Thank you to everyone who did some extra picking up and cleaning up, within the runs & at Summit Park. There was no particular organized effort this year, but many folk took it upon themselves to make the extra effort.
We received excellent press in March from the Gazette, for being a city with relatively clean streets and very few bylaw infractions.
Let's stay clean this season too! Pick up after your own dog, just yours - that is all expected or asked.
If your darling is apprroaching 1 year of age, (born before Sept 1999), it's recommended he/she have a blood test before starting the pills. For older dogs, the guidelines now say doing the blood tests alternate years should be enough.
... to get the Safewalk program off the ground. Need good folk prepared to check the street lighting, dark corners, signage & sidewalk conditions in their immediate neighbourhood. Report to the Healthy City Project (City Hall) or the WDOA . Both have forms which are very easily filled out during a regular evening walk. This has proven more effective at getting things fixed that the city patrols done from a truck. Please take an extra 15 mins or so (1 time only!) & know you have contributed to your general safety & that of your friends and family!
The short steep slope will be fenced off for much of the season, as the City seeds it & plants some bushes to help against erosion & mud.
Raking gravel back into place at Murray Hill & Landsdowne Parks on City's early season work list.
The WDOA provided food for a few days to all animals rescued from the Academy Rd fire on 16 April. About 7 - 8 animals were rescued or removed by owners. It seems 3 perished. Our hearts go out to the bereaved owners.
Time again for summer songs from my broken record! Protect your heart strings by protecting your woof.
Always:
- collect poo.
Never:
- dump poo down street drains
- leave your friend unattended in the car or tied to a pole while you shop
Remember the heartworm pills each month, and lots of shade & cool water on the hotter days
With the ozone layer thinning anually, it may be time to add sunscreen to your dog's outdoor attire. Select a hypoallergenic / cream or lotion of SPF 15 or higher (Ombrelle is good). Apply to pale-coloured noses and nearly hairless ear tips. Hats with ear holes are a good idea too, for extended outings.
Many folk shave hairy dogs in advance of hot summer days. Be sure to leave enough coat (about 1/2 in minimum) to protect against sunburn, biting insects.
Aloe Vera juice (not the gel) is comforting & effective for insect bites, sunburn, post-swimming scratching. Soak a paper towel & lay on affected areas several times / day. Available at health food stores, some pharmacies. Works for you both.
To the person who ringed the maple inside Murray Hill run with a ?pen knife last autumn. You have killed a tree & slowed shade for your dog by 3 yrs! Your action has destroyed something that belongs to all of us. What a silly, thoughtless thing to do! Care to by the replacement tree? Contact Claudette Savaria at 989-5213. She & we will be thrilled, no questions asked.
Our heartfelt sympathy to Ann Birks, who lost her Shepherd, Ribbons, this Spring.
Great thanks to Martine Ferris, who has translated our newsletter again. Typing errors are mine. BCB.
The City has installed new closed bulletin boards in the fenced runs. They are smaller than expected, but at least the doors shut properly!
For the 3rd year, we participated in Smart-Living Day, held at Victoria Hall on Sat., 16 Oct., with a complete range of litterature, and a small quiz. Those who answered correctly received a doggie bag & treats.
Please bring to the party all your old towels, sheets, blankets, pillowcases, etc. The SPCA Montérégie desperately needs these for the animal cages, as surgical drapes, etc. Quality food for dogs is also needed, or a little cash to buy same.
Fresh from the incredible success of their Heirloom Discovery Day, the Historical Society will join us on Nov 28 to show how this major restoration project is proceeding. Get your engineer's cap!
Despite considerable publicity, very few folk (4 / 900) responded. This project is designed to evaluate street lighting, sidewalks condition, dark alleys, etc. on a local level. It's our chance to look out for each other by confirming good safety standards in our immediate neighbourhoods. It's so easy to do when walking the dog on an evening. Please phone for a form.
Yes, maybe. Many pooches are finding the amounts of road salt to be very uncomfortable, even painful. The granules get between the pads & melt there, causing real pain.
Preventative measures include:
Boots come in many varieties. The soft Polarticylinders with velcro straps are easily put on & allow traction, but can come off during heavy play. Leather ones allow good traction but less "feel for the road", so may be less well received. Wool has too loose a weave - it allows small granules to penetrate to the pad. Some boots come with attached suspenders over the back to make sure they aren't lost in play. Wait in the snow on the sidewalk, rather than the slush on the road - or carry your woof across the intersection. Even in cold days, road salt melts between pads.
No more doggie bags or unbagged poop down the street drains! The drains become blocked. AND the poop is washed untreated directly into the St Lawrence River.
Get a licence for your doggie darling. There were fewer than 1000 licences this year, the lowest number for many years! It remains one of the best protections you can provide to your friend.
No woofs in the kiddys' playgrounds.
Confirm the person walking your friend has control of your friend. 60 lb kids really cannot always manage 100 lb woofs.
