| It's All About the Dogs! | April 2010 |
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Greetings!
It's been a very busy month for the Richmond Hill K9 Klub. Where to start...
Our first Annual General Meeting held on the 13th was a huge success. Thank you to all of those who took the time attend. We took a trunk load of food and toy donations to the OSPCA and they were very thankful. A special thanks to the guest speakers: Dr. Jenna Richards from the Vaughan-Richmond Hill Emergency Vet Clinic, Waunita Sawler from OVC Pet Trust and Sylvia Milne from Therapeutic Paws of Canada.
Councillors Lynn Foster, Greg Beros and David Cohen took the time to express their support of the club and its causes as well. Parks Planner, Patrick Lui was also available and answered questions during our Q & A period. Thanks so much to the Town!
Thanks also to Colette Tanel, our new Director of Events leading the event volunteers and students that helped make the evening a success. Shelley Shane's treats were amazing and we could tell she is a pro pastry chef!
Our new board was re-elected and affirmed for the 2010-2011 year. The new board has met since and elected officers for the next 12 months. Our new board/officer line-up can be found here. Some minor changes to our constitution are completed and were ratified. The amended Constitution is available on the " About" page of the website for your viewing pleasure.
As you can see, Pitch-in day at the park was a success! Thank you to all those that came out for a couple hours last Sunday morning. Although the expected rain held off, it was a cool and breezy morning. Thanks Lynn for the Tim Horton's fuel; it was needed!
The K9 Klub would like to carry this forward and create a tradition; not annually, but monthly! From this day forward, at 11am on the last Sunday of each month, we call on everyone to drop by for 30 minutes or so and do a path "clean sweep". Bring your trash pickup stick, garbage bag and a friend to help out. See you May 30th!
Hey, if you haven't already noticed, we moved our pictures to our web server and have uploaded over 400 wonderful pictures to view, most of which are in high resolution. Visit the Photo Gallery and check it out. When you select an album be sure to click on "View with PicLens" option you will see available above each gallery; this feature really showcases our collections nicely. Send your photos: wwalker@rhk9klub.ca So we may want to call this the "Events" Issue since we have events coming out of our ears in the next several weeks. We need as much help as we can muster, so choose your favourites and get involved.
That's it for now, enjoy the April Newsletter and forward to a friend. Be sure to get involved in some of our coming events!
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Contact Us |
Membership Inquires:
Dog/Owner Aggression Issues:
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The Town Still Needs Feedback!
To keep the park open after the trial period we need overwhelming community support. Most people only take the time to email or send letters when they have a complaint or an issue, however positive feedback on the park is important for the Town to receive. Please take a moment and send Patrick Lui, Parks Planner, your supporting words and experiences:
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Park Issue: Park Volunteers educate, not enforce rules/by-laws
Wow, now that the warm weather is upon us, park usage has soared!
This is terrific news as far as the pilot project acceptance criteria are concerned. We have to remember however, that this is only one of three major hurdles we must jump prior to Council vote next year.
The second is ongoing maintenance costs. Our park volunteers under the direction of Shelley Shane are doing a terrific job in keeping the park clean and safe. Any major maintenance issues have brought to the town's attention and quickly remedied.
The third criterion is what keeps us awake at night.
The number of park issues that require intervention by the Town of Richmond Hill
The Leash Free Park is still in the pilot project phase. The K9 Klub's role is to look after day to day basic maintenance, gather usage statistics for the Town, and most importantly, educate the users on rules, by-laws and park etiquette. The K9 Klub does not enforce any rules or bylaws.
This is very important for everyone to understand.
There have been a number of incidents over the past month involving dog & owner aggression and/or breaches of the rules and bylaws. Park users naturally look to the K9 Klub park volunteers to intervene and referee incidents when they occur, but this is not their purpose. Park volunteers can point out to a user that a rule or bylaw is being broken and advise the user of the risk and/or penalty for infraction. If the park volunteer so chooses, he/she may act as witness if needed.
Ultimately, the onus is on everyone to follow the rules and bylaws which are designed to mitigate some of the risks inherent with the use of a leash free dog park.
In order for this pilot project to complete successfully, we need the entire park user community to learn how to use the park correctly. The K9 Klub will continue its education push through our website, our newsletters, our park volunteers, material in the "News Box" at the park and eventually the new park bulletin board.
