COWTOWN IS DEFINITELY GOING TO THE DOGS
She may call it a “foster failure.”
But three dogs adopted by Jane Power and her husband, Tim, likely saw themselves as success stories — finding a forever home with the couple who initially took them in on a temporary basis.
“We ended up adopting all three because we fell in love,” Power says. “They were failed fosters.” Over the past several years the Powers have fostered 18 dogs, and that’s how they added three beagles (including one that recently passed away) to the family.
“They are great little companions, they get us out walking and there’s a different kind of sociability — everyone knows our dogs’ names, no one knows who Tim or I are,” Power says.
“We spoil them — they are members of our family.”
To say Power is a passionate pooch person is an understatement.
And the Calgarian isn’t alone. The city often dubbed Cowtown could easily earn a reputation as a quintessential dog town. There are about 100,000 canines licensed in Calgary — a city that is increasingly dog-friendly.
Fido can get a free ride on public transit, for instance, while some city pools are turned over to pooches for swim parties at the end of the season and licensed establishments can apply for permits to bring four-legged friends onto patios.
The city, literally, makes space for dogs — lots of it — boasting the largest number of off-leash areas in North America, says Tara Lowes, superintendent of the city’s Animal Services Centre.
The more than 505 hectares of land dedicated to dogs comprises about 17 per cent of Calgary Parks’ inventory.
“It’s a great place to socialize and does ensure owners take responsible pet ownership seriously,” says Lowes.
The $5 million collected with animal licences is put back into education and training that includes the PUPPY (Pick Up Pooch’s Poo Yourself) program and an off-leash ambassador program that sees certified trainers hit city parks with training tips.
In a city where the dog lives high on the hog, it’s not shocking that last year’s inaugural Pet-A-Palooza (also held in Victoria and Vancouver) was a huge success, attracting about 20,000 people.
This year, organizers are banking on a repeat performance.
“We were blown away,” organizer and co-founder Jordan Illingworth says of the Calgary reception. “We always have a great response for our first-year shows but Calgary’s was the best response in all three cities — the largest turnout.”
Tracie Nielson isn’t surprised that a pet-focused event would have pull in this city.
The Clever Canines’ founder sees daily proof that people love their pooches as they invest in training and day school for their dogs.
“Twenty years ago, you would have left the dog at home, not so these days,” says Nielson.
While she’s in favour of fourlegged friends being treated to the best, she cautions people to remember a dog is still a dog and ensure pampering doesn’t take priority over proper training.
“As a behaviour expert, the biggest thing I see is that people blur the lines between a human child and an animal with animal instincts, with animal genetics and with animal responses — a canine with 42 teeth. They are not humans and people forget,” says Nielson.
Training allows owners to better connect with dogs and ideally ensure their pet is a positive addition to their life, not a badly behaved burden, she says.
“We want people to experience freedom with their dogs and without,” she says. “We want them to be able to go hiking, go to an offleash park or Starbucks or to leave them at home and not be worried they are destroying things. That’s freedom.”
As for the human-canine connection, Nielson, owner of a dog named Foster, totally gets it.
“The bond is amazing. It’s comfort. It’s love. It’s joy. It’s all the cheesy words, but it’s true,” she says.
“You just have that buddy. I can say, ‘Foster and I are going to watch Netflix together,’ but really it’s Foster curled up on the couch beside me and I’m the one watching Netflix.”
Of course, doting dog owners in Calgary and across North America translate into profits for pet industry retailers such as mega-player PetSmart, which is launching a pet lifestyle brand with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Gone are the days when a dog bone and some basic grub would do.
Now there is an appetite for fashionable clothing, puzzle-type toys to keep canine minds sharp, and items such as dog strollers.
“Back in the day, it was just a squeaky toy, now it is just endless,” says Michael Hoeper, general manager at Pisces Pet Emporium.
“Now diets with higher-end foods are very important to many owners who are looking for everything from grain-free to raw foods.”
Pets are increasingly pampered in North America and lavished with everything from humangrade food to high-tech veterinary care and extravagant toys such as PlayDate, a smart ball with a camera in it that owners can control remotely with their mobile phones, says PetLynx InfoStream editor Cheryl Wallach.
“Pets have moved from the backyard to the bedroom and are receiving levels of care and attention normally reserved for human family members,” Wallach says.