Hounds on the Loose

I regularly walk my dog in one of the many city off-leash areas. And while most dog owners are very considerate about keeping their dog(s) under control, a few are not. There have even been a few articles in the local newspaper discussing just how many dogs can one person control if they are walking in a designated off-leash area as safety has become an issue after a few dog attacks.

Anyway, as I'm parking and getting my dog ready to walk, a big truck with a topper pulls up next to me and parks in the designated spot for handicapped persons. This spot is right by the entrance gate to the off-leash area and so the truck has backed in for easy access. Even in my vehicle I can hear the dogs barking, howling, baying and making whatever sounds dogs make. They sounded pretty darn excited. As I leave my vehicle, I can see that there are at least 10 dogs in the back of this truck. Two people get out of the truck, and spend a few seconds looking around the area. Then they open the gate to the off-leash area and then open the back of the truck.

All I can say is thank God there were no unsuspecting foxes, or any dog or person for that matter, in their way. These dogs, all large, exited the truck as one and shot off into the park like bats out of hell. The two people? They stood and watched and then started screaming for the dogs to come. Fat chance. Those dogs were off and having the time of their life. All through this, I'm standing with my dog watching the show. They see me and decide one of them better go after the dogs.

The sign on their truck said that these people were a dog walking service. I'd bet they tell their clients that their beloved pets are under constant supervision. maybe this walk in the park was a first? My issue is that dog owners/walkers are responsible for ensuring their dogs are under control. It took the two of them close to 30 minutes to finally round up the dogs and start herding them back to the truck. Oddly enough, before the happy herd got back to the truck, one of the walkers came and moved the truck out of the spot designated for the handicapped. After another 15 minutes of yelling and grabbing, the pack were finally near the park exit. Did the walkers leash them? Nah, they just opened the gate out of the park and herded the dogs to the truck, about 20 yards away. Again, it was lucky there were no other dogs, people or Animal Control officers around as it took a while to get all the dogs back in the truck. By the way, the parking lot is an on-leash area.

I considered reporting them but decided I would wait and see would happen if I saw them again. So far I have not. But I did discover one thing. Apparently stupidity is, for some people, a handicap and so it was quite appropriate for these dog walkers to park where they did. Perhaps they'll apply to the city for a proper handicapped parking permit. And maybe a business license?

Mother Nature's Justice

One thing great about Calgary's winter is that more often than not the sun shines. And with the sun comes warmth and with the warmth the snow melts. This can become a bit of a hazard as the melting snow is prone to sliding off sloped roofs. This is a particular issue in the downtown as the snow can fall several stories to the roads and sidewalks below.

Most business are nice enough to put up signs that warn of the falling snow, and some even use bright yellow caution ribbon to fence off the dangerous area. One such business has an entrance on a busy C-Train platform and on this particular day, the platform entrance was cordoned off, forcing customers to use the alternate entrance in the adjoining mall - a short walk of about 200 feet.

So while I'm waiting for a C-Train, I see a very determined shopper inside the yellow taped cordoned off area banging on the door of this store. She's dressed to the nine's in her fancy leather coat and knee-high high heeled boots. The banging on the door was emphasized with a barrage of naughty words that I'm sure were making the door blush. There was even a sign on the door asking shoppers to use the other door, but this lady wasn't taking that good advice. I'm sure you can guess what happened next and yes it did. A huge wave of snow slid off the roof above the door (likely loosened by all the banging on the door) and temporarily turned turned the nice lady into Frosty the Snow-bitch. The good news is that many of us on the C-Train platform got to enjoy Mother Nature exacting a little justice. The bad news? None.