We released 4 freshwater turtles on the River Murray today. Our first community project for 2013. Early in the morning we drove to the Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO) on Torrens Island to pick up the turtles. Aaron Machado, the founder of AMWRRO placed  the turtles in large plastic containers with wet

Identifying the physical elements of a dog park e.g. fencing, entry/exit gates, water bowls, doggie dispensers, benches etc – That’s the easy stuff. The missing element is understanding the relationships between the physical park elements and the social and behavioral patterns of dogs. This is an essential component for a successful dog park, and this

How to care for your pets in hot weather? About two weeks ago I received an email from a client about a workplace policy “Dogs and Hot Weather Policy for workers” that cares for its workers and the workers animals. Here’s the email. Hi Fiona I came into work this morning and found an email

In a recent article, Dr Kersti Seksel highlights that: “dog parks can be very challenging environments for dogs. Although it appears to us, as people, that dog parks are great, this is not the case for every dog … Every dog has different play styles, social skills and experiences around other dogs. In addition, many

Urban planning and design has traditionally focused on the human need. However, a new urban resident is emerging – man’s and women’s best friend, which we need to accommodate. With the rate of pet ownership being one of the highest in the world with almost 36% of Australian households owning a dog (Australian Companion Animal

Dog parks were unheard of a decade ago in South Australia. In South Australia we have some 21 enclosed dog parks (includes metro and rural areas). In the US they date back to the 1980’s when dog owners and off leash advocates pushed for designated dog parks. The first official dog park in the US

The Card Project is a fundraiser for  the Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO). The North Haven Primary School  students (Dolphin Rangers) created the artwork and I turned them into cards for my charity – AMWRRO. All proceeds go to AMWRRO.  Also see Blog – Charity Work for Marine Environment To place an

Did you know that Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with almost two in every three homes having a companion animal? Pets are an important part of our everyday lives and research shows that pets are good for us. People with dogs are more active than those without;

One of the first things I did in starting up my new business Balancing Act Adelaide was to do my own research via the web and link into organisations such as the Business Enterprise Centres (BEC) who offer a range of training and support services. Through the BEC, I accessed some valuable workshops including a:

  Over the last 2 months I’ve worked on The Card Project with North Haven Primary School, South Australia. The project was created to involve those students trained as Dolphin Rangers in fundraising for their local marine organisation – the Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO).  AMWRRO is one of the organisations who