Puptown

Puptown Clean-up

Puptowners will be cleaning up the park this Saturday July 31st from 8:00-10:00 am - Puptown Dog park clean up.  Volunteers needed - just show up. 

Volunteer Opportunity: Bulletin Board

Puptown seeks volunteer(s) to manage bulletin board.

Tasks include:

• Update bulletin board posts

• Organize content
  

Anticipate 1/2 an hour of service per month.

No experience necessary.

Contact volunteer@puptown.org if interested.

Volunteer Opportunity: Vendors

Puptown seeks volunteer vendors:

Tasks include:

• Selling Raffle Tickets
• Managing Merchandise Tables
• Tending to cash box

Candidate(s) should have:

• Outgoing personality
• People skills
• Retail skills

Anticipate 1-2 hours per month.

Contact volunteer@puptown.org if interested.

 

Volunteer Opportunity: Project Manager

Puptown seeks volunteer project manager(s).

Tasks include:

•       Oversee park improvements
•       Attend meetings with park district architects
•       Develop illustrations of proposed improvements

Candidate(s) should have:

• Experience in the building and construction industry
• Drafting and illustration skills

Anticipate 1-2 hours of service per month for one year.

Contact volunteer@puptown.org if interested.

Volunteer Opportunity: Park Survey

Puptown seeks volunteer(s) to commission park survey.

Tasks include:

• Develop questionnaire

• Solicit patron feedback

• Organize and report results to committee

Candidate(s) should possess keen sense of impartiality.

Anticipate 5-10 hours of service over the next few months.

No experience necessary.

Contact volunteer@puptown.org if interested.

Howl-O-Ween: Volunteers & Donations Needed

It's our favorite time of year - Howl-O-Ween!
 
Puptown's 9th Annual Howl-O-Ween party and costume contest -- our biggest fundraiser of the year -- is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24. Barbara Kramer (Sam and Guinness's owner), has offered be the coordinator, and she needs our help.

Here's how you can help:
 
Make a donation and promote your business:
If you have a product or service you would like to donate to the silent auction or raffle, let us know. It's a great way to help the park and your business.
 
Volunteer:
Planning and set-up volunteers needed. If you have never volunteered for Puptown, this is a great place to start. You only need to spend an hour or so of your time and you will have that, "I did something good for my community feeling" and make new friends.

Please join in the fun! Contact John Lenti,(volunteer@puptown.org) for more information.

p.s. Missed last year's event? Check out photos from Howl-O-Ween 2008.

Volunteer Opportunity: Fundraising & Event Coordinator

Puptown is looking for someone to head up the annual Howl-O-Ween Fundraiser. 

Tasks include:

• Develop event concepts and implement

• Delegate responsibility -- match tasks with volunteer skills

• Coordinate activities of volunteers -- develop job lists and assignments

Contact volunteer@puptown.org if interested.

Puptown's Quarterly Meeting Highlights: Spay/Neuter Proposal, David Wallace Memorial Fund and More

by John Lenti

Puptown held its quarterly meeting July 8. The Pet Overpopulation and Safety Ordinance was the most-discussed agenda item -- scroll down for more on that. But first, here's a review of other park matters:

David Wallace Memorial Fund: Treasurer David Goyer reported that we have collected $5,985 to date; $600 has been used to pay for the River Birch Tree that the Park District will install this year.

I reported that the Park District is currently reviewing the proposed memorial plaque and its designers are in the process of drafting construction drawings for the new second entrance gate.

Treasure's Report: David Goyer stated that Puptown currently has $11,624 in its account (almost half of which is earmarked for the Memorial Fund). Most of this money will be used to pay for the second gate, which the Park District estimates will cost $8-10,000.

Puptown needs approximately $2,000 per year to cover cleaning and maintenance projects (including gravel replacement), so we should be OK so long as we keep up membership and other fundraising efforts. For more on what membership money goes toward, please check out our park FAQ.

Speaking of membership, if you haven't yet joined the Puptown Dog Owners Group (P-DOG), sign up here. 

Park Upkeep: Cleaning and fundraising continue to be challenging due to a lack of volunteers. Peter Leiser has helped keep the cleaning efforts going this summer (thanks, Peter!), but additional Saturday morning volunteers are always needed. Check the cleaning schedule here. The next Puptown clean-up is scheduled for July 18. 

We are always looking for ways to increase membership and participation and remain open to suggestions. Contact volunteer@puptown.org to discuss how you can help.

