STORM? WHAT STORM?

Readers in central Canada and the eastern US with relate to this today:

"Snowmagheddon!"

"Storm of the century!"

"Stay inside!"

"WORST WINTER STORM EVER!"

Indeed, my area's first real winter storm in a couple of years. More snow falling in one day than most of last winter .. but last winter we barely got 30 cms of snow altogether.

Anyway, the media never wastes an opportunity to drum up some hysteria.

Some of us expect this sort of thing in winter. And others even welcome it

Case in point, the following video

(Most of this was shot with my GoPro, I decided to play with the settings, let's call it an experiment and leave it at that)

THE FIRST, THE LAST AND WHITE ON BLACK AND WHITE

Today is  the last day of the month. As is my habit, I flipped the calendars in my office over to the next month. Tomorrow will be December 1st, the first day of the last month of the year

Today in Toronto we got our first snow fall of the year. So this is the first day that my black & white dog becomes a black & white and white dog. It is easier to illustrate than it is to explain

Yeh, someone has to be happy about the snow. That may be beyond happy

December is a funny month. I think of it as the beginning of winter, if you will, the first month of winter, but it is the last month of the calendar year. The beginning of the season, the end of the year. The season we can feel, it's cooler, my dog is coated with snow, it's obvious that something has changed. The year is a bit more esoteric; we count the days on the calendar and name the months but in the long run, they are only words.

I turn the pages of the calendar and watch the numbers change. I watch Terra jump after the snow flakes.

It's beginning.

I'M WOOFING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS

OK, let's play a new game shall we? The name of this game is: Only in Toronto ...

Only in Toronto would you have an event for dogs, in which you are encouraged to bring your dogs, that is entirely inside.

Only in Toronto would you have an event that featured a dog talent show where one of the humans declared his pet's trick was doing "whatever he wants to do" The dog laid down by the way. Gave me goose bumps

Only in Toronto would you have a gigantic state of the art convention centre transformed into a dog kennel and said convention centre's "state of the art" being an area filled with wood chips, just perfect for pooping

Only in Toronto would you have not only have vendors selling "gourmet" dog food but selling "gourmet holistic whole free range raw diet" dog food .. and no, I didn't make that up (OK I made some of it up, stop being so observant)

So what we have here is the winter version of Woofstock. And no, I don't suppose all those things are exclusive to Toronto but it is probably an urban conceit to host an event where hundreds of dogs are attending, all inside.

No I did not take Terra. When you own a border collie, you learn to avoid any situations that may lead to them mocking you, as in "Seriously, you brought me to play with all these dogs .. in a building .. with fake grass ... seriously?"

Anyway, here's the video. I'm hearing derisive canine snickering from the other room

THE REAL WINTER GAMES

OK, now that the 25 hr Commercial Games .. I mean the Olympic Games ... are over with, we can concentrate on the true great winter Canadian Game ... The Border Collie Bowl

This is a full contact, no holds barred game of speed, dexterity and mouth to paw coordination. The object is simple .. catch the ball before your sister does. Or bite her while the ref's head is turned.
This is a championship match, between the new up and comer, Terra "The Prodigy" and the current champ, the wily veteran Hayley. No love lost between these two. The trash talk has been flying. Comments have been flying about "mud puddle licker" and "butt sniffer" and accusations of a certain athlete tampering with the ball
The pre-game intensity was evident at the weigh ins, where the reigning champ engaged the rookie in an intense stare down
The game was certainly exciting, back and forth, give and take, bark and sniff the whole way. An official protest was lodged against Terra for carrying the ball until it was pointed out, how the heck else was she getting it back to Dad?
But all in all it was an honourable affair, no was bitten, no one was peed on and although the word "bitch" was bandied about, it could barely be considered a technical foul

Still, no medals were handed out for this historic athletic event, but Milk Bones seemed to suffice. And thankfully, I've captured the entire event for posterity. You know, for when you go into your post Border Collie Bowl funk

The Border Collie Bowl from Victor Kellar on Vimeo.

WALKING MISS HAYLEY

So, another Miss Hayley post, with another Miss Hayley video at the bottom. This is from our regular weekend visit to Cedarvale Park. We have been going to this big ravine park for several years now. We like it because there is a lot of space, a long ravine trail that leads into it, and a couple of smaller trails within the park itself that are pretty sheltered. And most importantly, there are dogs there, lots of dogs. We often refer to Cedarvale as the "dog park" while it was not, not legally ...until this past fall.

