62 replies to this topic

[gumgum]

There was an article a couple of weeks ago about the "Friends" taking on this issue head-on. (Can't seem to find it though. Maybe it was on the news.)
I think they lost serious credibility when they fought against the Terry Fox monument in the park. Not to mention the fight against the aboriginal ceremonial salmon BBQ in rememberance of buried on the burial ground because the smoke from the BBQ could potentially damage some dumb plant.

[Holden West]

That was Victoria watchdog Betty Gibbens:

If the barbecue is approved, there will be cooking odours and smoke that is not conducive to achieving a park environment. She is also concerned about the quantity of salmon that will be consumed.

Plus, the drifting salmon aroma would produce excessive dog slobber over at the dog run area.

[aastra]

Tell me a wider path wouldn't alleviate some of the slobber problem. Strategically placed drains...it's a done deal.

[Caramia]

The dogs and the kids running all over that area is what makes it awesome. Having grown up in South Fairfield and trampled plants in Beacon Hill park for my entire childhood, I'd consider myself more than friends with the park. If anything I am Family of Beacon Hill Park. And as Family I'd defend it against anyone who wants to unpeople and undog it.

[Ms. B. Havin]

The dogs and the kids running all over that area is what makes it awesome. Having grown up in South Fairfield and trampled plants in Beacon Hill park for my entire childhood, I'd consider myself more than friends with the park. If anything I am Family of Beacon Hill Park. And as Family I'd defend it against anyone who wants to unpeople and undog it.

Right on, Caramia!

[Urbalist]

Dogs are the only species which licks and eats their own feces, and humans - as far as I'm aware - are the only species that allows - hell, in fact encourages and often ritualizes - that species to lick our faces. Best friends indeed!

When I see a specific dog-human relationship, its often very difficult to determine who is the dependant one. There are two ends to every leash, right?

Then there's this whole issue of dog rage, behaviourly adopted by the human as part of the fetishism. The people at the CRD who conducted public consultation for dogs in the park (the fragile Thetis lake area I believe), a few years ago, said that in all their professional years, they had never seen so much barking-mad, froth-mouthed rage - including unspeakable threats - than when it came to these mutt people. Sad.

[Baro]

My degu's eat their own poop all the time, it's pretty common in a lot of animals.

[gumgum]

True there are a lot of fanatical people who own dogs and cats. A lot of very lonely people treat their pets like their own children and believe they have the same rights of children. I laughed a couple of months ago when I was at the vet and I was purusing the bulleten board and there was a small poster with a picture of a pug with a party hat on. It said, "It's my party and I'll bark if I want to." Then it went one to something to the effect, "You and your human parents are welcome to help celebrate Coco's 1st birthday on such and such a day at such and such park at 1pm." Sad really.
But those types of people are the ones that give other normal pet owners a bad name.
That being said, I love my dog. I've had him for 12 years and he's part of the family. He gives us a lot of joy and happiness.
The bond between humans and dogs is one that's been around for over 100 thousand years. It's not just some modern phenomenon that goes against nature.
True there is a level of dependency that goes back and forth. Humans provide food and shelter, dogs provide protection, joy, affection - it's been proven that dog owners live longer as a result of lower blood-pressure levels. Which is why dogs routinely vist hospital wards - there is a clear, proven possitive physiological link to animal contact.

But hey, if you're not a dog-person it would be difficult to understand. It's just a difficult for me to understand why everyone doesn't love dogs.

BTW, human babies would eat their own poop given the chance.

[Icebergalley]

Poop, Scoop, Bag and take Home...

The plot thickens....

Toronto mulls asking owners to take dog's poop home
'Poop, scoop and carry' could soon be the new slogan drummed into dog owners across Toronto.
Full Story: http://www.cbc.ca/ca... ... yhome.html

[gumgum]

They tried this in some areas in Ottawa a few years back and people just stopped bothering to scoop.
I can see why. Who'd want to carry a bag of **** their pocket?

[VicHockeyFan]

They tried this in some areas in Ottawa a few years back and people just stopped bothering to scoop.
I can see why. Who'd want to carry a bag of **** their pocket?

[Ms. B. Havin]

From Ananova online, [url=http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2284007.html?menu=news.quirkies:87b5c]Dog poo no more![/url:87b5c] (emphases added):

A Dutch firm claims to have eliminated the problem of dog poo by creating a dog food that leaves almost no waste.

Developers Jos van der Linden and Nanette Waldorp say 90% of the food, called Energique, is absorbed into the dog's body.

They claim remaining 10% comes out the other end as a smell-free dry pellet that can be picked up by hand in a tissue.

According to research by the University of Utrecht, a dog will normally need to go three times a day, but with Energique it only needs to go once a week.

...snip...

The new product is being hailed as a major boost in the fight to cut down on the problem of dog mess on city streets.

The only drawback is the price, Energique costs twice the price of regular dog food, but it has not stopped the company getting orders from as far as the US, Canada and Israel.

[G-Man]

Is this a joke? When will it be available for humans?

Think of the benefits to the economy!

[Ms. B. Havin]

No joke, AFAIK. Re benefits to economy: we wouldn't need sewage treatment!

Of course one breakfast bowl of Special K would send it all sideways... :oops:

[Savannah]

Who'd want to carry a bag of **** their pocket?

It's really not the worst thing in the world. Of course, I have a little dog.