No Y2K problems foreseen for woofs, who will still need feeding, hugs & walks. But you may want to consolidate important papers, a little cash, some food & candles -- just in case.
More & more, vets are discussing the true usefulness of vaccinating for everything every year. This debate forms part of the larger one many of us are engaged in -- on topics from pesticide use and recycling, to antibiotic resistant bacteria, irradiated food, carbon emissions.
Vaccines have a range of efficacity, and a range in time for that efficacity to continue. There have been questions raised about the wisdom of giving combination shots containing several vaccines, on the basis that this is a hard shock to the system. There have been some indications that repeated vaccinations may reduce the number or strenght of previously established antibodies in some instances. And questions about cysts sometimes created at injection sites.
You may wish to discuss these topics with your vet. Your woof's age, number of previous vaccinations, lifestyle, probability of being in areas where a particular disease is rampant, might mean that your woof may not need everything this year. Perhaps it makes sense to schedule shots over a couple of weeks. Check it out for yourself and your comfort level, and make your choice accordingly.
Westmount bylaws require only the rabies shot every three years.
Our thanks to every one who participated in the Great Annual Parks & Runs Clean-up of Saturday, 10 April. Amazing what melting snow uncovers, isn't it? Bending double raises our public profile -- yes, really.
Anyone find anything worth selling?
A $ 10 annual membership is excellent value for money. It brings 2 newsletters each year, and a major party with scrumptious door prizes for the dogs each Fall. It supports voice & mail communications with persons across the island and the continent who are working to promote dog-friendly local by-laws and dog runs. (Every new run established in the Montreal area means a lower demand on ours!!) Annual dues have also paid for a 40-page booklet on how to start owners groups, lobby city councils for sensible bylaws, set up and maintain runs, which has been sent to groups across the island and Canada. Most importantly, paid membership means we are the voice of dogs in Westmount (members or not), respected as a strong, often vocal yet sensible group City Hall can work with. We organize poster and clean-up campaigns during the year (at our expense), provide information services and liaison in many situations, even broker talks and arrangements in larger controversies. And, of course, we're working always toward better facilities for the woofs.
The more of us are united in these efforts, the better the results should be! Please support your dogs! Join up today!
Concordia and HEC both have sociology and engineering students doing thesis work on dogs in the city, facilities, social factors. Jeremy Searles (MUC / NDG) is doing a major study on same. Gee, we might become "regular" citizens soon! Now, that's a change for the better!
EVERY WELL-DRESSED DOG NEEDS ONE ...
NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT ...
WHAT IS IT?
WHY, A LICENCE!!
STILL ONE OF THE VERY BEST PROTECTIONS
YOU CAN GIVE TO YOUR FRIEND.
GET YOURS TODAY!!
Dogs left in cars, even with a window open, are at serious risk of overheating and death., sometimes within minutes as the interior temperature rises. Dogs tied to poles while you shop are in double jeopardy: heat prostration and kidnapping. Every season, dogs go missing from poles, too often to pass their remaining days in misery at a research lab. Yes, it happens. Prevent heartbreak by thinking twice.
NO POOP OR POOP-FILLED BAGGIES INTO THE STREET STORM DRAINS -- PLEASE!!The relationship between dog folk and non-dog folk in Westmount appears relatively quiet, and established. In comparison to the nasty and growling stories coming from some other cities across the country, it is. But this calm was hard fought and hard won, and it is a precarious one. For some 23 years, the WDOA , and other good folk, have worked constantly and consistently, to build a viable status quo that most citizens can live with, most of the time.
Recent months have seen a considerable increase in dogs in Westmount, and an increase in first-time dog owners. There has even been an increase in (dog) folk moving to Westmount from elsewhere! Wonderful to meet you, and welcome to you all. It's possible that many of the newer owners and residents haven't encountered the depth of emotion attached to dog issues in urban areas, or perhaps, in peaceful times, the need for constant vigilance has slipped toward the back of our minds.
The truth is this: the dog / non-dog balance remains always fragile. Another truism is: while one drunk motorist running a light & killing someone at a bus stop is, in the public mind, one drunk & dangerous idiot, it remains a fact that one owner who doesn't pick up or who isn't always acting most responsibly, immediately becomes all dog owners and all their dirty, noisy animals, in the public's mind. T'ain't fair but 'tis true.
So, please remain aware that even the smallest sin can escalate with dreadful rapidity to a(nother) major brouhaha. Help prevent sins by making a habit of chatting up fellow owners and walkers. A friendly reminder about a missed dump, or attempting to quieten a dog, is always in order. So are requests to separate dogs if one appears to be bothering the other, or cautions about kids running & screaming in the immediate vicinity, (some dogs not familiar with kids can interpret these actions as an attack & may respond fiercely). Always keep the dog on leash when not on your own property. It's safer, and good manners, to assume you don't know the approaching dog. It's almost certain the person coming in your direction doesn't know you or your dog! If someone other than you is walking your dog, confirm in advance that person has control of the dog, in the event it becomes startled or frightnened. Minimize potential scrums by keeping a bitch in heat out of the dog run. If one thinks of the rearing and caring of children and dogs in the same light, it's hard to go far wrong.
