Help support continued operations of Jasper’s Dog Park by purchasing raffle tickets this summer.  “Like” KDOG’s Facebook page and join our meetup.com group so that you will know the dates and times raffle tickets will be sold at the park.

On Saturday, March 10th, the 1st Meetup of Kirkland’s pint-sized dogs took place at Jasper’s Dog Park.  The Meetup was launched with the help of event sponsors, True Treat’s Pet Bakery and DMarie’s Doggie Boutique.  Fresh baked, healthy dog treats were served, drawings were held for prizes that included private Doggie Pawties at DMarie’s Indoor Playroom for small dogs, and all the dogs left with Wag Bags.  Huge thanks to these 2 businesses for their support with the event and to all who attended!

This event was planned with safety in mind, as KDOG’s Education Committee Dog Trainer, Sandy Dain, has stated (as have numerous pet behaviorists and trainers through articles and books),  it can be very dangerous for small dogs and large dogs to play together at a dog park.  Still, we know that it’s more fun when Kirkland’s little dogs have playmates in the Small Dog Area.  Some KDOG Meetup Members have shared that they think 11 am on Saturdays is a great time for the small dog owners and their dogs to meetup at the park.  We hope that will end up being a fun time for regular meetups for those park visitors, and that soon there will be more small dogs enjoying this area together every day.   We understand that some dog owners prefer to let their small dogs play in the main off-leash area with the larger dogs.  KDOG does not recommend that.  We have set aside space for small dogs at the park so that they can avoid injury that can be a result of colliding with a larger dog, predatory drift, etc.  We want everyone to have fun and safe visit to our park:)

Jasper’s Dog Park was named in memory of Jasper Guth.  Jasper was the beloved dog of Jean Guth, President of Kirkland Off-Leash Dog Group.  As most Jack Russell Terriers do, Jasper loved to fetch – balls, sticks, toys…..you name it.  His need for a good tiring fetch session inspired Jean to establish KDOG in 2007.  With off-leash areas in other cities, Jean did not see any reason Kirkland should not have its own off-leash park.

Jasper became Jean’s buddy when she had the opportunity to choose him from a friend’s litter of three puppies in 1994.  He was an adorable strong-willed puppy.  He enjoyed many hikes and camping adventures with Jean, and even survived being bitten by a rattlesnake in North Dakota in 1996 on a road trip out West with her.  Jasper loved children, and he could alternate between two children when fetching for them – no matter the skill of the thrower, while still managing to take breaks, lying in the sun.  Jasper passed away in March 2010, but his legacy is quite special – a park for all of the dogs in Kirkland to run and play fetch at as often as they like.

A year ago Kirkland dog owners were invited to join Kirkland Off-Leash Dog Group’s Education Committee, a committee tasked with developing a park logo, rules for our park, signage, educational information for our website, and  Dog Park Safety seminars.  The committee was fortunate to be introduced to  Matt Opsahl last spring, son of KDOG volunteers, Dr. and Mrs. Michael Opsahl.  Matt is a graphic designer working at Ayush Herbs Inc. in Redmond.  We  welcomed Matt to our committee, and the collaboration to design the Jasper’s Dog Park logo began.

After researching successful dog parks across the country,  receiving advice from pet professionals/experts, and many discussions among committee members of their experiences at dog parks, we made the decision to differentiate between park rules, and educational tips we could share at the park through humor.  We saw that many dog parks have extremely long lists of rules that most people probably do not have time to read during a park visit.  With Matt’s help we began to work on fun illustrations that could serve as educational tools at the park, and the response at the park to these signs has been extremely positive.  (Yes, we even had Kirkland’s Park Board all laughing at these designs at a meeting…..they loved the signs.) We are grateful to Matt for meeting with our Education Committee almost weekly for four months to create what we envisioned for these Park Tip signs.  Matt is also responsible for the design of all of the other signage at the park.