Communications: Our new Facebook page has 90 fans and is being used for messages about lost items, park safety and events. We're thrilled to see it has much it has grown in a short amount of time.

Membership: David Goyer reported that the Wag for the Bag event in May netted $65 in t-shirt sales and $215 in new memberships.

I spoke with the vendors who took part that day, and they'd like to do it again. Puptown plans to make this an annual spring event, though we may be looking to come up with a better name ("flea market," anyone?).

Fundraising: Eric Wagner presented the approved hat design. It should be ready to go on sale by mid-July. Keep an eye out for them -- for $25, you can help the park out and look good, too.

On to the spay/neuter proposal ...

We discussed whether Puptown should take a stand on the city's proposed ordinance, which would require all dogs be spayed or neutered (with an exception for breeders). Please read my previous post for more background and information on how spaying/neutering affects park safety.

After lengthy discussion, we agreed to send a letter to the City Council focusing on the impact that intact dogs have on city dog parks. We intend to suggest that the Council look at making the spay/neuter requirement a condition for acquiring a Chicago dog park permit, regardless of whether the ordinance drums up enough support.

The final letter will be posted here in the very near future for comments from Puptown members and the Puptown community.

Prior to the meeting, we had sent a draft letter to our Google group asking for feedback (if you're not on the email list, sign up in the upper right corner on this website). As of this post, I have received feedback from 20 folks. The results are as follows:

• 15 respondents support the City Council proposed ordinance; 5 respondents oppose the ordinance
• 18 respondents think intact dogs should be banned from Puptown, regardless of whether the city-wide ordinance passes; 2 respondents would oppose a dog-park ban

Please add your thoughts in the comments below or feel free to contact me directly. Thanks!

Supplies Needed to Care for Abandoned Pets

Due to the economy, more pets are ending up in shelters and rescue groups are seeing an increase in the number of pets abandoned in empty, foreclosed homes.

To help Chicago Animal Care and Control meet the the needs of animals cared for at the shelter, State Rep. Harry Osterman is collecting non-perishable pet supplies including dry and canned dog/cat food, leashes, collars, toys, blankets, shampoo, etc.

If purchasing new items isn't possible, take a look and see if there's anything your own dog isn't using or if you have any old towels that could be recycled for use by the shelter.

Donations should be dropped off at Rep. Osterman's office, 5535 N. Broadway.

Revised Date: P-DOG Meeting Tuesday, April 14

Want to mingle with your fellow Puptowners? Share your ideas and concerns? Meet the board members? Then please come to the quarterly Puptown organizational meeting -- now on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Margate Field House.

We have a very special agenda item: the designation of funds from the David Wallace Memorial Fund. Many of you have generously contributed nearly $6,000 to Puptown in memory of David and his Cairn terrier, Tyler, who were both were killed in a car accident in January. Please be part of this important discussion. Donations will be accepted indefinitely.

Other agenda items include:

    *Financial report
    *Proposals for park improvements such as a second gate and an area for small dogs
    *Upcoming events
    *Park members' suggested topics including elections, long-term planning, and more

If you would like us to add a specific topic to the agenda, please leave a comment here and be sure to attend the meeting.

P-DOG Meeting Wednesday, Jan. 28

The Puptown Dog Owners Group will hold its next quarterly meeting Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Margate Field House. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

The agenda includes developing our goals for the upcoming year as well as discussion of park maintenance and improvements. Everyone is welcome. Please join us -- Yes, there will be cookies!

Meeting outline:
- 2008 Goals: Complete and Incomplete
- 2009 Goals
- Park Maintenance and Improvements
- Financial Health
- Photo Presentation of Dog Parks in Other States
- Spring Fundraiser
- Howl 2009

Park Clean-Up, August 25

The next park clean-up is Saturday, August 25, starting at 8 a.m. 

Everyone is encouraged to do their part in maintaining Puptown. You just need to bring yourself (as well as your four-legged friends, of course) and a pair of gloves. All other materials will already be there. And coffee and dougnuts will be available, courtesy of Soggy Paws.

Park Clean-Up, August 11

The next park clean-up is Saturday, August 11, starting at 8 a.m. 

Everyone is encouraged to do their part in maintaining Puptown. You just need to bring yourself (as well as your four-legged friends, of course) and a pair of gloves. All other materials will already be there. And coffee and dougnuts will be available, courtesy of Soggy Paws.

Park Clean-Up, July 28

The next park clean-up is this Saturday, July 28, starting at 8 a.m. 

