Did you know that DogPaw, a 100% volunteer-run non-profit, manages the upkeep of our four off-leash parks, even though the land is owned by Clark County or Bonneville Power? Our annual budget ranges from $60,000 to $90,000, and only half of this is covered by individual memberships. Memberships are just $35 per year—that’s only $2.91 per month or $0.10 per day if you’re a daily park goer. Every dollar raised goes directly to maintaining and improving our parks.
We rely on fundraising and donations to make up the difference. As we enter Fall, we want to thank everyone who has supported our recent fundraising events and helped us maintain our beautiful dog parks. We need your help spreading the word to other park goers so they can become members too. Keep reading to learn more about our recent activities, upcoming events, and how you can get involved.
Photo courtesy of park goer Jeff Holm and Bela (part of the black lab pack) at Lucky
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hello everyone,
It’s been quite a year for DogPaw! We’ve had a very successful Bark in the Park Vendor Fair, welcomed new bench and shed installations, and hosted a great Bingo fundraiser at Latte Da, among other highlights.
Did you know we also welcome businesses and organizations looking for team-building opportunities or ways to contribute community volunteer hours? Recently, IQ Credit Union sent two teams to help with park maintenance at our Lucky and Kane parks. We were thrilled to recognize their commitment to community improvement, and they looked fantastic in their red IQ team shirts. We’ve also heard from several local Scout troops, with one Eagle Scout looking for a project as part of their final rank requirements. Their work on building and installing new benches has really enhanced the park’s atmosphere. If you know of a group looking to get involved, please reach out!
I also want to recognize our incredible volunteers on the Park Management Group who are out at the parks every day, working hard to keep them safe and clean. And to all of you in the DogPaw family, please help us keep your favorite park safe by reporting any unsafe conditions or issues. You can reach us by phone, text, or email.
Thank you for being part of this amazing community!
October 19 - Lucky Park Improvement Day. 9am to 12pm Volunteers needed to help with tree trimming, poop cleanup, and blackberry bush trimming to beautify the park.
October22 to October 24- Wilco's annual Boots & Blues Bag Benefit Dog Paw Off-Leash Parks is the proud Washington state recipient! A big thank you to everyone who voted!
Join Wilco's 3-Day Boots & Blues Bag Benefit Sale and shop for a cause. Purchase a limited edition reusable tote for $5, and Dog Paw Off-Leash Parks will receive the full donation! Plus, enjoy 20% off all regular-priced clothing, footwear, and accessories with your tote purchase. Last year’s nonprofit recipient received $4,000! It’s the perfect time to get your Christmas shopping done, save some money, and give back—all in one trip!
November - Santa will return to Dakota Park for Christmas pics with your pup! Date and time to be determined.
December 3 - Giving Tuesday through Washington Gives Mark your calendars—another opportunity to give is coming up on Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2024! Let’s aim to raise even more funds, and who knows, maybe we’ll attract another philanthropic fund that loves dogs as much as we do! (see below May - Give Big 2024 for the generous donors and philanthropic fund)
PAST EVENTS:
May - Give Big 2024
Wow, we are incredibly grateful to all the donors who contributed this year in May during Washington Gives’ annual fundraising campaign, GiveBIG 2024! Thanks to your generosity, DogPaw raised $2,800 through individual donations, and the LR Mitchner Philanthropic Fund generously matched up to $2,000, bringing our total to an amazing $4,800! That’s enough to cover 6 months of poop bags for our parks! May 4 - Walk/Run for the Animals Despite the rain, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington’s annual fundraising event was a huge success! Our dedicated Dog Paw board members and volunteers braved the cold, wet weather to educate attendees about our Dog Parks. We were thrilled to receive several donations and welcome new members!
May 16 - DINE AND DONATEat Beaches Restaurant
We’re saddened to seeBeaches Restaurantclose this year. Over the years, Dine and Donate Day has helped Dog Paw raise thousands of dollars, including $700 this year alone. A heartfelt thank you to the owners and staff at Beaches for their incredible support. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. You will be missed.
May 18LuckyPark Improvement Day
Huge shoutout to all the volunteers who showed up to clean up the park! Clark County Conservation's PoopSmart program joined us to educate park visitors on the importance of proper dog waste removal to keep our streams, rivers, and lakes clean. They also visited other parks throughout the summer. A big thank you for helping to raise awareness among our park goers!
June 8 - Dog Paw Bark in the Park Vendor & Fundraising Fair Fundraiser at Dakota (Pacific Community Park)
This was our volunteer board’s very first Bark In the Park event, and we poured countless hours into organizing, planning, and preparing, unsure of how many people would attend or how many vendors would sign up. To our surprise, we had over 25 vendors and a tremendous turnout of visitors! For our first time, everything went off without a hitch—or should we say, without a growl.
