Walk to Save Our Off Leash Areas

Recently the City of Medicine Hat decided that they wanted to eliminate 90% of the local off leash dog areas.  Needless to say, dog owners all through town were upset!  Where are all the puppies supposed to go to play and socialize?  So one local dog owner, took matters into his own hands.  Mike, from Mikes Meats, decided to put together a rally to show the city we NEED & WANT our off leash areas left alone.  What dog owners are asking for is a compromise.  Dog owners are aware that of course there are a few bad apples but should that mean wiping out all off leash areas?  No.  What Dog owners are asking for is a more reasonable solution & compromise.  More PROPER signage posted by the city to clearly mark where IS and IS NOT considered an off leash area.  More doggie bag dispensers for poop, and having the city have by-law actually patrol the areas as THEY SHOULD BE DOING TO BEGIN WITH!  As an animal lover, pet owner & pet photographer, I was down there showing my full support of this event.  Over 500 dogs & owners showed up to tell city hall this is unacceptable!  It was an amazing sight to behold!! There were dogs of every age, shape, size and breed out there mingling together having a great time walking with their owners who socialized together.  There was laughter as random hugs were given when leashes got tangled and many pit stops as pups had to use the facilities along the way.  Petland, Animal World, Mikes Meats & Steiners all donated fun prizes for the draw for dog owners! Those lucky pups who won the bag of bones from Mikes Meats, I know will be super happy for the rest of the year chewing on those huge bones!

Mike also suggested we have a dogs day! I think this is a fantastic idea!  When I lived in Edmonton, they had an event called Alberta Ave. goes to the dogs and it was amazing and I'd love to see a similar idea implemented here as well.  It was a great place for all local dog owners to visit together, watch agility dogs strut their stuff, local pet supply boutiques, groomers, therapy dogs, rescue society's and more showed up to have fun and celebrate Canine Love!  It actually goes right along with my Summer Project #5 so I really hope it gets implemented!

Over all it was an amazing experience and I am happy so many dog owners showed up to show their support! And I was thrilled to be a part of this event! Don't forget to head down to City Hall again tonight at 7pm to voice YOUR opinion on this VERY IMPORTANT matter for ALL dog owners in Medicine Hat.  Compromise is all that the dog owners are asking.  The city's "solution" to axe 90% of the areas due to a few rotten apples is rather brutal, extreme and unnecessary.  They don't remove bike paths because some bikers try to run pedestrians over all the time - and this is the same concept.  The dog owners would like the city to simply take a few small steps to ensure all of us can coexist in harmony and fairly.  These simple solutions that are a lot less extreme than City Councils obscene idea!  I hope everyone shows up tonight to keep our Off Leash Areas here in Medicine Hat!

Thank you so much to Mike for putting this together, all the sponsors who donated items for the draw and to all the dog owners for coming out and showing their support!  I have posted SOME of the crowd photos & a FEW of the photos from the walk on my Fan Page - and I will get more up as soon as I can! There were so many fantastic dogs out I cannot wait to share them all with you!