Vancouver Dog Owners' Association — Newsletter Archives

Vancouver

Dog Owners' Association

VANDOG Newletter Archives

27 June 1997
Dear Members,
I know some of you have been anxiously awaiting this newsletter for and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. The problem has been due, in part, to my ongoing problems with a broken wrist (I had an operation last week so hopefully it is all on the mend now). The result is that I have literally had to run my life single-handedly-a very slow process. In addition, I kept waiting in the attempt to get all the information out to you regarding ongoing developments in the dog issues. It took me 3 phone calls to Duncan Wilson before he called me back and I am still trying to reach others.
A meeting is scheduled on Monday, 14th July, at 5 PM at the Parks Board, at which time we will present our proposal to the Commissioners. There will also be members from the community who are in opposition to us. This meeting is open to the public. For those of you who would want to come down, I must warn you there is limited space in the meeting room.
A press-release from the Parks Board has been included in this mail out giving information on the public meeting to be held a week after the meeting on 14th July. The Parks Board requests public suggestions be made regarding off-leash areas/times in the parks. Don't hold yourselves back-they need to hear from as many of us as possible. Especially talk about what works for you in your neighbourhood, hopefully there can be a compromise to suit all park users.
Regarding attendance of the 21st July meeting, please come and bring as many people with you as possible. I recommend that tempers be left at home (I know this can be difficult, as we are all very frustrated) but bring all the righteous indignation you want. The official position of the Vancouver Dog Owners Association is that there is a workable solution to both dog owners and the general public to the issues surrounding off-leash times and areas.
When I spoke to Duncan Wilson yesterday I tried to explain to him that just giving us off-leash times will result in all the people who cannot walk their dogs during those hours feeling forced to continue to break the law to give their dog the exercise they need at other times of the day.
The Parks Board and the city councilors are getting a lot of complaints from the public opposing our proposal. I cannot urge you strongly enough to launch your own bombardment on them supporting the changes. We have to give them a clear impression of how many of us dog-owning, tax-paying, disgruntled citizens there are. In addition to this, please feel free to write letters to any and all newspapers. At this time, these letter-writing efforts are the most important actions you can take. I have included the names and numbers of all the Parks Board commissioners and city councillors in this mail out. Write and phone if you can.
There are some people I would especially like to hear from:
1. Parents with children under 12 years (and a dog, of course).
2. People who have taken other petitions/proposals to the Parks Board/City Council in the past.
I don't need to hear from the people with the Trout Lake proposal from 1995 as I already have all that information. Please call me, I will list my number below.
We now have a membership of almost 300, and the numbers are growing daily. The cost of photocopies, stamps, envelopes, etc. does mount up, therefore any donations you can spare will enable the Association to continue sending newsletters, etc. Currently, cheques must be made out to me (Glen Swain) as I cannot open up an Association account until I am able to sign my name without it looking like I am 6 years old or coming off a 2 week bender. I expect to be signing normally in 2-3 weeks, so if you want to wait until then, you can make your cheque out to the Vancouver Dog Owners Association.
Some members have phoned with the suggestion of getting corporate sponsors for funding and lobbying help. If you have any ideas or experience on how to do this, please phone me (number listed below). I have met with some lawyers to begin incorporating the Association as a non-profit society. There are, however, currently several more immediate issues on the agenda with the up-coming meetings, etc. so incorporation may not be completed until the end of summer.
As a result of the comments made at our meeting in June, I hope we can begin to work on the pets on transit issue and non-discriminating house lobbying in the fall.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who worked so hard putting out the information of our June meeting and rallying people to come. I meant to acknowledge you and thank you at the meeting but got a little distracted. So I want to thank you now, you all did an incredible job, as is evident in the great support we have received to date.
Oh, by the way, for anyone who is interested, I will be appearing on a discussion panel on Roger's cable TV (channel 4) on Thursday, 9 PM, July 3rd. The panel will consist of a commissioner from the Parks Board, Terri Clark, Bill Stevenson from The Pound, and others. So tune in if you like, I hope it will be interesting.
That's all for now. I always welcome your calls with suggestions, observations, etc. I only ask that you don't call after 9 PM or on weekends. Thanks.
P.S. Rumour has it that someone is putting out poisoned biscuits along the tracks from Maple to Burrard.
Your Friend, Glen Swain
Phone/Fax 736 4640
212 - 2352 West Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA V6K 2E5

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Last updated November 28, 1997



