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Town Hires Dog to Keep Geese From Park

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 October 2003, 06:00 CDT

Officials have hired a new employee entrusted with the task of keeping a city park free of geese and the droppings they leave behind.

After other attempts to rid Pier Park of the birds failed, city officials purchased a 2-year-old Border collie named Kate, specially trained to chase away geese.

"We now have our park back," Assistant City Manager Shane Reeside told the Detroit Free Press for a story Wednesday.

The black and white canine cost the city $3,500, and included training for the employees who work with her.

It was money well spent, city officials say.

Kate arrived in April and now the park grounds are free of goose droppings for the first time in years. Kate now spends most of her time chasing tennis balls.

"Last year, the geese came on strong and were pretty established," said Dick Huhn, parks director. "But after Kate was here two to three weeks, the geese got the message and moved on. Once in a while, a few try to come back, and we'll go get her and they leave."

Dogs, it seems, increasingly are becoming the solution in southeastern Michigan to the honking, ill-tempered birds.

Grosse Pointe Farms followed the lead of several golf courses and the nearby Edsel & Eleanor Ford Estate in buying dogs to chase geese.

Reeside said he didn't hear any complaints from residents about spending city money to buy a dog.

"We have a lot invested in our park," he said. "It's one of our greatest assets in the community, but we weren't getting the most out of it. The geese were making it pretty unpleasant."

A purebred Border collie usually can cost from $600 to $1,500, said Jenny Schilp, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Kennel Club.

It's training the dog that gets expensive. Although the herding instinct is natural, the dogs need special tutoring to chase geese.

"So, $3,500 is very reasonable, I think," said Carol Richardson, a longtime Border collie breeder.

Kate spends much of her time in a dog bed in an office at the park.

During the summer she was popular with children, who would stop by the office asking to see the pooch.

The park budget covers Kate's food, dog treats, tennis balls and vet bills. A human remains on duty at the park overnight, so Kate never is alone. When park hours are reduced Nov. 1, Kate likely will go to live with an employee.

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