TROUT LAKE, Vancouver B.C.: Family Fun and Frolicking Dogs

Right in the heart of Vancouver's East End is a historic lake where the community can come together for family fun, a farmer's market, and sports events.  Trout Lake doesn't have any trout, and it's not that great for swimming, but for a splendid afternoon picnic or a quiet stroll it's the perfect place.

The name of the park is actually John Hendry Park named after John Hendry who owned the Hastings sawmill, one of Vancouver's first lumbering operations in the late 19th century.  The land was given to the Park Board in 1926 by Hendry's daughter who was married to the governor of the province, Eric Hamber.  She wanted the 27 hectare park named for her father, but it is most commonly known as "Trout Lake". 

The lake began as a natural peat bog and was an important water source for the mill.  The Hastings Sawmill was one of Vancouver's most important feature in the late 1800's.

The lake is edged with stands of yellow iris and willow trees. Ducks swim among the lily pads. Although there is no boating allowed, it always seemed to me the perfect place for a leisurely paddle and I have in the past actually swam there though the water is a bit murky.

The park is a favorite picnic area or a place to stroll or jog along the lake-side paths.  I loved riding my bike around the lake. There is a playground for the children, and the Trout Lake Community Centre provides lots of entertainment including a pottery studio, fitness centre, games room, sauna, gym, and ice rink.  The park hosts a Farmers Market every weekend with local products and crafts for sale. And it is a popular place for festivals such as the Illuminares lantern festival.  This week it was the gathering place for the National Aboriginal Week celebrations. And in August the Summer Dreams Literary Festival will be held in the park.

One popular feature of the park is the off-leash dog area at the north end of the lake. This is a perfect place to let your pooch run free and frolic with the other doggies. It's amusing to watch the social interaction between people's pets and of course the social interaction between the dog owners. The afternoon I was there several dogs were playing 'fetch the stick'. The 'alpha' dog had it but the others kept trying to get it away from him, in particular a tough little barky fellow who wouldn't give up the chase.

The original Grandview Community Gentre was constructed in 1963 and later renovated and renamed Trout Lake Community Centre. In 2010 the new ice rink and renovations to the community centre were completed in time for the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. It was used as the figure skater's training venue.

How to Get There:
By Transit from downtown, #7 Nanaimo (east then southbound), get off at East 17th and walk over to the park. Or take the #7 bus from the Nanaimo Skytrain north on Nanaimo St. and access the park from E. 17th Ave.

A LITTLE TRAGEDY ON KARAZA STREET

There was a pathetic little black and white cat named Sylvester who lived out on the street corner here on Karaza St.  It looked like it needed a good bath but Carol said it had a growth in its mouth and couldn't clean itself so she and a couple of neighbours were caring for it. They took it to the vet, gave it antibiotics, fed it etc.

The other night there was a terrible racket outside with barking dogs and a yowl of a cat.  In the morning Carol found Sylvester dead on the sidewalk, mauled to death by the marauding dogs.  She was heart broken and so were the other women who cared for him.  Such is the plight of many of the strays here in Athens (and all over Greece) And the animal cruelty extends to dogs, horses, mules and donkeys.  Sometimes they are poisoned, sometimes badly mistreated and cruelly killed, mostly just neglected.  There are hundreds of strays - some of which used to be people's pets that were abandoned, and others feral animals. It's not quite as drastic as it used to be when I first visited Greece in the late '70's, but it's still a serious concern.  Fortunately now there are some organizations and private persons who make it their job to help these animals get fed, find homes, be spayed and if necessary find medical help.  Vets are brought in from elsewhere such as England to treat them and many private people have taken it upon themselves to feed the strays.

You can see on the Facebook groups that there are some organizations in Greece listed.  When I was on Samos I picked up a brochure about an animal rescue station there where you could volunteer and adopt animals. And there is the Hellenic Humane Society.



One of my very first published stories, written in 1980 was about the cats of Athens.  Later, the story was republished in the RSPCA magazine in England when the British Humane Society began working with the Hellenic Humane Society to do something about the strays.  There has been some improvement, but the fact that people here let their dogs roam free while they go on holidays so the packs of dogs roam the streets killing defenseless little kitty cats is one of the big problems.  I've also see dogs kept on roof-tops with no shade and likely little water.  And in the villages it is no surprise to see a dog chained on a very short leash out in the hot sun.  This used to disturb me no end when I lived in Lala.

It used to be they kept animals in pitiful conditions in the National Gardens too. When I lived her in the '80's there was one old lion in a small cage, no foliage, just cement and usually no food and little water. It was so disturbing to me I couldn't bear to walk by it.  Eventually, not that long ago, someone from England bought the lion and took it away to better accommodations.  And I'm not sure they still keep animals there. I can't bear to look as it usually upsets me to see the bleak conditions they are kept in.

My friend Christina's cats were rescued from the street

The lovely cat Carol keeps was rescued from the National Gardens.  And my friend Christian has several rescue cats plus one nice old dog, Mangus, who lives part time on Philopappou Hill.  Those dogs are checked by vets, fed and tagged.  You see a lot of them around town. Most of them were people's pets and are friendly fellows.   It's good to know there are some people here who really care what happens to the animals.