| It's All About the Dogs! | May 2010 |
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Greetings!
April showers bring May flowers as the proverb says and how appropriate this is to remind our Klub.
In 1557, an English poet and farmer by the name of Thomas Tusser wrote A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie, a long poem including:
Sweet April showers
Do spring May flowers
There is meaning behind the words. "April showers bring May flowers" is a reminder that even the most unpleasant of things, can bring about very enjoyable things indeed. It is a lesson in patience, and one that remains very appropriate to this day. The same wise poet authored the proverb: "A fool and his money are soon parted".
We didn't literally have an abundance of showers in April, as a matter of fact, the Klub was becoming a little concerned that digging holes by hand at the park tree planting on May 5th was going to be a challenging task indeed. However plans went ahead spearheaded by our friends in the Parks, Recreation and Culture department
and the generous labour of volunteers from KPMG and K9 Klub members who took time off work to get the job done.
Over 300 trees, shrubs and saplings were planted along the west slope just outside the dog park fencing and dozens of climbing shrubs were planted right along the fence line. Fantastic job and thanks to everyone who participated! We were delighted to see Mother Nature cooperate with some heavy rains in the days following the planting.
The K9 Klub came face to face with the "April Showers" lesson in patience after we had formed our team for the OSPCA walk-a-thon, raised funds and prepared for our group walk on May 16th; only to have to watch solemnly as events unfolded the week prior to the fundraiser. As the proverb goes, we are expecting some good to come from the incident to balance the bad. The Town of Richmond Hill is keeping close tabs on the situation as was seen on the front page of the Thursday, May 20 Liberal. See article
That's it for now, enjoy the May Newsletter and forward to a friend. Be sure to get involved in some of our coming events and visit our booths.
See you at the park!
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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: We'll always have issues...
So this month, we thought we would try and flush out many of the ongoing issues and concerns while gathering valuable feedback for the Town, our members and the park users.
We have added polling features to different areas of the website to help us gather some feedback and share results. It's still experimental as we try different styles and functions.
If you have any suggestions for polling questions, please share either by emailing dwalker@rhk9klub.ca or posting in the forums area to solicit feedback from other users.
We have posed a question as to whether you feel professional dog trainers should be allowed to use the park to hold classes. This is a grey area of the bylaw and we actually have a couple of trainers in our membership. We obviously value and encourage their work, so I think it'll boil down to what users actually want. I think the most annoying aspect is the solicitation, rather than the training itself. People and dogs generally come to the park to "get away from it all". What say you? There is a poll in the news blog.
Last month we promised to share an official word from the Town as to the procedure for reporting broken park rules. Here is the word:
"Enforcement related concerns associated with the Off Leash Dog Area should be directed to the Town's By-Law & Licensing Division at 905-771-0198. Staff there will determine whether the concern should be handled by Town By-law Enforcement Officers or the OSPCA. Enforcement-related concerns should not be reported directly to the OSPCA unless they are related to a dog off leash OUTSIDE of the Off Leash Area."
We have noticed our dogs have been digging some nice holes in different areas of the park and some erosion under the large dog entrance gate has grown a space large enough for smaller dogs to escape into the transition area. While park volunteers work to come up with a resolve, please send any suggestions to parkmaintenance@rhk9klub.ca. Dumping mulch in the holes and under the gate is the easy fix, but doesn't last as mulch doesn't pack well and seems to only encourage the dogs to dig it up again. I guess it smells good! |
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| Coming Events
We have full day community events coming up at which K9 Klub will be setting up a booth providing information about the leash free park as well as promoting our other causes and partners and would very much appreciate help manning that booth. If you can give us a couple of hours of your time on any or all of the dates below, please let our Director of Events, Colette know: ctanel@rhk9klub.ca
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 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
This activity filled weekend starts off with music and a movie on Friday night. Saturday & Sunday will have vendors set up along the beach and entertainment scheduled through the day. See the full lineup here: http://www.oakridgesfair.com/fair-line-up
June 19, 2010 Barkham at Markham Village Music Festival
Helping Homeless Pets will be holding their 3rd annual Barkham on Main Street Markham during the Markham Village Music Festival. Although the K9 Klub will not be setting up a booth at this event, we encourage our members to register and participate in this unique event. This years special event in Barkham will be the LARGEST SIMULTANEOUS DOG STAY. They are going for the Canadian Record in 2010 with the goal of breaking the Guinness World Record in the fall of 2010.
June 30, 2010 K9 Klub Monthly 10 Minute Clean Sweep
Everyone is invited to kick off our new monthly clean sweep at the park. We'll be picking up garbage along the paths leading up to the park and around the fence. The more people we have , the quicker it'll go! Just bring a grocery bag for garbage and meet up at the park entrance at 11am.
July 1, 2010 Canada Day Celebrations! at Richmond Green
FREE ADMISSION - Compliments of Tim Hortons
Free all day event admission with donation of a non-perishable food item to benefit the Richmond Hill Food Bank. This exciting day hosts one of the largest municipal fireworks display in the Region. A variety of activities for the entire family are offered, including children's games, musical entertainment, midway, food pavilion, and so much more. |
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Park Volunteer News 
Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the water...
We are saddened by the resignation of our new Director, Shelley Shane. As we all know, Shelley has been an invaluable park volunteer and has done a terrific job in organizing the park volunteers. The park has never looked better. Shelley has been concerned with the potential personal risks associated with directorship of a community volunteer group. Although the K9 Klub is recognized by the Town of Richmond Hill and they count on us for daily park maintenance, reporting and user education, Shelley is not prepared to continue without a more official statement from the Town alleviating her concerns.
So, while the rest of the board works to bring Shelley back, park volunteers will continue in their voluntary duties ensuring the park operates beyond everyone's expectations, ensuring a successful pilot project. Volunteers will continue to report via parkmaintenance@rhk9klub.ca with Neal Nicholls and Dave Walker taking the lead.
If anyone has any questions, concerns or suggestions, please email Dave Walker dwalker@rhk9klub.ca |
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K9 Klub To-Do List
 Bulletin Board Update! Getting even closer - We hope to hear back from our primary sponsor in the next week or so on their donation of $1000 representing the bulk of the cost. Artists rendering: There is still going to be a small gap in cost the K9 Klub will fill, so any donation big or small would be very helpful. Note that anyone donating over $20 will receive a free K9 Klub Baseball cap. |
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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.
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A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog.
The children started discussing the dog's duties.
"They use him to keep crowds back," said one youngster.
"No," said another, "he's just for good luck."
A third child brought the argument to a close.
"They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrant."
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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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