Help us improve our member involvement by answering our online survey question

One of our objectives this year is to increase membership and involvement. In order to learn when the majority of members who want to come to our meetings can do so, we have posted a short, one-question survey on our web page.

So far, the response to our online survey has been limited. Thank you very much if you did respond.

If you haven't taken our poll yet, go to our page on the website by clicking on our logo above. You will find the survey box on the right. We want to know what day of the month/week would be best for you to attend a meeting.

Look for our exhibit at Dog Days of Summer in Quail Ridge Park on Saturday, June 4.

Our friendraisers in May, Bark in the Park and Pet Carnival, were fantastic and enabled us to reach several hundred people with our message about the value of off-leash recreation, add approximately two dozen new members, and even raise a little money.

The importance of friendraisers such as Bark in the Park and Pet Carnival is in their contribution to our communications and advocacy programs. Our volunteers were able to answer questions and offer advice to visitors to our exhibit.

But these events also gave our volunteers a fun opportunity to meet other responsible dog owners and watch a parade of dogs of all varieties. It was heaven for volunteers that love to watch dogs and their antics, on leash or off.

Our next friendraiser will be on June 4 at the Quail Ridge Dog Days of Summer celebration.

Fundraiser news

Our proposal to St. Louis County for a dog-park-for-a-day fundraising event at the decommissioned jail on Chesterfield Airport Road has hit a couple of snags. However, we feel confident that we can solve the problems by this coming fall.

This event will be very important for us because it will give us an opportunity to demonstrate the interest in off-leash recreation in West County, offer a fun opportunity for West County dog people to enjoy off-leash play with their dogs in a public space without having to drive a long way, and raise significant funds for our advocacy and organizational capacity programs.

If you would like to know more or think you might be able to help, please email Diane Thomas.

Chesterfield

The Chesterfield Public Works/ Parks Committee met on May 26, and the issue of off-leash recreation was the first item on their agenda. Several D.O.G.S. members attended to provide information and answer questions.

While the PW/Parks Committee spent little time on this issue, the discussion seemed positive. The members are in favor of adding off-leash recreation to the Chesterfield parks system, and it is only a matter of time before it happens. A motion was made and passed to discuss this issue at every meeting in the near future.

Diane Thomas was invited to add comments and make suggestions at the meeting. She distributed an information packet to committee members who wanted one and offered informal comments on such topics as construction, administration, and design of dog parks.

Our members that attended who are Chesterfield residents also reminded the PW/Parks committee members that they worked very hard to help pass Proposition P because part of the revenue was to have been earmarked for a dog park.

Join West County D.O.G.S. for a fun day with your dog at St. Charles County Parks. Enjoy free entertainment, get free information, see exhibits by pet interest groups. Watch a demo by St. Louis Disc Dogs. Watch your dog romp and play off-leash with other dogs. Win prizes!

The University City Dog Play Area has been named one of the best dog parks in the country by Dog Fancy and Novartis Animal Health US, Inc., as part of the Play More program sponsored by canine arthritis medication Deramaxx® (deracoxib).

In honor of this recognition, the University City Dog Play Area will receive a $10,000 grant from Novartis, maker of Deramaxx, to augment the park’s accessibility for senior dogs and dogs that are disabled by the pain of arthritis.

We invite you to be a part of this special event. There will be free food and t-shirts available for all attendees!!

Carolyn Scott, a nationally known canine freestyle instructor and founding member of the Musical Dog Sport Association, will be conducting a seminar at the Tom Rose Training Academy.

Carolyn Scott and Golden Retriever Rookie are the Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire of the Canine Freestyle world, and their partnership demonstrates a masterful combination of training, teamwork, music, and movement. One of the founders of the Musical Dog Sport Association and involved in this sport since 1996, Carolyn has been featured in Parade Magazine, Dog Training Weekly, Show Site and the books, Living With A Golden Retriever and Working Dogs. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Jane Pauley Show, Regis & Kathie Lee, and The Howie Mandel Show.

Carolyn and Rookie are the only U.S. team to have earned the MCSI title of Musical Freestyle Dog Excellent. And despite his having turned a senior 12 years of age in January 2005, Golden Rookie continues to kick up his heels.

The seminar curriculum includes choosing music and choreography, training techniques, creating your team style, creating smooth transitions, freestyle moves and attitude, presentation, and creativity.

All West County D.O.G.S. meetings are open to the public.

Peer-to-Peer Training this month will give "An Introduction to Evaluation of Community Programs," focusing on the importance of discovering the interests of community leaders, evaluators, and funders to achieve useful evaluation data.

If you would like to prepare for the discussion, the Community Tool Box has a couple of helpful pages. Go to the Community Tool Box link, "Introduction to Evaluation," for a good overview of why groups need to check their progress through evaluation.

• Greeter. Greeters offer visitors to our table information about the benefits of off-leash recreation and the features of off-leash recreation areas, or dog parks. In addition, they represent us to the general public and encourage visitors to join our group. We have a couple of experienced greeters on board already, so if you have never volunteered for something like this before and would like to try, Dog Days of Summer is a perfect opportunity. It will be well-attended and newbies don't have to worry about being without an experienced partner.
  
  The Dog Days of Summer exhibits will be open from 10 A.M. until 1 P.M. Volunteer for at least an hour or more, if you can. Bring your dog and stay to play in the off-leash area before or after your time in our booth.
  
  
• Set up/break down greeter. We would like the first hour and the last hour greeters to help set up or break down our exhibit. If you have a little more time to spend, we would appreciate anyone who can give us a hand assembling/disassembling the canopy, carrying display boards and other paraphernalia needed for our exhibit.
  
  Set up begins at 9 A.M. Break down begins at 1 P.M.
  

West County D.O.G.S. needs ongoing help in these areas:

• Municipal liasons--If you live in one of our West County communities, we could use your voice when we approach your town council or board of aldermen. A municipal liason maintains routine contact with town councils or boards of aldermen and keeps on top of decisions affecting parks and potential sites for off-leash recreation.
  
  
• Brochure distribution--We need individuals to help distribute and monitor the supply of brochures at veterinarians, groomers, or kennels of your choice in West County. We need people for each of the following municipalities: Ballwin, Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, Ellisville, Manchester, Town and Country.

Contact Diane Thomas to volunteer.

Keep modeling the optimism of the dogs we love, and I'll see you at the June meeting.

Email: westcounty@stdogparks.org

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