This upcoming August ninth, you can come find us at the Camp Bowen table at the 24th annual Dog Days of Summer event, hosted by our friends up the road at the Union Steam Ship Company.
Camp Bowen staff have been invited to be on site to hand out information on and talk about the summer opportunities we offer. If your curious about our programs and/or just can’t resist the attention of some cute dogs, pop by and say hi.
The event is a great way to connect with the local community here on Bowen and all proceeds will be donated to BC Guide Dogs.
Resident Guide Dog, Zandra, will be here, soaking up the sun and generally basking in the attention. She says that, though she is a Guide Dogs for the Blind graduate, she is going to come along to support her K9 buddies at BC Guide Dogs, so that they too can reach their dreams of being paired with a loving blind person. According to Zandra, “we need to develop and disseminate an entirely new paradigm and practice of collaboration that supersedes the traditional silos that have divided governments, philanthropies and private enterprises for decades and replace it with networks of partnerships working together to create a globally prosperous society,” though I suspect that she may have borrowed the quote from Simon Mainwaring, who she has been reading about lately.
What can I say? My dog has her own tastes in books.
If you require a guide from the ferry, please contact Alex Jurgensen, Community Coordinator at Camp Bowen, at: +1 (778) 908-0521. Arrangements should be made at least 1 day in advance. For general inquiries about the event, please contact the Union Steam Ship Company at: +1 (604) 947-0707 Extension 2.
The official press release follows below:
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE 24TH ANNUAL BOWEN ISLAND DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Come on over to Bowen Island for a celebration of mans’ best friend and help support B.C. Guide Dog Services. It’s a full day of tail wagging fun including contests, prizes, exhibits, refreshment and dog-themed entertainment. A great event for the whole family and its free for spectators!
- WHAT:
- Dog contests, dog demonstrations, and exhibitions. Fun activities and contests, Dog parade, Best-dressed dog, Best dog trick, Bobbing for wieners and more!
- WHERE:
- The Union Steamship Co. Marina lawn, Snug Cove, Bowen Island
- WHEN:
- Sunday August 9th, 2015. Registration starts at 11am, events start at 12 noon
- WHO:
- ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO B.C. GUIDE DOG SERVICES.
Dog days is sponsored by The Bowen Island Building Centre, Bowen Island Dog Ranch, Bowen Island Pub, Doc Morgans Restaurant, Cranimals, Bowen Vet, Bowen Pet Supply, Cormorant Marine and Tug & Barge, Dee Elliot for MacDonald Realty, Snug Cove General Store, It is hosted by the Union Steamship Marina on Bowen Island, and all proceeds will be donated to B.C. Guide Dog Services.
B.C. Guide Dog Services is a registered charity dedicated and committed to the development of the Guide Dog Movement. Their aim is to improve availability and an increased level of service through the provision of professionally trained seeing-eye dogs for the visually impaired, and Autism Support Dogs for children with autism aged four to ten years.
In past years there have been dog demonstrations such as:
FIERCE FLYERS FLYBALL- Flyball races match two teams of four dogs each, racing side-by-side over a 51 foot long course. Each dog must run in relay fashion down the jumps, trigger a flyball box, releasing the ball, retrieve the ball, and return over the jumps. The next dog is released to run the course but can’t cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned over all 4 jumps and reached the start/finish line. The first team to have all 4 dogs finish the course without error wins the heat.
CANADIAN K9 DETECTION SECURITY- Established in Vancouver since 1997. They are the largest full service “Security Consulting, Investigations, Security & Canine Detection” firm in Western Canada. K9 detection services include: explosive, weapons, narcotics, marijuana grow operations and methamphetamine labs.
HOW TO GET THERE: Bowen Island Ferry from Horseshoe Bay. Ferries leave 10am, 11am, and 12 noon. Ferries return from Bowen Island every hour on the hour from 3pm on.
ADMISSION: Free for spectators and $5 for dogs participating in the contests. No pre-registration is required. Just show up with your dog!
P.S.
I checked with Zandra and she did indeed borrow that earlier quote from Simon Mainwaring. She defends her use of the quote by saying, “We all need to work together to support one another. That is the only way social change can happen effectively. And, yes, these are my own words now. By the way, I’m hungry!”