The KDOG Blog

It’s Easy to be Green & Keep Your Dog Hydrated

Amy — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:02:58 +0000

KDOG’s H204K9 bottle/sling sets will be available at our booth at Bark for Life, Sunday May 5th. We have these bottles and slings in pink, blue, and green. This product makes it easy to safely hydrate your dog(s), and keeps plastic out of the trash cans at the park. We do not have recycling at Jasper’s Dog Park, so help the planet and use this great option. All proceeds go to park maintenance for Jasper’s Dog Park.

UPDATE: Bottle/sling sets will be available at Jasper’s Dog Park on Saturday, June 1st. Visit the KDOG table between 11 am and 3 pm.

Park Bench Fundraiser – Together We Can Install a New Bench by Summer!

Amy — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:07:05 +0000

Donate what you can by clicking HERE, and let’s install a new bench by summer. Thank you!

Pet License Amnesty until April 30th (License Required at Jasper’s Dog Park)

Amy — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:01:02 +0000

Join KDOG at the American Cancer Society’s BARK FOR LIFE on May 5th

Amy — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:27:18 +0000

Stop by the KDOG Booth, and join us for a lot of fun at this event! Register by clicking HERE.

Park Volunteers Needed

Amy — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 04:26:25 +0000

Becoming a park steward is a great way to volunteer while visiting the park with your dog. No other time commitment is necessary. KDOG has an agreement with the City of Kirkland, noting that we will provide park volunteers to assist with education and maintenance. Here’s a link to the City’s ongoing volunteer application. Just let them know you’re ready to get started as a volunteer. Your dog will thank you for helping, as this off-leash area is possible because of volunteers. Help us make sure off-leash opportunities continue in Kirkland.

Come meet our Park Steward Chairs, Ann and Megen on March 2nd at Jasper’s Dog Park. They’ll be at our free Park Safety Workshop (a great workshop for those interested in volunteering at the park).

Seeking a Donation for a New Park Bench at Jasper’s Dog Park

Amy — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:19:22 +0000

Would you like to honor a loved one (pet or person) or their memory with a park bench donation for Jasper’s Dog Park? A park bench donation is an opportunity to enhance our dog park, making it more enjoyable to visit for all. Installation, maintenance, repairs, and plaque are provided by the CIty of Kirkland. A single bronze plaque, measuring 2″ in height by 7″ in length, will be personalized per the donor’s request, with up to five lines of text. With this bench donation you will also receive a personalized plaque installed on the park sponsor donation board and you will be listed as a Dog Park Sponsor on KDOG’s website. This donation is tax-deductible, but it must be a new donation. The bench will be installed in the main off-leash area.

Please contact KDOG at kdog@kdog.org if you are interested in becoming a park bench donor. The price for this bench is $1600.

Thank You 2012! Hello 2013

Mary-Kelly — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 02:52:45 +0000

Happy New Year! KDOG is looking forward to another great year with more off-leash adventures and fun for you and your pup. We ended 2012 with our grand opening of the new path way at Jasper’s Dog Park on December 8th; made possible by a generous donation from our “Platinum Paw” sponsor Weidner Apartment Homes and the support of KDOG volunteers and the City of Kirkland. It’s going to be another great and exciting year. We hope to see you out at the park and at upcoming meetings, work parties and fundraisers. A very big and heartfelt thank you goes out to the countless volunteers, sponsors and donations that made 2012 a great success and a lot of fun.

If you’re eager to help KDOG start the year off strong then please consider becoming a Personal Dog Park Sponsor. Your financial support will help provide wood chip to keep the ground dry at the park, making the park usable all winter and spring, and will help with other park improvements. Learn more – http://www.kdog.org/Donate/PersonalSponsor.

Photos from the Grand Opening of the new path and entrance. Thank you Weidner Apartment Homes!

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Parvovirus Information – Make Sure Your Dog Is Vaccinated

Amy — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:13:31 +0000

Here is the Dec. 5th Parvovirus update from Dr. Beth Davidow of ACCESS, (Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services):

By Beth Davidow, DVM DACVECC

ACCES Medical Director

A week ago, we alerted referring veterinarians in the area to an uptick in the number of parvovirus cases we were seeing at ACCES’ two referral hospitals (Seattle and Renton). Word quickly spread to the greater community setting off an unexpected scare.

