Dolores Park Closure Slated
Beginning in September of 2011, the City of San Francisco plans to close Dolores Park for about 18 months to conduct a major overhaul of its facilities. Work on the playground will begin this year under a different contract, officials report, then it will remain open while the rest of the park is renovated.
Planned improvements in-clude making the pedestrian bridge ADA compliant; improving drainage, lighting, and irrigation; renovating paths and landscaping; and repairing or replacing bathrooms and other structures in the park.
Dog owners will mourn the long closure. Dolores Park is the only centrally-located open space area in the Mission District and it is a popular destination for people and dogs.
The price tag for the main park project is $11.7 million, most of it coming from the Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, which was passed in 2008.
Community meetings will be held to gather ideas for the park’s new look. Stay tuned to the website of Dolores Park Works (www.doloresparkworks.org), a nonprofit volunteer advocacy group, for updates.
Diet Food Facts?
The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University recently released the results of a study of 44 commercial weight-control dog foods. The study’s authors noted wide variations in the calorie counts, feeding directions, and prices of such foods and expressed concern about confusing information on the nutrition labels.
Obesity in pets is linked to osteoarthritis, diabetes, and other serious health conditions, and many people use these foods as part of a pet’s weight loss regimen. However, the study found that with many so-called “weight loss” dog foods, the animal would not be likely to lose weight and might even gain weight if owners did not understand package instructions concerning portions.
The dry dog foods ranged from 217 to 440 kilocalories per cup (kcal/cup) and recommended amounts ranged from 0.73 to 1.47 times the dog’s resting energy requirement. Prices ranged from 4 cents to more than $1.10 per kilocalorie. Half of the pet foods exceeded maximum federal guidelines regarding kilocalorie per kilogram restrictions in foods labeled “lite,” “light,” “low calorie,” or “less calorie.”
Ninja vs. Mountain Lion?
In a story straight out of fantasy fiction, a 19-year-old Fairfield man said he defended his Pit Bull-Shepherd Mix from a mountain lion using a ninja sword. The attack occurred in a nature area near Fairview Place in the early afternoon of February 10. The teen ran home to fetch the sword from the family’s garage and by the time he returned to the scene, the mountain lion had gotten the upper hand, he said.
Investigators from the California Department of Fish and Game later examined the tracks and found that the dog had been attacked by a large raccoon. Fortunately, he suffered only minor injuries.
Most Popular AKC Dogs
For the 19th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever has been named the most popular dog in the land by the American Kennel Club. The annual list is compiled from the organization’s list of registered dogs. There was an upset in the second-place spot, with the Yorkshire Terrier losing out to the German Shepherd.
Here is the entire list, in order of popularity: Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, Yorkshire Terrier, Golden Retriever, Beagle, Boxer, Bulldog, Dachshund, Poodle, Shih Tzu.
The AKC breed list is interesting, but according to Bay Woof’s own observations of happy hounds in loving homes, the most popular dog in America is the marvelous mutt.
Woman Chases Dog Off Cliff
A woman chasing her dog on the Mendocino headlands fell about 60 feet to her death in early February. The dog, who had fallen about halfway down the cliff, survived. Witnesses said the woman simply ran off the edge of the cliff in pursuit of her dog.
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