We secured valuable new business sponsors, raised over $8,000, and welcomed new members. Clark County Sheriff, Vancouver Police Department, Clark County Animal Control, and other local agencies also had booths to educate the public. Santa even came out of vacation mode to take pics with the pups!
A huge shout-out to Clark County Parks employees for mowing, opening gates, and supporting us in hosting this event! We’re already looking forward to next year’s event, and planning starts now. If you’d like to volunteer, please reach out—we’d love a helping paw!
June 28 at Dakota & Aug 30 at Kane Volunteer teams from IQ Credit Union came out to the parks to help with foxtail removal and tree trimming. We’re incredibly grateful for their hard work and can’t thank them enough!
July 11, 18, 25 - BINGO at Latte Da Coffeehouse & Wine Bar
Thank you to all the dog lovers who came out to play Bingo at Latte Da Coffeehouse & Wine Bar! This year’s event raised $2,200! A big thank you to the staff at Latte Da for doing an amazing job serving everyone!
July 20 @ Dakota and Aug 18 @ Ike/Ross Park Improvement Days
Did we mention how much we love our volunteers? We absolutely do! Thank you to everyone who came out to help clean up the parks.
ONGOING FUNDRAISING EFFORTS
We continue to require funding for:
Replace worn out sheds.
Replace worn-out weed eaters and acquire other necessary tools for park upkeep.
Funds to repair gate entrances at Lucky, Dakota and Ike.
Run water to Kane Memorial Park
Run water to Ike upper park
Donate to our GoFundMe campaign and ensure the continued beauty and safety of these vital community spaces, where dogs play, friendships form, and bonds strengthen. Your contribution makes a significant difference. We have a GoFundMe account for these donations below:
DAKOTA (Pacific) - 1515 NE 164th Ave, Vancouver, WA Have you seen the new masterpiece at Dakota? If not, you need to check it out! Local artist Bee Olsen approached us with a fantastic idea - paint a mural of K9 Dakota, the namesake of our park, on the shed that was recently vandalized with graffiti. A clear anti-graffiti coating was applied to make any future cleanup easier. We’re incredibly grateful for Bee’s volunteer work. Her mom even pitched in with countless hours of painting. Watch for an event in November to celebrate the hard work.
A big thank you to Bob, our volunteer park manager, for helping Bee, and to the awesome Dakota volunteer crew for keeping the park clean and free of trash and waste!
IKE(Ross) - 5117 NE 15th Ave, Vancouver
Huge shoutout to Eddie, Pete, and the volunteer crew at Ike for keeping the new John Deere riding lawn mower running smoothly to manage the grass, so neither balls nor dogs get lost. The park looks fantastic! With the new fencing installed, our fence project is nearly complete. Thanks to Mountain View Fencing, one of our business sponsors, the park is looking better and is safer than ever!
KANE (Hockinson) - 10910 NE 172nd Ave, Hockinson, WA
If you visit this charming park, you’ll see how beautiful and serene it is. If you spot Gary out with his border collie, please take a moment to thank him for being our volunteer park manager. He ensures the weeds are trimmed and everything is secure.
LUCKY (Minkler) - 10100 NE 149th St, Brush Prairie, WA
Wow, talk about teamwork at its finest! We received a shed kit, complete with a million pre-cut parts, as a donation. Eric stepped up and began the build, completing the flooring and walls over two days before having to attend to an emergency. Our president Marty, communications director Tina, park manager Bill, and volunteer Rob then took over, working diligently over the next week to install the trusses, roof, doors, and paint. None of us had ever built a shed before (and no, we're not available for hire and won’t be doing this again), but we got it done. It’s rainproof and looks like a professional finished it! With this donation, we no longer need to rent the metal storage shed, which saves DogPaw money!
Wondering about the beautiful new bench at Lucky Memorial Dog Park? It's placed in memory of Kelly O'Neill, a founding member of DogPaw Off-Leash Parks. Kelly's husband Rick generously donated the bench. This spot was special to Kelly, where she loved to sit and admire Mt. Hood on a clear day. Kelly's legacy lives on in the joy and freedom our dog parks bring to the community.POSITIVE TALES!
Do you have a heartwarming story from one of our parks? While we usually hear about complaints or concerns related to dog issues, we have some wonderful news to share. We are thrilled to share that we received $1,000 from the 4th quarter giving round of 100 Men Clark County! A huge thank you to Latte Da Coffeehouse for nominating Dog Paw Off-leash Parks and to the amazing group of men who continue to support local nonprofits making a positive impact in our community. We are so grateful for your generosity!
DOGGY DUTY
Ever wondered where your dog waste goes? Jay knows! As the owner of Doggy Duty Pet Waste Removal, Jay has been providing top-notch service to our parks for over 20 years. Each week, he visits four parks to empty the bins and dispose of the waste properly. Without his dedicated service, we’d face quite a mess. Keep an eye out for his banners in the parks and be sure to thank him—he's a genuinely nice guy with an adorable Beagle by his side!
