June Editorial

I was taking Daisy for a walk yesterday and noticed some changes to the field we frequent just below the T&T shopping centre and north of West Nose Creek Natural Area along Bedington Trail. This private parcel of land has been used by hundreds of dog owners for years as an off leash park. Last year some surveyors had been out taking some measurements and the City had posted some development notices, but with the slowing economy I never thought any development was in the works. Until yesterday…It appears that works have begun taking out the decapitated fence that runs along the parking lot for West Nose Creek and the driving range. The gig may be up for Daisy and I sooner than I had hoped. The impending demise (or change of venue) of our walks got me Googling for some local alternatives… and out came this article.Turns out that there are 138 designated dog parks in the City, however that number has not grown in decades and none of those 138 are located in the Northern Hills. All other green spaces and natural areas in our area are either on leash or “No Dogs Allowed”. As luck would have it, the City is just now conducting various consultations with stakeholders regarding Dog Park options. Several (and all) public open houses and web surveys have been completed the results of which are being analyzed to lead future consultations. Why is the City spending so much time on Dog Parks? Well, it turns out that this is a pretty contentious issue. While few people have problems with an elderly basset whose owner carries a pocket full of heavy duty doodie bags, there are many who have experienced conflict with dogs and their owners in general use parks. The City is even considering Dog Use only areas to reduce multi use issues. Where does that leave me and a conclusion to this article? Daisy, not unlike her walker is slightly (just) overweight and should to continue to enjoy off leash runs without having to drive to Nose Hill Park. I would suggest that West Nose Creek would make a great designated mix use area. The parking lot is full of dog walkers. A simple observation of volume notes that during peak hours (10 am to 7pm) there are between 20 and 40 cars rotating through on the hour (aprox. 250 people a day!). There is an opportunity to leave the existing paved pathways for dog free cycling and walking while the other trails below in the valley could be used as an off leash area. I know that this is a designated natural area and would require some vigilance in respect to responsible pet ownership… cleaning up after your pet is of huge importance as the creek does flood (I even paddled the creek with Daisy and a small canoe on Easter Sunday), but other City protected natural areas (Riversedge and Nose Hill) allow off leash use. This is just my opinion and as I have not done any surveys, other than over beer at Woody’s, I am asking you for two things, email me with your views on dog parks in the Hills (do we need an off leash areas or do we need more dog free trails) and contact Jim Stevenson (ward03@calgary.ca) and the City (3-1-1) and let them know how you feel.