Parvovirus is a virus that causes vomiting and severe diarrhea. In addition, it can suppress the immune system and put animals at risk for secondary infections. It mainly affects puppies and can cause death if not treated appropriately. With treatment, which includes intravenous fluids, anti-nausea medication, antibiotics and plasma in severe cases, survival is 90%. Adults dogs can get the infection as well but often are less sick or may shed virus and not have clinical signs.

The virus is shed in stool and can live in the environment for weeks to months. It is extremely hardy and not killed by standard disinfectants – bleach is most effective. The virus can be passed from an animal shedding the virus, picked up on clothes, shoes, and other objects, and then carried to another animal.

Parvovirus is not a new infection. It is a virus we have known about for a long time and one of the first diseases for which we developed a vaccine for dogs. The vaccine is extremely effective when administered properly. Puppies need to receive vaccines every three to four weeks from eight weeks of age until they are over 16 weeks of age, again at one year and then every three years thereafter.

The difficulty with this disease is that puppies often get sick in the window after they have had one vaccine but not the full series. If puppies are in environments where the virus has been shed by asymptomatic carriers, they can pick up the virus. Health for the dog population relies on compliance by everyone – a concept known as “herd immunity”.

This year we have seen an uptick in the number of parvo cases. We see an average of 16 cases a year and have diagnosed 28 this year, eight in the last three weeks. The virus does ebb and flow so this may just be a high year. Cases have been from a number of locations and have been mostly young, incompletely vaccinated dogs. However, it is also possible that the move away from vaccines has led to less herd immunity and more shedding of virus. Speaking to other hospitals in the area, some are also seeing more cases but other clinics north of us are not.

Our recommendations are:

1) VACCINATE – make sure your puppy gets the full SERIES of vaccines up to at least 16 weeks of year. Make sure the vaccine is boostered one year later and then every three years after that.

2) Do not take incompletely vaccinated puppies to dog parks or other high traffic areas. Dog parks are great places to socialize but only after the full series of puppy shots have been given.

3) If you have a dog with vomiting and diarrhea, have them seen promptly. Early diagnosis and proper treatment does lead to a good long term outcome.

Please Bring a Pet Food Donation for Hopelink to Jasper’s Dog Park on Dec. 8th at 11 am

Amy — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:56:19 +0000

Information about hopelink can be found at hope-link.org/

High Praise from the Canine Crowd for The Dining Dog

Amy — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:23:40 +0000

At the November 5th Wine Tasting at Northwest Cellars, the canine crowd was treated to their very own table of gourmet goodies thanks to The Dining Dog, and KDOG Volunteers (Tracy Doering and Debbie Wiltbank). Not a single crumb remained at that special table at the end of our successful fundraiser. The Dining Dog in Edmonds is a full service cafe for dogs, where meals include Doggie Cocktails, Appetizers, Entrees, and Desserts. The owner of The Dining Dog has donated treats and raffle items over the years to help KDOG raise money for Jasper’s Dog Park, along with use of the cafe at our popular dog park fundraiser, Barksgiving. We very much appreciate all of the support from Dorothy Moore, the owner of The Dining Dog. You can learn more about how you can treat your dog to a special meal or celebration at this link, http://diningdog.com/contact.htm. The Cafe is open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturday, by reservation only.

There are a few special events going on at The Dining Dog over the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for dogs can be ordered TO GO for pick up before each holiday by calling 425-314-4612. Also, the cafe will be open from 12 pm-3 pm on Saturday, December 1st. Your dog (or your family and your dog) can take a photo with Santa that day for $7.

Thanksgiving and Christmas meals are $10.

Thanksgiving Meals include: Turkey Loaf, Carrots, Brown Rice, a Pumpkin Cupcake, and Cookies.

Christmas Meals include: Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, Carrots, a Pumpkin Cupcake, and Cookies.

Make sure YOUR dog has a special meal served this holiday season!