DID YOU KNOW?
Our four parks are named after fallen K-9's that died in the line of duty.
K9 Dakota
Vancouver Police Department, Washington End of watch: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Breed: German Shepherd Age: 5 K9 Dakota was fatally shot while tracking an armed subject who had threatened to kill a police officer.
K9 Ike
Vancouver Police Department, Washington End of watch: Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Breed: Belgian Malinois Age: 6 K9 Ike sustained fatal stab wounds during a confrontation. Officers responded to a suspicious person call and encountered a wanted individual resisting arrest. Ike was deployed for apprehension but was stabbed multiple times in the chest, head, and neck before the suspect was apprehended. Despite emergency surgery at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, Ike's injuries were too severe. Ike had served with the Vancouver Police Department for three years.
K9 Lucky
Clark County Sheriff's Office, Washington End of watch: May 8, 1990 Breed: German Shepherd Age: 4 K9 Lucky was fatally shot while tracking a robbery suspect in a wooded area north of Camas. The suspect, who had stolen a vehicle and firearms from an off-duty police officer's home, engaged in a pursuit with the officer. Upon exiting the vehicle, the suspect fired at the officer and fled into the woods. K9 Lucky and his handler responded to the scene, where shots were fired. The suspect was eventually apprehended, convicted of harming a police dog, burglary, and theft, and sentenced to nine years in prison. K9 Lucky had served with the Clark County Sheriff's Office for three years, aiding in 178 felony and 237 misdemeanor convictions.
K9 Kane
Clark County Sheriff's Office, Washington End of watch: April 10, 2011 Breed: Dutch Shepherd Age: unknown K9 Kane was fatally stabbed during the arrest of two individuals driving a car with stolen license plates. Upon fleeing a traffic stop, Kane was released and bit one of the suspects, who then stabbed him. Despite being rushed to an animal hospital, Kane succumbed to his injuries.Kane had served with the Clark County Sheriff's Department for six years and just one year from retirement.With gratitude, we pay tribute to these fallen heroes, as well as to all the officers, past and present, who serve.
REMINDERS
Please refrain from leaving your valuables unattended in your vehicle. It only takes a matter of seconds for someone to break a window and abscond with your belongings. Your cooperation in helping us maintain the cleanliness and security of our parks is greatly appreciated.
BOARD UPDATE
We are pleased to announce Steve Brouillet Vice President with OnPoint Community Credit Union as our newest board member. Steve has his CPA (Certified Public Accontant) and has been with OnPoint for over 20 years. We are so grateful that Greater Vancouver Chamber sent him our way. Steve will be transitioning into the role of Treasurer for DogPaw, bringing valuable expertise to our team.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Matt Thorup, our outgoing Treasurer, for his service to Dog Paw. We are deeply appreciative of his contributions.
It's important to note that our Board operates entirely on a voluntary and unpaid basis, driven solely by our shared commitment to the well-being of dogs in Clark County.
THE FOLLOWING BUSINESSES HAVE GRACIOUSLY DONATED FUNDING TO SUPPORT DOGPAW
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Let's all thank them by supporting their businesses whenever we can.
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Platinum Sponsors
Paws Down Pets Dog Training 2804 NE 155th Ave Vancouver, WA 98682 (360)936-6129 PawsDownpets.com
------------------------------------------------------------ The Lions Den Doggie Day Care 6415 East Mill Plain Blvd, Unit A Vancouver, WA 98661 (360)859-7803 thelionsdendoggydaycare.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Deaf Man Tree Company Tree Services, Landscaping Clark County, WA (360)720-8369 ------------------------------------------------------------
Linda Humason, Realtor Coldwell Banker Bain Clark County, WA (360)772-0684 ------------------------------------------------------------
Mudpuppies Grooming 808 NE Minnehaha St Vancouver, WA 98665 (360)718-8261 ------------------------------------------------------------
Dogwood Veterinary Dental 615 SE Chkalov Drive, Ste 14 Vancouver, WA 98683 (360)859-3790 DogwoodVeterinaryDental.com ------------------------------------------------------------
Paws Cascadia 720 W Main St, Ste 104 Battle Ground, WA 98604 (360)721-1162 pawscascadia.etailpet.com ------------------------------------------------------------
Wilco 815 W Main St Battle Ground, WA 98604 (360)687-3113 farmstore.com
DOGPAW OFF-LEASH DOG PARK LOCATIONS: Dakota: 1515 NE 164th Ave. Vancouver, WA Ike (Ross): 5117 NE 15th Ave. Vancouver, WA Kane: 10910 NE 172nd Ave. Brush Prairie, WA Lucky: 10100 NE 149th St. Brush Prairie, WA
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