Please take some time to review these documents:
Program these numbers into your cell phones and use when necessary
Animal Control (OSPCA): (905) 818-7122
By-Law Enforcement: (905) 771-0198 |
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| Coming Events
May 5, 2010 Tree Planting at the Park
The Town has asked the Richmond Hill K9 Klub to provide some volunteers for a tree and shrub planting in the areas surrounding the dog park. The planting will take place on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 - 10am to 4pm with 1 hour break for lunch (lunch is not provided however there are restaurants in the area the group can go to).
We need a minimum of 10 volunteers So far we have about 7 people confirmed and we need just a couple more to get this going. We realize that this will require many people to take a day off work, but it is for a very worthy cause.
This project is very important to help ensure the leash free park pilot project is successful as the purpose is to help create a sight and sound barrier between the park and the adjacent residential properties who currently do not want the park to be permanent. We will meet at the entrance to the dog park at 10am. Be sure to wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather and that you don't mind getting dirty. Please RSVP dwalker@rhk9klub.ca
May 16, 2010 OSPCA Friends for Life Walk-a-thon
Join team "Richmond Hill K9 Klub" by registering for the event through our team page and then downloading a pledge form and start grabbing donations for our friends at the OSPCA!
Our plan this year is to walk with our dogs as a group sporting K9 Klub baseball caps and K9 Klub bandanas for our pooches! Our goal is to raise at least $1000 as a team for the OSPCA.
Watch for announcements on how to get your K9 Klub hat and bandana!
June 12, 2010 Heritage Village Day
The annual Heritage Village Day event will be held again this year on Yonge Street between Major Mackenzie Drive and Crosby Avenue. The K9 Klub will be setting up a booth providing information about the leash free park as well as promoting our other causes and partners. If you are interested in helping us out for an hour or two, please let our Director of Events, Colette know: info@rhk9klub.ca
The heart of old Richmond Hill will be transformed into a festive pedestrian mall where artisans and community groups will tempt you, inform you and transform you as you enjoy arts, crafts, children's activities, horse wagon rides and delectable tasty treats. Free admission to all! Heritage Village Day is organized by Arts Richmond Hill.
June 19 & 20, 2010 Oak Ridges Fair at Sunset Beach Park
The K9 Klub will be setup for the Saturday and the Sunday. If you are interested in helping us out for this event, please email Colette info@rhk9klub.ca
July 1, 2010 Canada Day Celebrations!
The K9 Klub will have a booth at this event as well. If you are interested in helping us out for this event, please email Colette info@rhk9klub.ca
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Park Volunteer News 
We are pleased to announce that Director Shelley Shane has accepted the onerous position of Director of Leash Free Parks and is now in charge of park volunteer recruitment, organization, and ongoing education of our park volunteers and park users. Shelley provides monthly usage and event reports to the Richmond Hill Parks, Recreation and Culture Department. Any park maintenance issues should also be directed to Shelley at her email below or parkmaintenance@rhk9klub.ca
Shelley needs as much help as she can get. If you are interested in becoming a park volunteer, please contact her: sshane@rhk9klub.ca |
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K9 Klub To-Do List
 We should just rename this section - Bulletin Board Update! Getting closer - There were some management changes at our Primary sponsor, so we are re-submitting our proposal in the next week or so. We are seeking $1000 which covers just over half of our budget cost. Artists rendering: The new design is much larger and provides far more utility than our original plan. Our proposed location is in the park "bowl" beside the lower bench. We know everyone will be very pleased. Another important job is getting a definitive answer on park rule and by-law enforcement procedures. We'll keep you posted on results. |
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To Our Corporate Sponsors:
On behalf of the Richmond Hill K9 Klub and our loyal friends we wish to thank you for your generous donations and ongoing support.
And our newest sponsor:
Come see them at their Grand Opening
Friday April 30, 2010 5pm - 9pm |
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We have lots more information to share so keep an eye out for future newsletters and notices. Thank you very much for your support.
Full Membership in the Richmond Hill K9 Klub is currently $20/year and entitles you to attend member only events, official general meetings of the Klub, vote on issues, stand for nomination and election to the board of directors and generally get involved in the politics and growth of the Klub.
Remember...
It's All About the Dogs
Sincerely,
David Walker, Co-Chair
Richmond Hill K9 Klub
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