Matt is a graduate of the Art Institute in Seattle, with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.  He provides freelance work for a variety of clients, focusing on branding and identity for local/regional businesses and organizations.  He resides in Kirkland, where he also cares for two happy Airedale Terriers, Hamilton and Lady.  If you are looking for design work, please contact Matt through his website at www.mattopsahl.com.

Below are photos of Matt at the park and all of the other Park Tip signs he created.  Kirkland’s Education Committee hopes these tips help provide fun and safe park visits for all.

First off a HUGE thank you! to everyone who has come out and helped us at our work parties so far. We have made great progress. Now we are a critical juncture:

These next 2 Saturdays are our BIG PUSH TO GET THE PARK OPEN BEFORE CHRISTMAS. We urgently need more volunteers to attend our work parties. Let’s do this Kirkland! Otherwise, we may be looking at a Spring park opening and that would be a shame.

WE REALLY NEED YOU to come to one or all of the next work parties to help us clear brush. EVEN IF IT’S JUST FOR AN HOUR.

IF you can’t make it, PLEASE try to get a “substitute” – tell other folks you meet walking dogs about KDOG, get your dog-owning neighbor to come to the work party, send your brother who lives in Bothell to our work parties. Get the word out about the next 2 work parties.

Tasks at hand – there is something for everyone and we need everyone:

Clearing blackberries – even a hand clipper/pruner works for this. You should wear leather gloves for best protection – cheap at any auto store, long pants and long sleeves.

Raking – bring a rake or use one at the site. We will be be raking up dead blackberries and other debris.

Digging out blackberry root balls – yep, we still need to do that work.

Also, the City of Kirkland has asked for us to let our members know about the volunteer opportunity they have for phone banking about dog licenses. If you are interested, please read below and contact Julie Huffman at the contact information given below.  Note that your dog is required to have a pet license in order to visit the dog park when it opens.

RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP OUTREACH—Like pets? Help the City maintain animal services by increasing awareness of responsible pet ownership and rates of licensed pets. Volunteers will make friendly reminder phone calls to those whose licenses have lapsed, attend events to raise awareness, and leave information for residents at their homes. The ideal candidate is good with the public, responsible, self motivated, and willing to make a 6 month commitment. Training is scheduled for November 9th 1:30-3. Interested? Contact Julie Huffman at jhuffman@kirklandwa.gov or 425-587-3012 to schedule an interview. Background check required.

Thank you,

Jean Guth, President of KDOG

KDOG would like to give a huge shout-out to some of our dedicated volunteers who are working hard to bring a dog park to Kirkland. One such volunteer really stands out, and his name is Rick. Rick is not a KDOG member. He doesn’t even own a dog — a cat, rather. Rick reported for volunteer duty at our first work party, brought a treasure trove of tools with him, worked hard in the heat for the duration, then headed to work at his regular job . . . until midnight. Rick continues to show up at work parties to give his time and talents to the benefit of Kirkland’s dog-loving community. If you happen to be at Trader Joe’s in Totem Lake and see Rick, please shake his hand and extend a huge thank you. He is such an inspiration!

Rick is pictured in the first photo below. Other dedicated volunteers, in order of below photos:

Jenny, Director of Kirkland City Parks, working tirelessly

Kirkland City Council Member Bob Sternoff and his fiancé, Joene LaBou – Bob and Joene have several dogs in their family and have been instrumental in getting a dog park for the Kirkland community

Wendy, KDOG Fundraising Committee member, ensuring that the site is rid of barbed wire

Megen and Mike, dedicated wife-husband team. Megen is also quite the work party recruiter!

Laura, KDOG Operations-Planning Committee Co-Chair, the woman who knows how to get things done

Jadine, KDOG Volunteer Committee member – just look at that enthusiastic smile!

Rick

Jenny

Bob and Joene

Wendy

Megen and Mike

Laura

Jadine

Everyone Working Hard

With the work of many dedicated volunteers like the folks pictured above, we’ll be able to open the dog park this fall – but we need YOUR help. The current schedule for upcoming work parties at the park site is as follows:

September 24, Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
October 8, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon
October 15, Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
October 22, Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Later work parties may be scheduled as needs become clear.

