Dog Jog a Success!

Well we attended the Calgary Humane Society's 2009 Dog Jog.

It was a blast! We couldn't believe how many people and poooches were there. We arrived at Fish Creek Park around 11:30 and the place was buzzing. There was every kind of dog you can think of.

The thing I found was that the atmosphere was surprisingly subdued. Most dogs were very well behaved and the dog owners quite calm. The weather was perfect, no too hot or too windy. I think though, a lot of the dogs found it to be quite warm half way through the walk. It was a pretty open area with little or no shade. I know our Oscar was panting most of the way and Mojo was pretty beat by the time we finished the 5 kms too. So this may have had something to do with the general feel of the event. I loved every minute of being there but I expected it to be more exciting and crazy with so many dogs in one place. I'm not saying this was a bad thing, it just wasn't what I was kind of expecting.

As a registrant, both my wife and I received a gift package that included a box of treats for the dogs, a dog jog t-shirt, bottled water, granola bar, beef jerky, poo bags and various coupons and brochures from local pet businesses. It was a pretty good haul for the $25 fee.

The Humane Society reports the event was a success in raising the much needed funds to help them continue the good work they do for our city's pets in need. THere were around 400 registered participants and there were prizes awarded to the four top pledges. $1025, $740, $685 and $600. We raised $520 so we weren't far off. Actually I should clarify, Mrs. Big Nate did most of fund raising so the thanks should go to her for taking the time to hit up our friends and co-workers for their generosity.

We certainly will be attending again next year.

Thanks again to all our friends, family and co-workers that supported us in this great cause for Calgary dogs!

Father's Day

All my life I've had the impression that Father's Day is not as important or at least held in the same light as Mother's Day. I always thought that Dads got the shaft every June. I'm not sure what it is but we seem to take Mother's Day more seriously.

As a kid I was guilty of not putting in the same kind of thought or effort into my Dad's gift as I did for my Ma. Dad always got a crappy ashtray that I made myself or the proverbial tie. Mom got breakfast in bed or a nice brunch, along with a gift and even some flowers.

Now I'm no father, I've never had kids of my own. I'm not sure how things go these days for dads but I'm sure we are all still looking at Father's Day as a far off second to Mother's Day. Mrs. Big Nate and I still celebrate these days for each other as we look at Mojo, Oscar, Mr. Goo and Monster as our very own fur-kids. So gifts are presented from the dogs and cats.

As a responsible pet owner there are some things that I would certainly appreciate as a gift. The biggest thing being the gift of time. In my house I am responsible for walking our dogs, feeding the cats and cleaning up the poooh from our back yard. Now if I was a father who also had children and had to deal with all the responsibilities that came with that, I know I would love a Father's Day gift of Poooh clean up and dog walking. This would save me quite a bit of time each week to do other things I enjoy...like blogging.

So if you are looking for a great gift to give your Dad this Father's Day, don't go out buy him some crap tie that he won't wear, get him a Poooh Busters gift certificate! It's the gift of time and it a gift that shows you care.

Visit www. PooohBusters.com or call 403-462-4351 today and contact us for your gift certificate. Your Dad and his dog will love you for it!

Calgary Blue Bin Recycling

Well I knew it wouldn't be long before I posted my first rant!

The Calgary Blue Bin Recycling Program has begun in my part of the city. I live in Auburn Bay, SE and we received our blue bins approximately 3 weeks ago. Since then I have been anticipating the day when I get to put my bin out for collection. Proudly showing that Mrs. Big Nate and I recycle everything we are able! Today was the day I put my bin out for the first time.

Now, I walk Mojo and Oscar every morning from 5:00 to 5:30...ish. I get to see what my neighbours are throwing away every Thursday morning. Sometimes I am appalled at the large amounts of garbage that folks put our every week for pick up. But I thought, when recycling begins, everyone will have much less garbage in their bags. Wrong!

As I was walking the boys this morning, I was very disappointed to see that maybe 20% of the homes in my cul-de-sac actually put out their bins for collection. We have had these bins for over three weeks and I have seen some homes where the bin is still sitting out on the lawn, untouched and unused. Anyway, of the 20% I saw, over half were not placed correctly according to the directions provided with the bins. So these folks must have pulled the instruction pamphlet off the lids and immediately discarded it in the recycle bin itself. Good for them, they're recycling already! But now I have to wonder what they are recyclying? If they didn't read the instruction pamphlet on proper bin placement, they obviously didn't read what you can and cannot place inside the bin to be recycled!

Come on Calgary! The city has provided us an opprotunity to be responsible citizens of the Earth. They couldn't have made it more easy either! No separating items like in the old days, no storing all your recyclables in the garage for weeks till you get enough to warrant the trip to the recycling depot. Just throw your items in the bin and put it out once a week with your garbage. What could be easier? All we have to do is pay the bill (in which we have no choice anyway) and read the instructions on how to do it. That's it! Just read the instructions to make the poor guy's life easier who has to pick this up from our streets.

In defense of Calgary on a whole, I was driving through McKenzie Lake on my way to catch the morning bus to work and saw at least 80% of the homes in that neighbourhood had put out their bins. At least 90% of those bins were placed correctly. So people in McKenzie Lake know how to read instructions! This makes me feel better as I know that not all of Calgary is following the example set by my fellow Auburn Bay residents.

We have been provided the tools to do the right thing, now let's get off our disposable society butts and take part in showing the future generation how continue this legacy of caring for our environment!

For more info visit the City of Calgary website on the Blue Bin Recycling Program.
http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_780_237_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Waste+and+Recycling+Services/Recycling+Information/Residential+Services/Blue+Cart+Recycling/Blue+Cart+Recycling+FAQ.htm?f=FromFlashPage