Hi friends,
Whew - what a busy Spring we're having with so many activities on the schedule. Grab your calendar and dog leash and prepare to have some fun with your dog friends. I'll apologize in advance for a lengthy newsletter but don't want you to miss anything.
More than a few items to bring to your attention this month:
Highlights
1) Historical Marker Unveiling for Sherwood Dog Park, Saturday, March 14 at 9 am
2)
7th Annual Paso Robles Dog Jog at Kennedy Club, Saturday, March 21 at 9 am
3) Parks4Pups Photo exhibit at Kennedy Club in Paso Robles through March
4) "Raise the Roof" campaign for Vineyard Dog Park expanded shade structure
5) Need donated tennis rackets for dog parks
6) Reminder of importance of current vaccinations and "scoop the poop"
1) Unveiling of Historical Marker at Sherwood Dog Park, Saturday March 14 at 9 am
With the threat of bad weather, we opted to postpone the unveiling of our long awaited Historical Marker at Sherwood Dog Park to Saturday March 14 at 9 am.
Sherwood Dog Park was built on a former air strip that holds military and local significance. We honor that rich history with our logo, our slogan "Where Dogs Take Flight", our whimsical airplane wine barrel planters, and now a very special historical marker at the park entrance. Please join us for an unveiling ceremony; coffee & pastries will be served following the ceremony. Sherwood Dog Park is located at 290 Scott Street (next to Senior Center) in Paso Robles.
2) 7th Annual Paso Robles Dog Jog for Sherwood Dog Park, Saturday March 21
Dogs can bring their family for a 4K/2K fun run or walk through the beautiful Salinas River walk trail that starts and ends at the Kennedy Club Fitness in Paso Robles. The proceeds from this popular event will benefit Sherwood Dog Park in Paso Robles.
Early bird race registration is $15 per dog until March 19th and $20 through race day. Participants will receive a pancake breakfast (thank you to the Lion's Club!) racer's goodie bag, an event bandanna for their dog, and a medal. Race day check in starts at 8 am and the run starts at 9 am. Register at the Kennedy Club Paso Robles facility at 500 South River Road, via mail-in registration or through the website at www.parks4pups.org.
Dogs must be on leash for this event. For information call Paula O'Farrell at (805) 239-4437 or email info@parks4pups.org. Rain or shine. Following the run will be special contests for Best Pooch Smooch, Most Appropriate Name, Best Smile, Most Unusual Face, Best Dog & Owner Look-Alike.
Our favorite photographers (Jeff Bowen, Gail Gresham, Roger Bowsky, Steve O'Farrell, and Chris Copeland) will be stationed along the trail to capture wonderful photos of dogs and their "pack." Event photos will be available through our website. North County Humane Society will be offering their low cost microchip clinic for $15 per pet. We'll have our Sherwood Dog Park baseball caps and charming logo t-shirts for sale. Genete Bowen and Gretta from DogE911have agreed to kick off the race with their very special rendition of "America the Beautiful." And lots and lots of raffle drawing items donated by area merchants!
Many thanks to our "Top Dog" event sponsors including Kennedy Club Fitness, Lemos Feed and Pet Supply, Rabobank, Las Tablas Animal Hospital, North County Humane Society, Zurn Wilkins, Howell 'n' Good Doggie Dental, RedBarn Products, RoadID, REC Foundation, and SLO County Supervisors Frank Mecham and Lynn Compton.
You might get a chuckle out of the cute commercial out takes that co-organizer Sandy Casper shot of club manager Matt McClish and his dog Daisy promoting our event. It'll make you smile.
3) Best of Parks4Pups Photo Exhibit at Kennedy Club in Paso Robles through March
We're so fortunate to have wonderful photographers who generously donate their time to capture the special moments of our events. This is the third year that we have featured the "Best of Parks4Pups" photos in a traveling exhibit. During the month of March, we have a full exhibit at the Kennedy Club in Paso Robles. We'll also display in the Paso Robles City Library in August. Thanks again to our awesome event photographers Jeff Bowen, Roger Bowsky, Gail Gresham, Char Holway, Steve O'Farrell, and Mark Dokulil.
4) "Raise the Roof" campaign for Vineyard Dog Park expanded shade structure
Each year, the VDP Board of Directors prioritizes a list of park improvement goals. If you've ever visited the park on a warm afternoon, you know that shade under our main shade structure is inadequate. The area is a very popular gathering spot for park visitors and is undersized. This year, the Directors have voted to expand the shade structure to about double its current size.
This will be a costly project for us and will take close to all of our available resources. So we're launching a "Raise the Roof" capital campaign to help offset our costs for this project. We will honor tax-deductible donations of $50 and $100 with donor recognition on a special plaque to be mounted on our main park kiosk. Of course, donors will also earn our gratitude and the appreciation of all park visitors. To make a donation to our "Raise the Roof" campaign, click
here to donate using a credit card or PayPal account. Optionally, mail a check payable to Vineyard Dog Park, PO Box 1081, Templeton 93465.
and consult with your vet about additional vaccinations that may be appropriate for your dog's risk of exposure. While the majority of our park visitors are very responsible in this area, we cannot monitor this. So your best protection is making sure that your dogs are properly vaccinated.
Also, we encourage all park visitors to help keep our parks clean and "scoop the poop" --
. Because we can get distracted in conversation, it's easy to miss your dog's poop among the wood chips. It's happened to all of us. So if you spot a pile, please dispose of it and savor the good karma that comes from doing the right thing.
