We want to thank you for your current and ongoing support, without you we could not do what we do and the community would not have these amazing parks. It has been a warm and dry month so be sure you are hydrating your dogs and yourselves while at the parks and elsewhere. We have some upcoming events and a need for volunteers volunteer@dogpawoffleashparks.org so please check out what’s new (and old) below.
Message from The President
I want to reiterate that keeping our parks safe and clean is a priority for DOGPAW, and we need YOUR help to tell us if something requires our attention. Even our volunteer Park Managers can't be there every day, although we all do try. We regularly request park goers to please contact us at ask@dogpawoffleashparks.org, info@dogpawoffleashparks.org, or call 360-553-5344 to report it.
To aid in this "keep watch on our parks" strategy, we are planning to form small groups of volunteers that go to "their" park regularly, and become "eyes and ears" for that park. There will be no requirements for number of days, or number of hours required. We know many of you go certain days ofthe week or every day, mornings, afternoons, weekends only, it doesn't matter. The important and key is element is that you go. Each group will have something to identify them, be provided with business card sized park rules, emergency numbers, and information on contacting appropriate County and City health and animal control offices, as well as advise us quickly of issues, and/or when a good deed is observed (yes they do often happen, just don't get the attention they deserve!)
On September 7th Julie from Paws Down Pets will be at Dakota Dog Park helping owners learn some of the basics (and more) of training your dogs. Our previous event was a hit so come on out and be a part of the fun. Julie will be at Dakota Dog Park on September 7th and October 5th from 3-6pm. Stop by and say hi!
Park Improvement Day at Lucky 10100 N.E. 149th St, Brush Prairie
Volunteers please join us at Lucky Dog Park.
Bring the usual: gloves, face mask, water, shovels and rakes if you have them for the usual of filling holes and picking up poop and litter. Any more rigorous work will be directed by the Park Operations Manager.
Join us and Encourage ALL Your Friends to come out and help with park improvement and clean-up.
Sign in at the Volunteer Table—get your vest
Love those new Volunteers!
Sign Up at the Membership Table—set up for new or to renew
Yes, bring your pup(s)—but remember, they still need caretaking. Thanks.
Questions? Yes, you can bring your pet(s)-but they still need caretaking even though we're busy tidying up the park.
Reminders
Don’t keep your valuables in the car! It takes less than a minute for someone to come by, smash your window, and steal your things. Don’t give them that chance by not leaving anything of value in the car and warning fellow park goers.
Let people know about DOGPAW! Your memberships and donations help us maintain our dog parks. Your money pays for all of the poop bags and waste disposals. We spend about $10,000 in poop bags and removal every year. By supporting us, we can keep the parks clean and can bring fun and educational events to the community. Please Donate HERE.
Do you have free time and a wealth of knowledge and know-how? We are looking for a few board members to join the rank. Available positions: Fundraising, Membership, Secretary, Treasurer, and Animal Welfare. Contact ask@dogparoffleashparks.org for our job descriptions! Remember, we are an all volunteer board.
Safety Tips! *VERY IMPORTANT*
It’s foxtail season!
Foxtail plants is a grass-like weed that has barbed seed heads that are pesky and dangerous for dogs. The barbed head can get embedded between your dog’s paws or skin. If ingested, it can get into their nose, brain, lung, etc.
Foxtails can cause discharge, abscess, swelling, pain, and death.
How to Prevent Foxtail issues.
Know how to recognize foxtail and avoid it on walks and fields.
Check your dog’s fur (especially if they have a long coat!), face, ears, and paws.
Remove foxtail with tweezer if you can. If you can’t, call your vet.
Avoid the overgrown grassy areas.
You can also help us by getting rid of foxtail when you see them in the park. Please pull the bunch up by the roots and throw it in a TRASH can, not a pop can. The county lacks the resources to act quickly and we try our best to get rid of it but we would greatly appreciate your help.
It looks like we have a scorcher this summer and as much as we all love the outdoor, the heat can be a risk for dogs. They are at risk of tick exposure, sunburn, and heatstroke. Be vigilant and recognize when your dog is uncomfortable.
Keep your dog inside or give them plenty of shady spots to hang out in the yard.
