark.

The Lions Club Dog Park has been fenced and usable since mid-December 2009. Dogs have been thrilled to meet their old friends and make new ones. The expanded parking lot seems to have cars in it at all times of the day. One Saturday, in early January, the parking lot was completely full and cars had to park up by the Jumbo statue. It is safe to say that the dog park is well used, and this is still the depths of winter!

[pic]

For those who do not know where the park is, it is

at the west end of town, in a ravine area between Talbot Street, old Talbot Street and Sunset Drive. Parking and the double entrance gate are on old Talbot St., west of Jumbo’s statue. Pavement from the old road runs through part of the park, going west through a treed area toward Sunset. Kettle Creek is the fourth, unfenced, boundary. The fence lines are shown above, in black broken lines, starting at the bottom P and running NW along the dark blue line (old road) and north to the creek.

Park News

The grand opening of the park will be May 22nd, 2010. Everyone is welcome. We hope to see all those who worked so hard to get a dog park in our city come to the park and help us celebrate the official opening. We are planning many events and information booths to promote canine awareness plus dog-related merchandise and food for both humans and dogs.

Lions Club Dog Park Rules

The park signage lays out the basic rules for use of the dog park. The rules are self-explanatory. However, an explanation of the reasons why we have these rules will help with adherence to them. Also there are some realities of dog parks which cannot be concisely addressed in signage – they are matters which rely on common sense and courtesy.

*Clean up after your dog

This is one of the most important rules and common sense measure of any dog park. The obvious reason for this will be apparent the first time you get in your car and smear a messy memento of your visit all over your car mat.

Most dogs investigate other dogs’ droppings. They get information about the dog that way. However, some dogs also find poo a tasty snack. Eating it is a condition called coprophagia and there are many reasons for it – none of which are necessary or beneficial to a well looked after dog. It’s particularly common in winter – the appeal of what the vets call “poopsicles”.

Coprophagia is a habit much easier to start than stop. The best way to keep it from starting in the first place is ensure there is not a plentiful supply lying around. Dogs eating the feces of other dogs can infect themselves with parasites such as giardia, whipworm, & coccidia. At a dog park, there are a lot of dogs and therefore a lot of temptation unless people scoop up after their dogs.

*No toys or food

Competition over toys – including balls and sticks - can lead to fights between dogs. Many of us have seen it happen, when one dog tries to take a toy or stick from another. The fight might be minor or might be serious. In a dog park, it might involve many dogs and therefore the chances of someone – dog or human – getting hurt are increased. Most dogs are happy to wrestle, chase and play with each other in the dog park. Save fetch for other places.

Food can also lead to fights between dogs competing for what is in your pockets! Dogs can smell a treat a mile away and most are not shy about asking for one. Remember too, that some dogs have allergies and other health issues, and some people strictly regulate their dog’s food intake. It is best to not give a dog a treat unless you have the owner’s consent. A few non-smelly treats are fine if you use them for your dog training. Try to reward your dog when the others are not around.

*Keep your dog in sight and under control

For reasons of possible injury and fights, it is best to know where your dog is at all times. In this park, it is especially necessary as the creek side of the park is not fenced, due to Kettle Creek Conservation Authority rules and because of the creek’s seasonal fluctuations. Dogs can escape at the end of the fencing lines near the creek at the west side (by Sunset Drive) and the east side. At any point in the park, a dog can jump down the embankment and go in the creek.

Recall training for your dog is essential. The recall, or "come”, command is one of the most important skills to teach your dog. Never call your dog to come then scold or punish them! It does not take a canine genius to figure out that if a scolding or punishment is waiting for her when she comes, she'd really rather head in the opposite direction, thank you very much. Not only will a solid recall help you avoid those embarrassing games of catch-me-if-you-can when you are trying to leave the dog park, but it will help keep your dog safe off-leash.

*Keep your children in sight and under control

This park is an off-leash area for dogs. Parents should exercise care and caution by keeping their children close enough so little ones can be picked up in case running dogs pass near them. Older children should move out of the way of running dogs. Imagine three bowling balls weighing 25 kg and moving at a speed of 40 kilometers an hour and striking your child. The child could be severely injured! This is the average weight and speed of 3 adult dogs running. Children should not run if they think a dog is chasing them. In all likelihood, the dog is just running, but will quite possibly chase if the child begins running, screaming and flapping arms. It will be a game to the dog, but the impact of the child and dog colliding can hurt the child.

The best advice to give your child – stand still, keep your arms folded and…

[pic]

*First Aid

911 Emergency Services address is 25 Talbot Street

[pic]

Running dogs can injure themselves with tree limbs, jagged stones and, unfortunately, broken glass and other garbage. The STDOA has put a first aid kit in the lower meadow area of the park for emergency bandaging and cleanup of dogs and people. In case of injury in the lower part of the park, if possible, get someone to bring your car to the Sunset Drive side of the park. Carry or put your dog on the blanket in the first aid box to pull him or her to the emergency exit on Sunset. Do not try to make your dog go up the hill to the parking lot if he or she is badly hurt.

*Preventative Vaccines

Make sure your dog is fully vaccinated before coming to the park. It is recommended that they also have the nasal vaccine for bordatella (often called kennel cough), a nasty flu-like ailment that dogs can contract in close contact.

Adherence to these rules and guidelines can be very important, even life-saving, for your pet. Many of our dogs have never been together with so many other dogs at one time. They may have dog friends; however both you and your dog know those dogs and their people. No one can take for granted that another dog or person will have the same attitude as you or your dog to playing fetch, for example. Your dog and his three friends might take turns catching the ball and dropping it at your feet, but the new dog watching your game might decide that the ball is his and his alone. That could cause trouble.

