Algae Alert!

With warm weather finally here, the pond in the offleash area has become an ideal place to cook up some nasty algae. Our algae specialist Hedy has taken samples and reports that while levels aren't yet dangerous, unhealthy algae *are* present in the pond and could make dogs sick, especially if they drink the water. The best thing to do is to keep them out of the pond until the weather cools off.

However, if your dog is like mine and really needs to have a dip to cool off, then the safest place for them to do that is near the southernmost end of the pond, in a little pool surrounded by reeds. Even though the water is stinky there, the reeds keep it relatively clean by filtering out the algae. There's an added benefit of shade in that location, which has a stand of willows.

Oddly enough, the newly-restored waterfall is actually making the algae situation worse by bringing in a constant flow of nutrient-rich water from the Red River.

Better still, bring a backpack with a jug of cool fresh tap water and big bowl when you come to the park, and don't forget the sunscreen for you and your pet!

Other tips on keeping your pup cool in hot weather can be found at:

Keep Your Dog Cool in Hot Weather
http://hubpages.com/hub/Dog_Days_of_Summer__Keeping_Your_Dog_Cool_in_Hot_Weather
Keeping Outside Dogs Cool
http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/keeping_outside_dogs_cool
Gadgets for cooling:
http://dogequipment.com/sections/a-cooling.html