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Hey guys..i'm baaaaaccck!

I was thinking of you guys yesterday morning and though I wasn't wishing I was there..sorry but I was in the sunshine and enjoying my mini vacation. I knew you all would be having a great time..what a frustrating time for Keymo though... it must be driving you nuts...I have met doctors like that too though. When I was a vegan I was given a total hardtime so this Raw stuff is ridiculous. I'd like to say archaic but at least archaic would be more likely to go with Raw! lol

My dogs are bouncing off the wall since I came home so I suspect my children didn't walk them as much as they should have. Mom's always know! And my oldest dog in retaliation peed and had diarrhea in the house (which he hasn't had since being on Raw). Funny how the whole house relies on one person!! oh, well.

Hopefully we can plan on another get together soon.

W

Hey Everyone!
Sorry we missed the social on the weekend! Between work and taking advantage of the nice weather to cottage-it-up, we havent been around mich! Hopefully it was a great time and we can make it to the next one. There really is something to be said to spend time with REAL owners who have GREAT dogs!!!

This question will be off topic, but I wanted to pose it to people from Ottawa (and others who may have advice/opinions). The last 3 times we have been to the Arboretum (at the Experimental Farm here in Ottawa) our dogs (Nitro, and his 3 beagle friends) have each been attacked by an off leash dog. Tonight was the icing on the cake, a Golden (not that I have anything against any dog breed, just to differentiate the size of a Beagle and a Golden) came right at Philly, and went right for his neck. No provocation, all our dogs were on leash, these 3 dogs walking werent. Right away we yelled in a firm voice and the Golden let go, but drew blood.

The owner of the Golden said our dogs \"bumped into each other\" and her dog put Philly in his place. Last time i checked, Nitro has put dogs in their place, and vice versa and has NEVER drawn blood. This woman goes on an on about how her dog is not aggressive and that she has seen a \"dog behaviourist\" and hes not agressive.... first Red Flag there... Philly is OK, a cut on his head and ear, but the lady didnt even apologize. Worst thing, she and her walking friends continued their walk, STILL OFF LEASH! The experimental farm is NCC property, we called Bylaw and they took a report, but we have to call the NCC tomorrow. If anyone else has had off leash problems at this place, please call the NCC and complain. Its not fair to those of us who have well balanced dogs, who are on leash per the rules to continue to get attacked by neglectful owners who break the rules and our dogs are the ones getting rushed to the vet to check their cuts and bite marks....

Hi!
Thanks again for all your help with Chase! He was tired all day!!! It was great!
Chase is my first dog and so I really appreciate being able to spend time with responsible dog owners....I'm still learning!
Also, I'm not sure how much socialization Chase had with his first family (he's from the SPCA) but its great for him to be able to meet well behaved intelligent dogs to teach him the ropes when it comes to meeting and playing!
Can't wait for the next doggie playdate!
Nadine

Wen - I bet your dogs missed you! I see that that left your daughters a "message". I guess they couldn't read between to lines !

Melanie - I can't believe that after her dog drew blood, she didn't appologize and leash up her dog! When she said "my dog isn't aggressive, it was just her dog putting your dog "in it's place"
Well . . . . I'd have said "how would you like me to puch you in the nose so hard it bleeds! Would you say I was aggressive to the cop, or would you just agree that I was putting you in your place?"


I'm really glad you called Bylaw. Make sure that you keep in touch with Bylaw regarding this matter. Don't let them forget you, her or this problem dog. There are so few Bylaw officers in the city and they handle EVERY kind of complaint, so don't let this dog owner fall through the cracks of a busy system.
The same goes for the NCC. Suggest that there are regular checks of this park, since there seem to be constant issues. They'll go. It's there job. If they say they can't be there all the time, email or call the ward councellor for that section of the city. It's very important that we keep going as high up as we need to.

nenright - Hey a new member ! Glad you and your dog had a good time. See you the next time. Keymo will come right up to Chase and say "hi". He loves every dog !

Anne - I guess Einstein was saying he's "in charge" of our little group eh ?

Thanks for the support Keymo's mom!!!
Im glad someone else sees it from our point of view. Thats the nice thing about going to the Dog House, Anne has a great set up and we all understand dogs and behaviours so its a great learning/socialization experience for everyone.

This lady was in such denial, but it was 3 against 2 and she was clearly the type that "could do no wrong" and no matter what we said she wasnt going to be in the wrong. I was trying to educate her on how her dog should lose its off leash priviledge (while mentioning it is clearly posted on the sign 3 feet from us that it is an On-Leash Park). Her dog clearly has issues, which obviously she has instilled in denying the behavious versus addressing the issues. It is nothing to be ashamed or embarrased by, Nitro is very very tennis ball aggressive so I dont put him in situations where I cannot control or handle him. I was so glad at the Dog House when Abby's mom said Abby has tennis ball issues too, its nice to have people to talk to about behaviours and how they deal with them.

