Meet Alberta's Working Dogs - September 17th

The third annual Working Dogs Day takes place tomorrow - Saturday, September 17th from 11am til 2pm - at Bowmont Off-Leash Park in Calgary.

Working Dogs Day will feature demonstrations from working dogs and their handlers from the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Fire Department, Animal & Bylaw Services, Calgary Search & Rescue Association, PADS Calgary (Pacific Assistance Dogs Society), PALS (Pet Access League Society), Canada Border Services Agency, CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind), Water Inspection Sniffer Dogs and RCMP Police Dog Services.

Attendees can bring their own dogs, treat them to a free nail trim and learn from dog behaviour and pet first aid specialists.

Along with the working dog demonstrations, agility, flyball and discus will also be showcased.

The event is part of the City of Calgary’s Off-Leash Ambassador Program which was launched in 2013 and nominated in 2014 for the Urban Animal Innovation Showcase.

The program features volunteers who promote Calgary’s Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw and encourage positive pet interactions and safety in off-leash parks. This is accomplished through education, demonstrations and discussions led by the ambassadors who act as community liaisons and positive role models in off-leash areas.

Urban Animal launched the Innovation Showcase in 2013 to discover innovative projects that could be replicated across the Urban Animal industry.

2015 Summit Discussion: Municipal Compliance and Ambassador Programs

Municipal compliance is a significant factor in determining the levels of hostility or negative emotions between people. This negativity or positivity will impact all members in a community; those that own animals and those that do not. One of the main concerns stems from common areas that are shared by pets, their people, and others that wish to use the area.

Across North America the rate of compliance associated with licensing and identification of pets is falling. The incidence of disruptive behaviors and aggression in dogs is rising. What are the potential factors that may be associated with these negative changes. What can be done to improve the situations? How can municipal bylaws ensure a safe environment for all? Can new approaches to licensing bylaws and enforcement succeed?

Kelsey Birtch is a full-time Licensing Liason for the City of Vancouver. Her position includes attending community engagement functions to promote the benefits of dog licensing. Ms Birtch also has specialized promotional items used as licensing incentives. The City of Vancouver believes she has been "instrumental in starting to change the public perception". It is possible that Vancouver is the only city to have a full-time Licensing Liason. What is it about this program that makes it so successful? What information can be gathered and/or shared to bring such a positive impact to other cities?

The City of Calgary started an Off-Leash Ambassador Program. The program was developed by Cheryl Herperger. Ms Herperger is a Senior Business Strategist and Team Lead for Community and Strategic Services at Animal & Bylaw Services for The City of Calgary. The Off-Leash Ambassador Program focuses on education and has received positive feedback. It also lessens the stress on Animal and Bylaw Officers that cannot patrol all dogs parks all of the time. A key question is, can Calgary’s Off-Leash Ambassador Program be replicated in other municipalities? What would be required for this program to efficiently spread across North America?

Get the facts, have your say, move the industry.

If you are interested in participating at the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies please contact Shannon Woodward, Urban Animal Program Manager. 

InfoStream newsmakers of 2014!

2014 was an exciting year for the urban animal industry. Success and expansion of the Urban Animal program; mergers and acquisitions that changed the face of the services and retail sector; and inspiring stories of innovation all played a part in collective achievements celebrated by Urban Animal associates this past year. 

Here are a few InfoStream highlights (in order of top page views) from 2014:

The Top Dog Store™ re-invents retail for dogs: Calgary's Robert Church opened the doors to a new store offering a redesigned look at the retail sale of pets. The Top Dog Store™ produces a unique dog-centric experience directed at property homing the animals. Measures include certified and inspected sources of animals; mandatory vet visits, animal warranties and national identification and return-to-owner services; and follow-up services for clients that support behavior and ongoing health. 

Career networking in the Urban Animal Industry: During the Backers Total Pet Expo in September, pet industry veteran Jamie Damato Migdal launched a new online platform to help pet industry professionals find qualified and dedicated employees. FetchFind.com, which is in Beta form, will offer the opportunity for aspiring pet industry professionals to increase expertise through online learning modules as well as locate job opportunities by browsing job postings on the site. 

