The Department of Education's decision to prohibit dog training in school facilities will harm the city's 10 kennel clubs, city council heard Monday evening.

Donna Dymachova is the vice-president of the Yukon Kennel Club. She told council that training dogs and being involved in a dog sport has become a significant recreational activity for Whitehorse residents.

The loss of the Hidden Valley School gymnasium will impact significantly on the ability to provide dog owners with what Dymachova described as an invaluable and necessary service.

'Telling the dog organizations that they no longer have a facility for seminars and obedience trials during the winter months serves as a disservice to the clubs and all the benefit they do for the community.'

Dymachova is also a member of the Whitehorse Woofers Dog Club. She pointed out to council that dog clubs are non-profit organizations that just make ends meet, having to pay the cost of flying in judges for trials and so forth.

Having the use of the school gymnasium at Hidden Valley makes it affordable to provide the advanced training and seminars to dog owners inside the city and nearby outlying areas, she said.

With no school gymnasium, she said, there will be no trials and wellness workshops.

Dymachova said providing those services benefits the city as a whole by developing behaviour and socialization skills among canines.

'Untrained dogs and un-socialized dogs can become a menace in the community,' she told council.

In an interview afterward, Dymachova said she understands the city has no jurisdiction over the operation of schools but went before council as the first step in explaining the plight of the two clubs.

The clubs, she said, could be returning to seek assistance from city hall in finding a new location.

But renting large spaces is not in the cards, because it's not affordable, she said.

Dymachova said the Yukon Kennel Club has a membership of about 30 with another dozen or so belonging to the Woofers club.

While it may appear their base numbers are not overly large, they do not account for members of the general public who regularly take part in the seminars and obedience trials organized by the clubs, Dymachova explained.

She said the Takhini Arena mezzanine is used to provide basic training but it's too small to host seminars or trials.

Dog owners who want to maintain connections to those services will have to travel Outside at great expense an expense that makes it cost-prohibitive for many, she said.

Dymachova said she's not sure why the Department of Education decided to prohibit the use of school facilities for dog classes.

As far as she knows, the Hidden Valley School in MacPherson was the only one being used.

She was certain, however, that it had nothing to do with any problems with cleanliness after the lessons, as the clubs ensure they leave the gym as clean or cleaner than when they arrived.

Dymachova said she understands the directive applies to all schools.

Education officials were unavailable this morning to comment.

It's not clear whether Education Minister Patrick Rouble was aware of or consulted about the the new department policy.

Meanwhile, on the flip side of the coin, city council and particularly Coun. Doug Graham were thanked by Yukon Kennel Club president Bonnitta Ritchie for their efforts in saving next summer's annual dog show.

The club has been using the Mount McIntyre Recreational Centre for more than a decade to host the show in the third week of June.

The Whitehorse Curling Club, however, booked the facility on the same weekend for an event hosted by the Gold Wing Ryders Association.

Ritchie told council the Mount McIntyre facility was perfect because it provided for all the needs of the annual dog show, from a show space to RV parking and access to power and water for visitors spending the weekend from outside the city and the Yukon.

No other facility could be found to fulfill those requirements, she said, adding the ever-popular annual dog show was in trouble of being cancelled.

She said with assistance from Graham, the registrar for Yukon College, the kennel club was able to secure the college gymnasium as an alternate site for the Gold Wing association, which gladly agreed to move its venue.

Mayor Bev Buckway thanked Ritchie for her comments, pointing out it's not often residents appear to say thank you to city council and then jokingly added, 'and especially to Coun. Graham.'