No one wants a major controversy to erupt. Remember the actions and reactions of each of us reflect directly on our entire group . There does not exist a calm or studied public response to dog issues in cities. Such matters are fought with extreme emotion and verbal viciousness. As often as not, the dogs loose something when the dust settles. We know this, we have the scars to prove it. Be responsible. Be aware and careful. Apply your good manners and common sense in dog matters as you do in other matters. It's always in order to remind another gently to do likewise. Thank you.
PS: Yes!! We can work for better facilities and kinder bylaws -- and be good citizens in the meantime!!
Last fall, the WDOA joined forces with the Mutual Support group of the Healthy City Project, with a view to reviving the "safewalk" program. It's fast (combine it with the evening dog walk), it's easy (form & prompting questions provided), and it needs only your usual sharp eye, to note street lights obscured by tree branches, cracked sidewalks, and the like.
We provide the form, the checklist, and follow-up with the City to make sure things really do get fixed. You provide a pen, the dog (opt and the time required to walk it. Double results for one outing!! We'll be contacting many/most of you over the next weeks to organize the effort. This is another chance to prove, yet again, the the dog-folk are really super citizens!! Help keep our neighbourhoods safe for us all.
When the heat hits, Montreal swelters. Help your woof keep his cool by allowing access to uncarpeted floors, lots of water (ice cubes alone or in the water are a treat!), a shaded place. Maybe even a fan on low. Time the big outings and exercise for early a.m. and late afternoon / evening. Interim speed pees will remain a necessity.
Remember, while we have our whole skin to sweat, dogs have only their tongues to help regulate body heat.
Lost in recent months were:
Kelly Bagnell, (Wheaton)Good dogs, great souls, best friends all. We hope and believe they are blessed in their new circumstances.
There was a substantial spill of noxious substances at the WAG in August, which necessitated the closure of about 40% of the run for more than a week, while soil samples were tested. No protective measures had been taken prior to the start of work on the comfort station walls - no warning, barricades, etc. - and the contractor did not check with Public Works beforehand. Only with the help pf PSU were adequate barriers erected, after the spill.
While we congratulate Dir. Fred Caluori of Public Works on his prompt reaction once alerted of the problem, we wonder why his department hasn't the same understanding as he, that kid's playgrounds and our dog runs must be treated in the same fashion.
If there is a major problem in a run (eg: toxic spill, etc.), please notify us quickly. We can generally react quickly - and - the City does generally listen to us. But we canna do nuttin' if'n we don' know about it.
For small things like broken gates or unemptied garbage cans, it should be enough to phone Public Works yourself.
Another first for the WDOA !!
Following the infamous Ice Storm, the City has expanded and updated its Emergency Plan. In September, the WDOA realized that very little attention had been addressed to the question of pets (of any sort). As a result of our new alliance with the Healthy City Project (more in another section on this page), the WDOA offered to create a pamphlet on emergency preparedness for the pets of Westmount.
The City is having difficulty arranging pet facilities at shelters: questions of differing needs for different species, space, and allergen transmission within enclosed buildings.
The pamphlet contents are mostly common sense, but there are a number of useful tips & some reassurance about leaving pets in the house under certain conditions.
The pamphlet is available from the WDOA , and The Healthy City Project, City Hall.
Westmount's Annual Santa Claus Parade is scheduled to march through our streets on Saturday, 6 December. We're invited to participate! Put a red or green bow on your woof & join in the fun! The parade forms up at Westmount Park School, Academy Rd., 1 pm.
NDG/Girouard Park has a new purpose-built dog run, opened in mid-summer. It is of a decent size, has lots of benches & a water fountain. Congratulations to the NDG Dog Owners who wouldn't give up!!
The WDOA has joined the Healthy City Project - specifically, the Mutual Support section of this large entreprise. This section deals with such topics as Neighbourghood Watch (needs desperately to be re-vitalized!), safety walks, Smart Living Day, and other topics that do not fall within the scope of the environmental section. The WDOA is recognized by the Healthy City Project as a most responsible and highly mobile group.
To start with, WDOA members and other dog walkers are strongly encouraged to participate in safety walks. These are easy to do, & take effectively no more time than the walks we are already doing. The goal is to note areas of broken or eroded sidewalks, locations where extra lighting might be in order, or tree branches cut to allow street lighting to shine through, etc. The notes are forwarded to the City, and hopefully appropriate changes / repairs are made. Prepared forms are available from the Healthy Cities, and from the WDOA . Check out your immediate neighbourghood & tell City Hall what needs fixin'!! Will you do your block? Help keep us all safe.