2014 Social Media Trends: An article on Business 2 Community (B2C) forecast that in 2014, Twitter would surpass Facebook, marketing would transition from monologue to dialogue and that images would outrank content for user engagement. Hashtags were also predicted to become the leading online search tool as every social media channel accepted and encouraged its use. 

Atlantic Innovation Showcase Spotlight Paws Fur Thought - Service dogs for veterans battling PTSD: Since being paired with his service dog, Thai, in 2012, retired Canadian Armed Forces Captain Medric Cousineau has been working to raise awareness and funds to help other veterans achieve success and peace through their own service dog pairings. Cousineau was introduced to the Urban Animal program thorough the Innovation Showcase and received the 2014 Innovator of the Year as well as the 2014 Health and Wellness Summit Awards. 

Mars to buy most of P&G's pet food business for $2.9 billion: In April, Mars, Incorporated and the Procter & Gamble Company announced that Mars agreed to buy the IAMS®, EUKANUBA® and NATURA® brands in major markets for $2.9 billion U.S. This was a strategic move for Mars Petcare to complement its large and growing global Petcare business. 

iAdopt unveiled - An interview with OSPCA's Tanya Firmage: Introduced in 2013 as iAdopt for the Holidays, the campaign was quickly refactored to offer several sub-campaigns throughout the year for various national holidays. This avant-garde campaign shows promise as an industry-wide and international initiative as it caters to all sectors of the industry and is available to everyone. More than 3,000 pets were adopted as part of the 2014 Christmas campaign. iAdopt was featured at the 2014 Regional Conferences as well as the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in the Innovation Showcase program. 

An interview with Cheryl Herperger, City of Calgary's Off-Leash Ambassador Program: This pilot program launched in 2013 with ambassadors frequenting two Calgary off-leash parks to help spread educational messages and park etiquette to dog owners and walkers. The program experienced tremendous success and grew to 70 volunteers covering 12 of the city's parks in 2014. The Off-Leash Ambassador program was also featured in the Urban Animal Innovation Showcase. 

InfoStream Guest Author Program welcomes Patricia Cameron: Saskatoon SPCA Executive Director Patricia Cameron joined the Guest Author program in March with her "SWOT" series (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Patricia's extensive background in the urban animal industry as well as in creating a sustainable environment have given her a unique perspective to create healthy communities for pets and people. 

Thank you to everyone who made this a successful year. Your collaborative efforts, forward thinking and commitment to the industry will undoubtedly lead to an even more successful 2015. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

An Interview with Cheryl Herperger, City of Calgary's Off-Leash Ambassador Program

Terri Perrin

InfoStream Staff Writer

Infostream staff writer Terri Perrin speaks with Innovation showcase presenter Cheryl Herperger, Business Strategist on the Community and Strategic Service Team at The City of Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services. Cheryl is also the lead for The City’s innovative new Off-Leash Ambassadors volunteer program.

City of Calgary Off-Leash Ambassador Program

INFOSTREAM (IS): Before we get start talking about your Urban Animal Conference experience, please tell us about your past and present Pet Experiences and how it relates to your current position with the City of Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services.

Cheryl Herperger (CH): I have lived with dogs since I was three years old and I currently share my home with two Golden Retrievers and two Labrador crosses. They are the loves of my life! When I was six years old I wanted to be a vet, but I had an issue with blood. Still do! So that was a bit of a problem. [Laughs.] Instead, in order to still ‘work’ with animals, over the years I have been on the boards of directors of several humane societies and now work for Animal & Bylaw Services.

I love watching my four dogs and they give me pure joy. I believe that walking your dog is the foundation of the relationship with your pet; so working on the Off-Leash Ambassadors project is perfect for me. I have worked with The City for over five years, as a community recreation coordinator, and had often worked in collaboration with Animal & Bylaw. When the job came up at Animal Services in the fall of 2013, I though “This is perfect! Furry friends and men in uniform. Works for me!”

IS: Tell us why the Off-Leash Ambassador program was created.