	VANDOG Newletter Archives 27 June 1997 Dear Members, I know some of you have been anxiously awaiting this newsletter for and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. The problem has been due, in part, to my ongoing problems with a broken wrist (I had an operation last week so hopefully it is all on the mend now). The result is that I have literally had to run my life single-handedly-a very slow process. In addition, I kept waiting in the attempt to get all the information out to you regarding ongoing developments in the dog issues. It took me 3 phone calls to Duncan Wilson before he called me back and I am still trying to reach others. A meeting is scheduled on Monday, 14th July, at 5 PM at the Parks Board, at which time we will present our proposal to the Commissioners. There will also be members from the community who are in opposition to us. This meeting is open to the public. For those of you who would want to come down, I must warn you there is limited space in the meeting room. A press-release from the Parks Board has been included in this mail out giving information on the public meeting to be held a week after the meeting on 14th July. The Parks Board requests public suggestions be made regarding off-leash areas/times in the parks. Don't hold yourselves back-they need to hear from as many of us as possible. Especially talk about what works for you in your neighbourhood, hopefully there can be a compromise to suit all park users. Regarding attendance of the 21st July meeting, please come and bring as many people with you as possible. I recommend that tempers be left at home (I know this can be difficult, as we are all very frustrated) but bring all the righteous indignation you want. The official position of the Vancouver Dog Owners Association is that there is a workable solution to both dog owners and the general public to the issues surrounding off-leash times and areas. When I spoke to Duncan Wilson yesterday I tried to explain to him that just giving us off-leash times will result in all the people who cannot walk their dogs during those hours feeling forced to continue to break the law to give their dog the exercise they need at other times of the day. The Parks Board and the city councilors are getting a lot of complaints from the public opposing our proposal. I cannot urge you strongly enough to launch your own bombardment on them supporting the changes. We have to give them a clear impression of how many of us dog-owning, tax-paying, disgruntled citizens there are. In addition to this, please feel free to write letters to any and all newspapers. At this time, these letter-writing efforts are the most important actions you can take. I have included the names and numbers of all the Parks Board commissioners and city councillors in this mail out. Write and phone if you can. There are some people I would especially like to hear from: 1. Parents with children under 12 years (and a dog, of course). 2. People who have taken other petitions/proposals to the Parks Board/City Council in the past. I don't need to hear from the people with the Trout Lake proposal from 1995 as I already have all that information. Please call me, I will list my number below. We now have a membership of almost 300, and the numbers are growing daily. The cost of photocopies, stamps, envelopes, etc. does mount up, therefore any donations you can spare will enable the Association to continue sending newsletters, etc. Currently, cheques must be made out to me (Glen Swain) as I cannot open up an Association account until I am able to sign my name without it looking like I am 6 years old or coming off a 2 week bender. I expect to be signing normally in 2-3 weeks, so if you want to wait until then, you can make your cheque out to the Vancouver Dog Owners Association. Some members have phoned with the suggestion of getting corporate sponsors for funding and lobbying help. If you have any ideas or experience on how to do this, please phone me (number listed below). I have met with some lawyers to begin incorporating the Association as a non-profit society. There are, however, currently several more immediate issues on the agenda with the up-coming meetings, etc. so incorporation may not be completed until the end of summer. As a result of the comments made at our meeting in June, I hope we can begin to work on the pets on transit issue and non-discriminating house lobbying in the fall. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who worked so hard putting out the information of our June meeting and rallying people to come. I meant to acknowledge you and thank you at the meeting but got a little distracted. So I want to thank you now, you all did an incredible job, as is evident in the great support we have received to date. Oh, by the way, for anyone who is interested, I will be appearing on a discussion panel on Roger's cable TV (channel 4) on Thursday, 9 PM, July 3rd. The panel will consist of a commissioner from the Parks Board, Terri Clark, Bill Stevenson from The Pound, and others. So tune in if you like, I hope it will be interesting. That's all for now. I always welcome your calls with suggestions, observations, etc. I only ask that you don't call after 9 PM or on weekends. Thanks. P.S. Rumour has it that someone is putting out poisoned biscuits along the tracks from Maple to Burrard. Your Friend, Glen Swain Phone/Fax 736 4640 212 - 2352 West Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA V6K 2E5
	Home \| About VANDOG \| Off-Leash Information \| Lodging \| Newsletter Education & Training \| Fun Stuff This site developed by Tanis Brookes, Debra Dorey, & Kele Fleming. Last updated November 28, 1997