PIDO members are invited back to the Columbia Sportswear Company employee store in Richmond! A few times a year, the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store in Richmond invites PIDO members to shop at employee discount prices.

The next invitation period is September 8 through October 8, 2023. PIDO has emailed all members with the invitation. You'll need to show the email to get into the store.

The store is stocked with current season products from our Family of Brands – Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, SOREL and prAna – items marked with discounted pricing 40-60% below retail price

UPDATE (Aug. 15) — The harmful red tide has dissipated, according to San Francisco Bay Keeper.

Original story (Aug. 4): The East Bay Regional Park District has posted warning signs at Point Isabel about the possibility of red tide algae along shoreline areas of the San Francisco bay. The warning advises people to stay away from “algae and scum in the water, and do not let pets get into or drink the water or eat scum on the shore where the red tide is present.”

The Alameda County of Environmental Health advises dog owners to call their veterinarian if your dog gets sick after going into the water. You may see these warning signs posted by the parks department at Point Isabel and Albany Beach.

More information is here.

Congratulations to our star canines (and to their owners) who completed the Canine Good Citizen test at Point Isabel on July 29. Dogs are evaluated on a non-competitive 10-skill test, such as recall and sitting and staying, that teaches good manners to dogs and responsible dog ownership to their guardians.

Great thanks to our expert evaluator Pam Wu and to all of the PIDO volunteers who made the testing event rewarding for canines and humans alike.

PIDO will offer this test again next year!