Work party volunteers should wear boots and work gloves, otherwise dress as appropriate for the weather, and bring heavy loppers, shovels, bow rakes and other non-power tools, if you have them (otherwise the City Parks Dept. will provide many different types of tools). At initial work parties, volunteers are clearing blackberry vines and roots. At later work parties, volunteers will be laying down landscaping cloth, using wheelbarrows and shovels for laying down wood chip and cedar “hog fuel” ground cover and helping with fencing of the dog park boundary, entrance area and small dog area. Work parties will continue under most weather conditions, including rain, in the hope of fall opening of the dog park.

The dog park site is located at 113th Avenue NE and NE 120th Street, Kirkland (Totem Lake – North Juanita) and is bounded to the east by a public path (entrance from the road to the northeast). ALL VISITORS ARE ASKED TO USE STREET PARKING AND WALK VIA THE PATH TO VIEW THE SITE (I.E., NO VEHICLE OR FOOT TRAFFIC IN THE CORPORATE PARKING LOT NEXT TO THE DOG PARK SITE).

Map showing location: http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/?org=aj&FORM=MSNH14#/lybn8yvvwvwffrbx

Please sign up for work parties at KDOG’s Meetup page at http://www.meetup.com/offleash-42/ or email workparty@kdog.org.

Dressed for blackberry vine combat and armed with loppers, shovels, bow rakes and unbreakable spirit, our team of volunteers “broke ground” (dug out vines, an old buried farm shed and miscellaneous buried junk) at our first work party on August 27^that the site of Kirkland’s future dog park.   We had a lot of fun!

We had to limit the number of volunteers at this particular work party to a very small group of twelve, but with lots of perseverance, humor and fuel (coffee, sweets, fruit and gallons of H2O), our tiny-but-mighty team was able to accomplish our mission that day.   Despite heat, thorns, and the mysteries of what lie before us in an overgrown parcel of land that once upon a time was a cow pasture, our dedicated KDOG volunteers were overjoyed to be out clearing the site, as were our friends from the Kirkland City Parks Dept., partners who tirelessly worked shoulder-to-shoulder with us.  The Kirkland City Parks personnel, who know a thing or two about building parks, did a miraculous job of “flailing” the blackberry bushes so that we could rake them into piles, and while we are taking a short break, they are continuing to work hard to further clear and prep the site for our upcoming September-October work parties.

All of us who will enjoy the use of the dog park owe our volunteers a huge thank you – working together in the heat, undaunted and still managing to smile and laugh a lot, they made an impressive team!  Keep up the great work, KDOG volunteers – our pups will soon be happily running and playing leash-free at this site.

Work Party Group Picture

Dream Team!   Doug (Kirkland Parks), Margy (looking fierce with pitchfork), Jean (KDOG President), Mike, Sally, Megen, Rick, Jadine, Wendy and Jenny (Kirkland Parks)

More photos coming soon!

We are very much looking forward to future work parties.   With a big volunteer effort, we’ll be able to open the dog park this fall – but we need YOUR help.   The schedule for work parties at the park site is as follows:

September 17, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon
September  24, Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
October 8, Saturday,  9 a.m. to 12 noon
October 15, Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
October 22, Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

While we were limited to a small group for the first work party, we will need an army at each of the September-October work parties and any later work parties that may be scheduled as needs become clear.

Work party volunteers should wear boots and work gloves, otherwise dress as appropriate for the weather, and bring heavy loppers, shovels, bow rakes and other non-power tools, as needed (more details will be sent to those who RSVP for attendance).  At initial work parties, volunteers will be clearing blackberry vines and roots.  At later work parties, volunteers will be laying down landscaping cloth, using wheelbarrows and shovels for laying down wood chip and cedar “hog fuel” ground cover and helping with fencing of the dog park boundary, entrance area and small dog area.  Work parties will continue under most weather conditions, including rain, in the hope of fall opening of the dog park.