Don’t leave your dog in the car on a hot day. Cars heat up to templates above 100 degrees even on relatively cool days in a very short (less than 15 minutes) period of time.
Provide PLENTY of fresh water.
Walk your dog in the morning or evening and avoid exercising on extremely hot days.
Asphalt and sand can burn your dogs’ paws. If it’s too hot for your bare hands, it’s too hot for them! Simply touch the pavement with the back of your hand for nine seconds. If you can't hold out for the full nine seconds because the surface is too hot, then it's also too hot for your dog's paws.
Something is a-brewing and dogs maybe a-howlin’! This year we will be doing a Halloween event (which may or may not have a dog costume contest. Oh, who are we kidding? We are 100% doing a dog costume contest!). It takes a lot of work to put on something like fun and we could use your help! Contact volunteer@dogpawoffleashparks.org to be on the volunteer committee.
Big thanks to our donors for sticking with us. As a sign of appreciation, our top 50 donors will get a special treat at Christmas time! Will you make Santa Paw’s special list?
Park Operations Update
Several of our parks are in serious need of benches and we have been working hard to find a way to get them to you. Thanks to the Salmon Creek and Ridgefield Boy Scout Troops we will soon be able to provide them. The Troops have agreed to make the benches, stay tuned for updates and timelines.
Always things going on and things to get done at all of our parks:
Dakota (Pacific) - We had a great turnout of volunteers for the Park Improvement day. We cleared out not only 1 huge dumpster, but 3 worth of branches, shrubs, berry vines and bushes, and foxtail. thanks to everyone who came out and lent a hand. We can always use every level of engagement so please attend any improvement day, grab a vest and do whatever you can.
Ike (Ross) - Great news. Just received written approval from the Bonneville Power Authority (this is the 6th month since we submitted application), to move forward with our Phase 2 replacement of the upper level fencing and gates. Our President has reached out to Mountain View Fencing and Tree Contractors NW, for a tentative schedule. We are about 6/7s of the way to funding this project, donations for this project specifically can be made here. For those that may not know, IKE is the only park managed by DOGPAW that is owned by the City of Vancouver in conjunction with BPA. All others are County owned.
Kane (Hockinson) - Welcome to Gwendolyn Koszalka, local park goer who has volunteered to be the Park Manager there. While tucked away at Hockinson Community Park, Kane is the smallest of our parks, it is also has the most shade tree coverage of our parks, and continues to get many visitors and their dogs during these hot summer days. Kane also is on the project list to get a water line.
Lucky (Minkler) - Always active and crowded, one of the main issues is the walking paths, which has over the years has become uneven, narrowed, and eroded in many places. Underlying weed control cloth has also come to the surface that may be trip hazard as well. We have been working with County Parks Maintenance on a solution that appears to be approved to do before next rainy season and will communicate that soon as it is ok'd. Lucky will have its Park Improvement Day on Saturday, September 10th.
Dakota Park Improvement day
We had a lot of great volunteers come out to help us clean up the majority of overgrown brushes, berries, foxtail, overgrown grass and low-hanging branches. It was a much needed facelift for the off-path areas and a great safety improvement for our furry best friends. Be careful around the Southeast end of the fencing as we are waiting for the county to come deal with an underground wasp's nest we uncovered in the clean up.
Dakota Park Improvement Day Volunteers Shout Out
Cam, Alex and Shannon taking down some low hanging branches around the park.
Laurie Hirsch, long time Dakota Volunteer and regular mowed much of the interior area and hard to reach spots around the trees.
Another volunteer clearing out foxtail and the fence line.
Sponsor Shoutout
Blaze Restoration, has graciously offered to supply all labor in the teardown and rebuild our old shed at Lucky.
Dog of the Month
This month our Dog of the Month is Poppy (the bubble chaser), seen here trying to catch bubbles which is her favorite activity!
Thank you for checking out whats new with DOGPAW. We appreciate all of your support and look forward to seeing you at your favorite park.
DOGPAW OFF-LEASH DOG PARK LOCATIONS: Dakota: 1515 N.E. 164th Ave. Vancouver, WA Ike (Ross): 5167 N.E. 15th Ave. Vancouver, WA Kane: 10910 N.E. 172nd Ave. Vancouver, WA Lucky: 10100 N.E. 149th St. Brush Prairie, WA
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