In a dog park, both your dog and you are meeting strangers regularly. It will take time for your dog to feel comfortable and accepted by the other dogs. There is a lot of sniffing and sorting out to begin with. Try to relax and feel at ease, as your dog will take his cue from you. For the most part, the dogs love playing with each other and use good dog etiquette. That being said, anyone who has ever seen a bar fight knows, a slight disagreement can quickly escalate and involve everyone in a brawl. That happens with dogs as well. These guidelines are to aid us humans in supporting our dogs’ social networking skills.

Basically, this whole discussion is about scale - that of many dogs’ waste not picked up, of a mob of dogs chasing a stick, of many dogs all wanting a treat from you, of a group of dogs careening toward you at full gallop. If you bear the magnifying effect of scale in mind, you and your dog will enjoy the fun of a dog park.

STDOA Updates and Membership

Our first Pet Photos with Santa in late November was a fun day that raised about $400. Traffic was steady with over 50 dogs getting their pictures taken. Our ‘model’ dog was a beautifully behaved boy who posed perfectly while photographer John Blake adjusted lights and cameras.

[pic]

Santa saw the full spectrum of dogs that day. An Irish Wolfhound easily whispered her Christmas list in his ear. Her head reached just as high as his. At the other end of the size scale, John had to zoom in for close-ups in order to get a picture of an eight-week old Chihuahua with Santa. Santa had his hands full, with dogs and sometimes children, crowded around and on him.

[pic]

photos by John Blake

We thank Ashley Beaunoyer of Dogs We Love for providing a wonderful venue for the event and for the help she and her staff gave us. Ashley is now selling her natural dog food from her home. You can continue to get her products through her website thedogdish.ca.

On May 15th from 8 am to 1 pm the park will be closed for a major clean-up of garbage, dead wood and underbrush. If you want to help with labour or provision of garbage bags, gloves or equipment, please contact Wendy at 519-633-1785 or email lleason@.

On Saturday, May 22,

Join us at the LIONS CLUB DOG PARK’S grand opening.

*If you have a dog (or dogs) and are not already a member of the STDOA, you can join for $20 a year, which covers all your dog(s) and family members. That gives you voting rights at our general meetings (one vote per household).

*If you do not have a dog, but would like to be part of the organization, you can become an associate member for $10 a year. You can attend general meetings and partake in discussions and activities, but not vote.

Please send membership fees and donations to the Treasurer, 5 Farmington Drive, St. Thomas ON N5R 5W8 (email dorothya@). Make cheques payable to St. Thomas Dog Owners Association.

If you want to help with fundraising or have ideas you would like to contribute, please contact our Fundraising Coordinator, Wendy at 519-633-1785 or email lleason@.

Fundraising is just as important now as it was before we had the park. If you’ve been there, you will know there are no stairs and no benches. We still want a separate area fenced off so that small and elderly dogs can play apart from the big dogs. We have only the basics so far. The “extras” are expensive. For example, a durable bench that meets city standards costs $2,000.

You’ll also recognize the need for stairs if you have been at the park in snowy or muddy conditions. “Exercise Hill”, as the steep incline to the meadow as been dubbed, is climbable by dogs but even they have been seen to fall flat trying to get down it in the mud. In the spring, there will be stairs built on one side so that people can take the easy way down and dogs have their choice of stairs or slide. The path through the woods on the east part of the park also needs stairs because a natural spring there makes it wet and/or slippery in almost all weather.

All this, of course, costs money. There is still some of our initial funds available for construction but we will need more. The STDOA has submitted a couple of applications for grant monies, but we are trying everything we can think of to raise money from the community and those who directly benefit from use of the dog park.

[pic][pic]

Our executive is:

• Luanne Demers, President

• Joe Spencer, Vice-President and Liaison

• Linda Spencer, Secretary

• Wendy Leason, Fundraising and Membership Joint Coordinator

• Lesley Renshaw, Fundraising and Membership Joint Coordinator

• Aleks Lovelock, Webmaster

• Dorothy Stewart, Treasurer and Editor

[pic]

Photo: John Blake. STDOA Executive members, with Ashley and Santa (centre back and front)

A big thank you goes to…

• Elgin Chrysler, St. Thomas

• Geralyn Lynch, St. John’s NL

for generous financial donations to STDOA for the Lions Club Dog Park. Thank you, and thanks to our previous individual, business and civic donors who have helped us so much.

Our Featured Group

[pic]

All Breed Canine Rescue (ABCR) was founded in 2004. Without ABCR, there would be no rescue for pound dogs. St. Thomas resident and businesswoman, Lois Jackson and a group of truly dedicated team of volunteers work every day to rescue abandoned and sick, injured dogs from the St. Thomas and London pounds. ABCR is a member of a national rescue network, helping dogs from many high-kill shelters. ABCR has a well-functioning network with shelters, rescue and transportation groups to ensure successful re-homing of dogs. ABCR provides medical treatment for the dogs, including neutering and microchipping. The rescue dogs are fostered in private homes while they wait for forever homes.

In 2009, with the cat shelters overcrowded and euthanasia at the St. Thomas Animal Control shelter a grim potential, Lois and ABCR got involved with cat rescue as well. ABCR’s focus is on rescuing dogs, but will also rescue cats rather than see them killed in a pound.

All Breed Canine Rescue’s dogs and cats can be seen at allbreedcaninerescue. or call Lois at 519-633-6226.

Looking for a home…

Mia is a one yr old, very tiny female Jack Russell. Mia has had a very hard start to life, and has been abandoned at the pound twice. Mia loves attention. She needs owners with big hearts who will see her as the tiny angel she is. She is the cutest dog ever, and deserves love!

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download