The dog park site is located at 113^th Avenue NE and NE 120^th Street, Kirkland (Totem Lake – North Juanita) and is bounded to the east by a public path (entrance from the road to the southeast).  All visitors are asked to use street parking and walk via the path to view the site (i.e., no vehicle or foot traffic in the corporate parking lot next to the dog park site).

Map showing location:http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/?org=aj&FORM=MSNH14#/lybn8yvvwvwffrbx

Please sign up for work parties at KDOG’s Meetup page athttp://www.meetup.com/offleash-42/ or email workparty@kdog.org

Our Dog Park Education Committee has been hard at work designing a safe environment for socializing and exercising our dogs. The committee has been tasked with creating the park rules, developing a park logo, designing all of the park’s signs, and hosting free educational programs.  We have consulted with Kirkland’s Park Director, Jennifer Schroder in this process, and in September the committee will present their work to the Park Board.

One of the members of KDOG’s Education Committee is Sandy Dain, owner of Metamorphosis Pet Training. Sandy has been a long time supporter of KDOG through sponsorship of Go Dog, Go!, as a recent auction donor for our fundraiser, and as a dog park sponsor. She’s hoping to get to know many of you at our work parties at the park site this year.

Sandy will be presenting our upcoming Kirkland Dog Park Seminar (prior to the opening of the park), and future educational workshops at the park for KDOG. Our educational programs will be a great opportunity for dog owners to become familiar with our park’s rules and how to have a successful park visit. We’ll also be revealing a sneak peek at the park logo and announcing the name of the park at the 1^st event.

I asked Sandy some questions to learn more about her background as a dog trainer and why she became involved in helping KDOG create Kirkland’s first dog park:

How long have you been working with animals and pet owners?

I launched Metamorphosis Pet Training in March 2008. I worked for a Humane Society in Oregon for a few years prior to starting my own business and have been volunteering with shelters and rescues my entire adult life. I’ve been assisting the Seattle Humane Society with assessments and by training their volunteers for the last 4 years.

What kind of approach do you take in training your clients?

I’ve found that I can set my clients up for success by making sure that I understand their goals, customizing a training plan that will work for their lifestyle, providing very clear instructions, teaching them the skills they need to be successful, and checking in with them weekly to make sure things are going as planned.

The training techniques that I teach owners to use are the ones recommended by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. They have been designed by animal behaviorists and have been proven to be both safe and effective. This is often referred to as “positive training.”

Why did you become involved with KDOG?

While dog parks aren’t appropriate for all dogs, they can be wonderful places for many dogs and their owners to exercise, socialize, and play. Dog owners in Kirkland who want to spend time with their dog off leash are faced with either traveling to another city or letting their dogs off leash in areas that haven’t been designed for that purpose. I got involved with KDOG to help the organization establish rules that would make our park a safe place for residents to enjoy.

Do you think all dogs can enjoy dog parks?

When visiting dog parks I often see dogs that are engaging in a lot of avoidance behavior because they aren’t comfortable playing with other dogs. I also see some dogs acting poorly because they are over aroused.

When my clients are considering using a dog park for socialization and exercise I explain that dog parks are appropriate for adult dogs that 1) enjoy playing with a variety of breed types, 2) enjoy playing with multiple dogs at the same time, and 3) will come to their owners when called. For dogs that don’t fit that description I can recommend a training program to develop a strong recall and/or suggest that they find a couple dogs that can go on long walks with their dog or that they can have over for play dates.

Dog parks are only as good as the people and dogs that use them. If you aren’t sure a dog park is right for your dog contact a trainer for advice.

How can dog owners contact you if they’d like some help or brush up training with their dogs? You can find out more about Metamorphosis Pet Training by visiting http://www.mettrain.com.

Sandy Dain, Owner of Metamorphosis Pet Training