[gumgum]

Do we really need another reason to be annoyed with the JBNEA and the "Friends" Of Beacon Hill Park? You people are just no fun.
Oh and news flash JBNEA - this area in NOT in James Bay!

[url=http://www.islandnet.com/beaconhillpark/contents/chapter21.htm:6551b]Proposal to restore area over-used by off-leash dogs[/url:6551b]



The condition of the meadow at Finlayson Point south of Beacon Hill is “just awful,” the James Bay Neighbourhood Environment Association (JBNEA) agreed at a January 10, 2007 meeting. They voted to support a proposal asking the City of Victoria to fence and restore about 200 metres near the point. The area used to be a verdant meadow of grass and native wildflowers, as shown above left. The photo above right, taken by Norm Ringuette in January, 2007, shows it has been degraded to bare soil, mudholes and weeds.

The Friends of Beacon Hill Park brought the restoration proposal forward based on information and recommendations by noted botanist Dr. T. Christopher Brayshaw. In December, 2006, Brayshaw had presented his report titled “Effect of Unleashed Dogs and Carpet Burweed Infestation in Beacon Hill Park,” to Gary Darrah, Manager, Park Development. The Friends hope support from the JBNEA will help move the proposal forward.

Brayshaw linked the problem of invasive Carpet Burweed, discussed in the previous section, to dog activity in the off-leash area. The damaged area is not only ugly, it is “a welcoming port-of-entry for exotic nuisance weeds,” he said, predicting the “infested site” at Finlayson Point “will become a nucleus for the dispersal of the Carpet Burweed...” Carpet Burweed flourishes in degraded areas and spreads easily because “Dogs carry the tiny burs in their fur” and humans “carry them on our clothes.” (“Effect of Unleashed Dogs and Carpet Burweed Infestation in Beacon Hill Park,” Report for the Friends of Beacon Hill Park, T. C. Brayshaw, November 14, 2006, p. 3)

The extensive off-leash area south of Dallas Road, stretching from Douglas Street to Clover Point, is coloured green in the sign shown below. The restoration proposal applies to a 200 metre portion of that area, located below Beacon Hill and west of Finlayson Point, including the current Carpet Burweed enclosure.
Dallas Road dog run sign

Until 2005, the Dallas Road area was the only off-leash dog area in Victoria. Extreme overuse caused habitat destruction in a portion of the area when it became a meeting place for dogs and their owners from the city and around the region. Brayshaw noted “The situation in the Finlayson Point area should not have been allowed to proceed to its current deplorable state.” ("Effects," p. 3) Six additional city parks were opened to off-leash dogs last year--Oswald, Arbutus, Victoria West, Alexander, Redfern and Gonzales Beach--and some observers claim dog numbers have declined on Dallas Road. It is still, however, the most popular off-leash dog area.

“The degraded area should be isolated from use for however long it will take to recover to its former condition,” Brayshaw recommended. “Recovery may take several years and require surrounding the damaged area with dog-proof temporary fencing,” while dogs continue to use the rest of the off-leash area. He suggested a “system of rotation of designated heavy use areas through the overall extent of the dogs off-leash area.” ("Effect," p. 4)

Off-leash areas have been controversial, especially since 2003. The modest proposal to fence and restore a small area on Finlayson Point could ignite another round of heated discussion. At issue in the future will be whether or not the restored area is rotated back into the off-leash zone. (See Chapter 19: 2003, “Off-leash dogs an emotional and an environmental issue” and Chapter 19, 2004, “Off-leash controversy continues.”)

A December flurry of letters to the Times Colonist indicates dog owners are ever alert to defend their pets' right to run over this prime Victoria oceanfront viewscape. When a letter titled “Memo to dog owners: clean up your act” complained about dogs running free and dog poop left on the Dallas Road path, three responses were printed. (Times Colonist, Dec 14, 2006, p. A.11) The first explained “Dallas Road, between Clover Point and Douglas Street, has 24 hour offleash access for dogs...[so] the writer might as well get used to the offleash dogs...” (Times Colonist, Dec 15, 2006, p. A.19) The third response, from dog trainer Ben Kersen, explained the value of “complete” exercise for dogs and noted “Dallas Road people seem to be quite conscientious about their scooping duties...” (Times Colonist, Dec 20, 2006, p. A.15)

[m0nkyman]

Do we really need another reason to be annoyed with the JBNEA and the "Friends" Of Beacon Hill Park? You people are just no fun.
Oh and news flash JBNEA - this area in NOT in James Bay!

Nope. But this certainly ups the annoyance level by a large multiple.

[Ms. B. Havin]

The damaged area is not only ugly, it is “a welcoming port-of-entry for exotic nuisance weeds,” he said...

Bah, humbug! It merely sounds exactly like our entry terminal for tourists arriving on the Coho, and somehow we manage to live with that just fine in the JBNEA.

FWIW, I'd rather see the ferry terminal fixed up. That meadow actually looks a lot better this year than it has in the past, and frankly, the good energy from all those dogs running all over the place is a heck of a lot more vibrant (ahem!) than some nature-cast-in-amber (and hands-off, too!) could.

Yes, the JBNEA (and some of those friends) need to get a life. Maybe then they'll stop trying to ruin everyone else's...

[G-Man]

^ Wow what an irritating read thanks for posting it.

[gumgum]

City eyes expansion of off-leash parks
Proposal would allow 10 areas for pet freedom
Carolyn Heiman, Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, April 06, 2008