For the past seven years, we have had the pleasure to hold our annual summer dog agility trial in the beautiful Lavington Park, right across from the fire hall and elementary school in the heart of this quaint community.
The Lavington trial at the end of June has enjoyed an excellent reputation in the B.C. dog agility circle as we have been able to provide gorgeous sunshine in the perfect setting every single year. The large trees give shade to hard-working canine and human competitors and most years, 40 to 50 campers surround the field as people enjoy staying right at this lovely site.
Sadly, this year we had some nasty surprises. On the night of June 24 and 25, a number of items were taken from the camp sites. Most were found nearby, carelessly dumped in local ditches, but a heavy generator, taken right off the back of a motorhome, and a propane tank, were never recovered.
Beer bottles had been broken inside the washrooms and shards of glass were also found in the grass out front, endangering the dogs and human trial participants. This left a bitter taste in the mouths of the competitors and everyone carefully stored their items the following night. Yet, there was another rude awakening when we found several shade tents slashed and broken the next morning. The extra work and stress this created left some people wondering if they want to return next year.
It was sad to witness such senseless vandalism and it has certainly tainted our reputation within the dog agility community. We feel compelled to alert others planning on using the park in the future about our unfortunate experience.
Christine Schwartz, President,
Dog’O’Pogo Dog Agility Club, Vernon
