The pi

T observed an interest-
ing scene the other day
while walking my dogs.

In the distance | saw an
older gentleman waiting
patiently while his dog took a

abig poop on somebody's tront
lawn, After his dog was done,
he began to Jook around to
see if anyone was coming.
When he saw oe, he began to
look for a bay in some myste-
riously hidden spot in his jack-
et. As T approached I pulled a
spare bag trom my pocket and
casually passed it to him as |
smiled and walked by.

The “leaving the dog poop
behind” thing is one of my pei
peeves (no pun intended). The
stoop and scoop bylaw pretty
muuch applies to ... every-
where! And ves, even designat-
ed dog parks. Dog poop can
harbour parasites and disease
such as Parvovirus, which can
easily be transferred to other
dogs through their nose.

Iris also really hard to pick
out from between the treads

_. opthiking booss!

Picking up after your dog
and disposing of its waste
propery i is 2 part of responst-

le dog ownership.

So is teaching your dog
basic obedience. Enrolling in a
qualified obedience program
provides vour dog the oppor-
tunity to socialize with other
dogs and people. Your dog
learns the five basic obedience
commands: “Sit,” “Down,”
“Heel,” “Stay” and “Come.”
By practising them on a daily
basis you help shape your
dog’s behaviour to become
more predictable. It aiso helps
create 2 mentally well-balanced
canine. As a result you gain a
sense of confidence in your
dog’s behaviour.

Another important part of

Dec 17-32

canine
connection

zesponsibility — and some of
you are going to cringe at this
—— is to obcy posted deash laws.
The majority of parks in the
GVRD are dog: friendly but
your dogs must remain on-
leash. This by-law was placed
to prevent dogs from running
loose in areas where they
could injure themselves, or
worse, a person.

When walking with my
dogs F try to have them
behave in an obedient fashion.
Hf someone with or without a
dog approaches f quickly call
my dogs to my side and make
them sit until that person pass-
es by.

Of course, it’s nearly
impossible to get perfect
results 100% of the time, and
sometimes Alex, my dober-
man, chooses to disregard my
commands when a spot on the
ground is especially odorous.
But by keeping them close by
T can worry less about con-
frontations with bears, coyotes
or raccoons.

Designated dog parks on
the North Shore, such as
Ambleside Park, Princess Park,
and along the Bridgeman Park
walk on the cast side of the
Lynn River allow a dog to run
sately off-Ieash.

OfF leash does not imply
out of sight. It means that,
when your dog is off-leash it
must be capable of responding
to voice commands. This
means it stays within a distance

$199

Nov 29-Dec 13

Hospitality Suite Resort
1 Bedroom (based on quad)

— EBs Junior King

Yoncouver departures. NEW BOOKINGS GNLY. Pockoga prkes ore pat parson,

beted on double occupany Prices ore par person, roundirp, ond ceflect

selected departure dates, Frices ose the Jewest ovoitoble ot issue dele ond ore
subject to change ot withdewal without notice. A foxes, AIF ond
tnonsportotion related lees ore net included. A currency surcharge wit be added
atime of booking lssve date. Hov. 25/98. BC Reg #32841.

www.hagenstravel.com
Fax-In-Touch 299-9000 ext. 4367
Toll Frae_ 1-888-842-4367

north shore news

PETS
op on responsible dog ownership

that it can hear vou, and
comes when itis called. Hence
the need for basic obedience.

Ultimately, the choice is up
to vou whether to abide by the
leash bylaws, but the long arm
of the law can come down sur-
prisingly hard if vour dog is
without supervision and gets
in trouble,

‘This is just some food for
thought, but if your dog
injures someone directly by
jumping on them or acciden-
tally by startling them, you can
be fined. If your dog bites a
person you better be prepared
for a whole mess of trouble.
You may be faced with law-
suits, orders to muzzle your
dog or have it destroyed. The
penalty is just as severe if vour
dog bites or attacks another
dog. Your dog may be classi-
fied as a dangerous dog, again
it may have to be muzzied in
public, and when at home it
may have to be confined ina
way where there is no escape.

Unless vou are prepared to
deal with these consequences,
please leash your dog where
required.

Accepting responsibility for
your dog’s actions is the
biggest part of dog ownership.

When you acquire a dog
you sign an unwritten contract
that you will provide fove,
shelter, food, health care and
be responsible for your dog at
all times. We live in an envi-
able community on the North
Shore with wonderful moun-
tains and parks at our disposal.
We need to keep practising a
responsible level of dog own-
ership so we can continue to
enjoy the outdoors on the
North Shore with our canine
companions.

oqgq

Recently | received a letter

trom Barbara P. who said she

Indudes Transfors
3Nights 4 Nights 7 Nights

$369 $399 $519
$399 459 599

Ramada Valley Ho virn $309 $399 8559

&araotcrfpa YY s&

Kamloops... 250-374875?
Summeriand 250-494-5202

All locations above registered with BC Travel Regisvar

*Open Thursdays until 7pm

“Open Sundays t1am-3pm ff

and her bovtricnd moved in
with each other in the begin:
ning of October, with their
two pets: his Chinese shar-pei
dog, and her tabby cat. Both
animals are just over a year and
a half, and says Barbara, the
dog keeps going 100 close and
has been scratched a dozen or
more times, while the cat has
been pushed gently by the dag,
bur keeps coming back for
more,

She also said it seems
sometimes like they are play-
ing, as after a while of barking
and hissing, they lay firly close
to each other and nothing
happens. Other times, it is
verv noisy in their house.

Barbara, it docs sound like
play behaviour, P'd have to
witness it to be certain
though. A month is nota long
time for these litelong adver-

saries to be getting along. But
fortunately, they are stil young
enough that they can be reso-
cialized with one another and
learn to get along.

Shar-pet’s can have quite a
mischievous personaliny, and
eats can be a fide unpre-
dictable.

Ef vou and vour boytriend
moved together into a new
residence it will make the
adjustments easier, But, if
either one has moved into the
other's hont, the resident ani-
mal may behave defensively
about sharing his or her terri-
tory.

Give them more time, but
start setting ground rules
around the house. Ifthe dog
begins to get too assertive
with the car, he should be dis-
couraged immediately, And
the same for the cat. A squirt

bottle can work but be aware
that your cat may run from
the spray, which may trigger
the prev instinct in the dog
resulting in a nasty game of
chase.

Saying “Halt” or “Phooey”
in a stern voice works best.
Give them more time to sort
things out but monitor their
behaviour, so it doesn’t get
out of control. Please contact
me if vou ned more help.

PS. Cats usually end up
ruling the roost in the end.
Good fuck ...

—— Joan Klnels isa co-
owner and trainer with Sierra
PACK Leaders KY Training.
Write to ber at the North Shore
News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave.,
North Vancouver, B.C., V7M
2H4, Or e-mail her at
< Sierra K9@be.sympatico.ca>.

+Sp orsor a Ferrntily

* Fear

Christmas is hectic. Help us help those in need.
Sponsor a family or individual this Christmas, early!
3
In 1997, 850 families were matched with donors.

This year, the need is even greater.

The sooner people register, the more time

we have to help make a difference!

% Give a Hamper

All sponsors are asked to assemble a Traditional

Christmas Dinner Hamper which includes a
small gift for each family member.

Just call us and we will match you with

a family. Then you will receive an information

package that explains assembly, delivery and

helpful hints.

Give a Donation to the Christmas Bureau
#101 - 255 West Ist Ste. North Van. V7M 3G8

984-XMAS

of
FAMILY SERVICES
£ the NORTH SHORE

West Vancouver
Sancra Claus
Fund ~
922-6522