CH: We were getting feedback from both dog owners and non-dog owners alike on issues in most of our parks, but especially from two particular parks in the NW. Our investigation clearly indicated that there was a lot of confusion and concerns relating to off-leash etiquette. Some people we completely out of control. We knew that an education and public awareness piece would benefit all citizens. We have 24 dedicated Animal & Bylaw officers and, with a population of 1.4 million people, 122,000 licensed dogs and 151 dedicated off-leash areas, that’s a lot of ground to cover! The Off-Leash Ambassador program was developed to provide role models in the parks who could help people to voluntarily comply with bylaws and provide an avenue for citizens to express concerns and pass along comments to City staff. This is a volunteer-based, citizen-led ambassador program designed to assist bylaw officers. The bottom line is that the program is about education, not enforcement.

IS: What is the main focus of the program?

CH: One of the most important issues that the Off-Leash Ambassador program addresses is that even in an off-leash area it is imperative that dogs be under control at all times. It is not about showing up and just letting them run. We require people to have audible or visual command or control of their dogs. Dog recall is really important. Many people come to the park and they are busy talking or texting on cell phones or visiting with friends, rather than watching their dogs. You really must be aware of where your dog is and what he or she is doing.

IS: Tell us about the program launch.

CH: We had intended to start Off-Leash Ambassadors on July 1, 2013, but the city was under siege by flooding, so we did an official re-launch on September 5. The pilot program was introduced in Egerts and Bowmont Parks; the two parks where we had a high number of concerns and issues. We started with four volunteers. We provided them with logo-wear, so they could be easily identified, and a backpack filled with supplies including printed materials and ‘Bags on Board’ poop bag canisters to hand out to people for free. We have given out about 5,000 canisters to date.

IS: What kind of training and support do volunteers receive?

CH: Volunteers complete a comprehensive training and orientation program that includes a thorough review of our bylaws. Our Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaws that are 33 pages long are now summarized in a pamphlet. They are also instructed on basic animal behaviour – calming signals, posturing and more. They are trained to approach people positively, with a ‘did you know?’ attitude. We now have 35 volunteers for the two parks and it is interesting to note that not all of them are dog owners. The program has gone citywide and we hope to have ambassadors at all 151 of our off-leash areas by 2015.

IS: How do you recruit volunteers and what is their time commitment?

CH: Calgary is a dog city and a volunteer city so it hasn’t been difficult to get people to signup for the program. We have recruited using The City’s website, blog and social media, as well as emails to community associations, 122 dog walking groups, vets, groomers, retail, and the dog organizations. Quite a wide range of people have signed up, including several veterinarians and dog trainers. It is quite the diverse group. I am positively overwhelmed with their passion and commitment.

IS: How is the program funded? Are there any corporate sponsors?

CH: The City Council's Innovation Fund supports the program. Animal and Bylaw Service’s submitted an application and two councilors sponsored it. This funding pays for volunteer training and support, as well as supplies, such as jackets, leashes, backpacks, pet first aid kits, notebooks, etc.

IS: What is the general feedback about the program from your community?

CH: People notice a difference already and are asking how they can help. It has all been very encouraging. The program has created a social network of volunteers connecting with dog owners. It is an ‘in’ for positive communication and education.

IS: This was your first Urban Animal Conference experience. What did you think about it?

CH: It definitely added to my passion about community development. There is so much we can do. I was so impressed with the wide range of keynotes and presentations. I took tons of notes and am busy following up to create potential partnerships. I can’t wait until the International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in October.

IS: Speaking of the Summit, what do you hope to take away from – or contribute to – the event?

CH: By October we will have had a full spring and summer of the program and am pleased to have extra time for my presentation to talk about what we learned. I’ll be able to share what changes and enhancements we have made. I look forward to hearing from other presenters. In my experience, conferences promote creative conversations and ideas. How wonderful to be able to be there, with like-minded, passionate and dedicated people. I can’t wait.

For more information on off-leash etiquette and dog recall training, check out Barbara Walmer's Guest Author post! 

The 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conferences presented the second annual Innovation Showcases. Across the continent, 20 local Innovators were given the opportunity to share their stories and successes with Urban Animal subscribers. From those, eight were selected to present at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, October 22–25 in beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta.