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In the merry, merry month of May, dogs deserve a chance to run and play! The trees are blossoming, the birds are singing, and the Canine Corral has opened for our Pioneer Members. This has been a long time in the making, and there is still work to do. Thanks to our generous supporters and our fundraising efforts, we were able to open our own Four Seasons off-leash area dog park on April 7. We are calling this a "soft-opening" as it is not completely finished, and due to the pandemic, we will wait until a better time to hold our Grand Opening celebration. Stay-tuned for balloons and ribbon- cutting and dog cookies. Stop by and admire the beautiful Honor Plaques that have been mounted on the fence. If you see white powder on the ground, that is food-grade diatomaceous earth used to safely treat the stubborn ant colonies. As most of our residents remember, this land had been wild, unusable land until it was recently reclassified as usable and the HOA was required to landscape it. The Landscape Committee was charged with the task of coming up with a plan to landscape that entire Lot A from Harvard Peak to the Four Seasons Circle. It was decided that this wild area would also house the proposed off leash area dog park. The entire lot was covered with weeds, stickers, thorny tumbleweeds, gophers, and a wide variety of ants. The Landscape Committee coordinated with the Finance Committee and the Board to come up with the most economical way to make this raw ground usable, safe, and attractive. Since there was a proposed plan to put the off leash area park here, they were able to save funds by deciding to cover that part of the ground with stabilized decomposed granite, rather than having to run more irrigation and buy more trees and plants. The fencing had been donated and installed so it was now clear where the plants should go and where the granite would go. The resident ant species were not deterred by the construction so they will be an ongoing challenge. The Board created the Canine Corral Council as a committee of the Board and charged them with the job of fund-raising to make this space into an off-leash area dog park, as well as implementing the Guidelines created by the Ad Hoc OLA committee. The Corral was to be self-funded so HOA dues would not be increased to cover the costs of developing this new facility. Through fund-raising efforts and many generous supporters, the Council was able to install a new metal gate to house a fob lock system, dog waste stations, benches, straw wattle to help prevent erosion, and there are plans to permanently install the benches onto concrete pads along with shade structures. To date, over $29,000 has been raised. (Which is amazing considering the limited fundraising opportunities during a pandemic.) All members receive a gate fob, a Canine Corral identifying dog tag, and the first 10 members received a logo travel water bottle/dish. This is a BYOW facility (bring your own water) and essential that each dog have their own water dish to use inside the park. (Communal water bowls have been shown to potentially not be as clean and fresh as we would like for our special family members.) If you are interested in more information about how you and your dog can become a member of this new facility, we will be setting up our Friday Afternoons at The Lodge table again from 1 to 3 pm. We will also have information on how you can sponsor your own Honor Plaque to be placed on the fence. Check out the yellow Canine Corral button on the Daily Report to download an order form, and to keep up with current activities. The CCC meets on the first Thursday of the month at 10 am. If you are interested in joining the CCC, attend 3 meetings, and complete an application. ~ Sandra Butler-Roberts, sandirae@ icloud.com FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2021 23 Canine Corral Council Off-leash areas are not just for the dogs Signs of spring as the Corral prepared to open George Clooney (look at that face!) and Jagger meeting on the opening day of the Canine Corral

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