Everyone is encouraged to do their part in maintaining Puptown. You just need to bring yourself (as well as your four-legged friends, of course) and a pair of gloves. All other materials will already be there. And coffee and dougnuts will be available, courtesy of Soggy Paws.

Clean-Up Saturday, June 2

The next park clean-up is this Saturday, June 2, starting at 8 a.m. 

Everyone is encouraged to do their part in maintaining Puptown. You just need to bring yourself (as well as your four-legged friends, of course) and a pair of gloves. All other materials will already be there. And coffee and dougnuts will be available, courtesy of Soggy Paws.

Come early and then head over to Dogs on Damen, the annual adoption event for several Chicago-area shelters.

Clean-Up Saturday, May 5

The next park clean-up is this Saturday, May 5, starting at 8 a.m. 

Everyone is encouraged to do their part in maintaining Puptown. You just need to bring yourself (as well as your four-legged friends, of course) and a pair of gloves. All other materials will already be there. And coffee and dougnuts will be available, courtesy of Soggy Paws.

If all goes well, we should have plenty of new pea gravel to spread around on Saturday, and a new, improved storage shed should be standing tall in the northwest corner (a community bulletin board is also coming very soon!). Come early and then head over to Bark in the Park, the annual 5k walk to benefit the Anti-Cruelty Society.

Puptown Cleaning Schedule

During the Spring, Summer and Fall, volunteers meet every other Saturday morning to disinfect the park, shovel the pea gravel and add replacement fill. A 10% solution of bleach is used on all surfaces.

Cleaning starts at 8 a.m., and we're usually done before 10 a.m. New volunteers are always welcomed -- Come join us, and bring your dog! There's plenty of room for dogs to play while we work.

For 2007, the cleaning schedule is: April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2, June 16, June 30, July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25, September 8, September 22.

We are still looking for leaders for the following dates: May 19, June 2, June 16, July 28, August 11, August 25, and September 22.  You need no special skills to be a leader.  All you have to do is show up one of the preceding weeks to learn the ropes.  Please e-mail Tommy if you are interested.

The Puptown Dog Owners Group is grateful to Soggy Paws for providing coffee and doughnuts each week.

Organizational Meeting on January 10

You are encouraged to attend an organizational meeting of the the Puptown Dog Owners Group (P-DOG) on Wednesday, January 10, at 7:00 p.m. inside the Margate Field House, which is located just north of the dog park at 4921 Marine Dr.

We will be discussing the present needs of the dog park -- such as purchasing a new toolshed and coordinating the delivery of more pea gravel -- as well as looking to the future and longer-term projects.  Everyone is welcome to bring their own concerns.

If you haven't already, don't forget to become a member of a Puptown.

And don't forget to RSVP for the indoor play dates P-DOG has organized at The Barking Lot in January and February.

Mad Props to the Shovelers!

A big thanks to Brendan, a Puptown member, for shoveling the snow in the park last week! Fluffy white stuff may be fun for dogs for a day or so, but if it freezes it becomes a real hazard.

Speaking of, the low temperatures did cause ice patches to form, but fortunately someone stepped up and spent a good amount of time breaking up the ice. Unfortunately, we don't know who to thank, but that hard work was much appreciated! If anyone knows who is responsible, please drop a comment below.

Park Clean-Up Saturday

It's that time for another park cleaning. Join us at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 to sweep and spray.  Here's more information about the scheduled clean-ups. We've got just one more coming up -- on the morning of Oct. 28, before the Howl-O-Ween events -- so please join us!

Park Clean-Up on Saturday

A quick reminder that we've got a clean-up scheduled for tomorrow -- Saturday, Sept. 29. Be there at 8 a.m. and we'll have the park looking spiffy in no time! Here's more information about the scheduled clean-ups.

Howl-O-Ween Volunteers Needed

Members of the Puptown Dog Owners Group braved the drizzle early this morning to discuss Howl-O-Ween preparations. It's shaping up to be the best Howl-O-Ween ever, but your help is needed to make it a complete success.

If you can volunteer an hour or so on Saturday, Oct. 28, come by around 11:30 a.m. to set up decorations. Festivities start at 1 p.m., and the costume-judging contest begins at 2 p.m. When it's over, we need a few more folks who can stick around to remove decorations and make sure the park is clean.

Howl-O-Ween is Puptown's biggest day of the year. In fact, we're pretty sure it's about to be world-famous. E-mail John about volunteering -- and don't forget to indicate if you're signing up to help with the pre- or post-event tasks. Thanks!