I am calling By-Law again today, and the NCC to report the incidents. We always have our dogs on leash. When we go to Bruce Pitt (Nitro doesnt have off leash privledges yet, unless its fenced as his recall is 50-50 at best) We always go on the "on leash trails" which are seperate from the Off leash portion... why? ... out of respect for those who enjoy their time off leash and I dont want to frustrate them or my dog. People should have the same courtesy. The Experimental Farm is a gorgeous area, and the off leash dogs are causing issues with clean up (as people are not watching all the time vs. on leash) and off leash dogs cause a potential danger to the bikers and walkers in the area. It boggles my mind in a world that judges so quickly people take the chance breaking the posted rules, when it will be their dog who suffers the consequences. Imagine a biker gets knocked over, or a child gets run into or a dog (like ours) get attacked, is it really worth taking the chance when the signs clearly state to keep your dogs on leash!! So frustrating, thanks for letting me vent!! I hope our complaints increase monitoring and fines and gets people to leash up, or go to a designated off leash park!

good luck melanie with dealing with bylaw and all that. Like Anne said make sure that you keep at it so it doesn't fall through the cracks. I also can't believe she didn't even say sorry! Hopefully your buddy is feeling better soon too!

Oh I hope so badly to be able to make it up to Ottawa some weekend that you guys are having a "playdate". I would love to meet lots of you guys, meet the fur-babies and have a good old doggy time. lol.

KeymoFrisby wrote:

QUOTE:

Melanie - I can't believe that after her dog drew blood, she didn't appologize and leash up her dog! When she said "my dog isn't aggressive, it was just her dog putting your dog "in it's place"
Well . . . . I'd have said "how would you like me to puch you in the nose so hard it bleeds! Would you say I was aggressive to the cop, or would you just agree that I was putting you in your place?"
:P

Hehehe I'll have to remember that one...

This sounds like a good time to bring up this discussion....about "other people".
There have been some suggestions on advertising/posting the playdates. I have been reluctant due to the fact that I like the 'intimacy' of the core 'BP' group and I had the understanding that it's nice to be around like minded people, as such.
However, now I am thinking, maybe it would be more of an educational trip for 'non-BP' dog owners. As long as we agree that, we would, as a group, not let things slip by and we describe to the owners what is happening and why and also offer solutions if need be.
Let me know what you guys think about that.

I'm not even touching a bylaw discussion with a ten foot pole. I have enough problems with them myself, considering I have a doggie daycare in the middle of a residential street. People at that point make me wanna puke. The kicker is that there are TWO households across the street that leave their POOR dogs tied up outside for hours, that bark....at everything. They are the ones that the bylaw is actually there for, NOT ME, who goes through great lengths to keep barking to a minimum. People who don't have dogs, or people who don't like dogs are one thing, but could you imagine if I'm getting pinned for THESES OTHER DOGS!!! OR what if it's the people with dogs complaining?..OMG.
And yes, we are all asking, why do they not bring their dogs to daycare???? probably money...but,
I figure that thier dog is horrible on a leash and doesn't get along with other dogs (according to the owner)......cause they never did anything right!!!
(okay, had a little vent, thanxs. touchy subject)

I know exactly how anne feels about by law as I am also having issues with them but not dog related. My advice, as a person with a legal background is TAKE NOTES ON EVERYTHING!! If need be take pictures as well. Document, document, document. If anything ever has to go to court you look like the good one and them not so great.

just my two cents worth..

And yes Anne I would totally support taking our fun a little more "public". Within reason of course! Dont want to lose our place in line!!lol

wen

Just for clarity- our issue isnt with the NCC, The Experimental Farm or Bylaw (as they are just methods of monitoring/reporting). They are an issue in their own right on many levels - but my issue here is with Dog Owners -

Our issue is how do we as individuals and continuously educating dog owners convince the lesser dedicated owners to:
1) Follow the posted rules- if its off leash, its off leash. If its on leash, its on leash. Period. Black and White. No Grey.
And how does one protect themselve from those who dont follow the rules. All I know is that if Phillys wounds had been worse and a vet visit had been required, this lady wouldnt of been happy with the fine, restrictions and paying for our vet bills.

2) Be responsible and accountable owners. My dog is like my child in a sense, if we go somewhere, and he knocks something over and breaks it, I will pay to replace it. Its my responsibility. Same with other dogs. We stopped going to the Lansdowne Dog Park because there were too many aggressive dogs and Nitro doesnt tolerate it and will defend himself. It wasnt worth it to me to have my dog or another injured, so we socialize only with well balanced dogs and ownes who understand dog behaviours.

This lady needed to be held accountable, both on a personal level (if my dog hurt another, I would be apologizing and offering help in any way i could if I was responsible) and on a \"legal\" level for a small choice of words. Keymos Anne had her analogy bang on. I just wish there was a way to educate people and they actually listen, and save another dog from going through what we went through last night..