There are not an awful lot of official off leash parks in Toronto; there are, to the best of my knowledge, no off leash parks at all, but parks with off leash areas. In the last couple of years a lot has been made of the fact that there is something like a quarter million dogs in greater Toronto and not near enough off leash areas to service them all. It is a contentious issue here. This city is definitely divided along dog/no dog lines. I just don't me leash/off leash, I mean have a dog, don't have a dog. The more crowded our city gets, the more anti-dog sentiment we seem to have.

Which leads me to the whole off leash situation. I am essentially not a fan of off leash areas. I am a firm believer that your dog should be on leash on the street, on the public transit, in other public places. Miss Hayley is well behaved and well trained but I can't imagine walking her in the street off leash. First of all, it is dangerous. I've trained Hayley but I haven't trained every car, truck, bus, taxi .. or pedestrians. Secondly, I think it is inconsiderate. People walking along the street don't need to be pestered by a dog.

Parks are different. Not that I think people should be pestered, but parks are essentially recreational spaces. People aren't there chugging along on their errands, preoccupied with their business, they are there to relax, have fun, maybe do sport or exercise. Just like Miss Hayley and I. A park like Cedarvale, with its miles of trails and huge open spaces, should be able to be shared by all; truth is, in the summer, most of the two legged animals all crowd onto the sidewalks to exploit their wheels, leaving all that grass to the dogs.

Of course, the problem with sharing is, everyone needs to be on their best manners. And, my god, I don't know what goes through the minds of a lot of dog owners. They have no right to be out in public with their dog off leash, let alone on. You have the shit issue, which is really a big problem. If dog owners just pick up after their animals, a lot of the animosity against them would wane.

The other issue is dog behaviour. Some of the stuff I've seen makes my head ache. Dogs with their heads in coolers, dogs stealing other dogs' toys, dogs jumping ... a few weeks ago I was walking Hayley around our little neighbourhood park and for one entire circuit, about 15 minutes, I was assaulted by this kerry blue terrier. The whole way this thing was jumping up on me, while her owner remained stationary in the middle of the park, waving her hands in distress ... not a very successful dog training technique.

So I am not surprised that people want off leash areas, especially fenced in ones. People don't want dogs shitting on their grass and jumping on their pants, and I can't blame them. It doesn't have to be that way. If owners were responsible, picked up after their mutts, taught them manners, we could all happily co-exist.

So what's my issue with off leash areas, you ask? (You probably didn't ask but its my blog and in my blog you asked) I have a few concerns. One is, a fenced in area attracts irresponsible dog owners. Oh great, they say, there is a fence, my dog, my unruly, undisciplined dog, can run amok without my ever having to worry about etiquette or safety or proper socialization. The new off leash area in Cedarvale is huge. I don't think my video does it justice. Last weekend I saw a couple come in, let their dog off, then lean against the fence and and drink coffee and chat while their pet went gamboling off with a bunch of strange dogs .. great, that's the purpose of off leash areas. But it is also the danger. Dogs interacting always has the potential to go south But if you are there, observing, you can stop a problem before it starts. I know my dog and her border collie insanity; if that head goes down and starts to twist, some other dog is about to get gripped .. and as a rule I don't want that. So I call her off before it begins.

The other issue with a fenced in area is that it is great for a dog like Hayley, who loves to run and play with other dogs, a big contained area works great. But not all dogs like this kind of play and neither do their owners. They like to walk, and a place like Cedarvale, with all its trails, appeals to them. Of course, you can walk your dog on the leash but it is not the same. Off leash just gives you and your dog more freedom, Miss Hayley loves to wander a bit and sniff and explore. The video shows us on one of the lovely back trails, covered in snow, where the off leash Hayley is free to just move around and be a dog.

Still and all, it was a great day in the dog park. Lots of fresh snow and a relief from the absolutely frigid temps we have been experiencing lately. While we were there we met our friend hand his dog, who also happens to be a border collie ..and who happens to be called Hayley. Two border collie Hayleys, you know that is trouble.You will see in the video that lots of people came out on a Sunday to enjoy a nice winter day. Cross country skier, sledders, dogs ... and all sharing.

Now you all you go sing Kumbyah amongst yourselves. I'm getting a beer.



Miss Hayley at Cedarvale from Victor Kellar on Vimeo.