OK Go – White Knuckles Video. Very cool. Continuous take!
The trainers who contributed to this video discuss what was involved on their blog (note: page doesn’t display with Safari).
Sep 212010
Aug 212010
There’s a new dog park at Adams & Sangamon in the West Loop .
It’s a small park, but an interesting space, located on the west side of Bartelme park on Sangamon street:
Interesting that there’s no ‘pea gravel’ in the park, only the different concrete levels and several patches of artificial dog turf.
There’s a very nice self-filling water fountain located at the center of the park (it’s obscured by the tree at the front of this picture).
No poo bag dispensers yet. And there’s only one entrance, on the sidewalk at the far end in this picture.
Will the dogs get used to the space? Will they take to the artificial dog grass? Will they be happy fetching in the triangular layout?
The concrete levels do provide some interesting sitting space for the humans.
And, you can really tell it’s a dog friendly area – according to the Chicago Park District – because if you put a huge chain on your dog, then you can let her smell the flowers!
Jul 142010
Jul 012010
You all should check out the new website for MonDog, the organization that maintains the Montrose Dog Beach.
There’s a lot of good info on the site (we’ve already linked to their nice explication of the DFA rules). Give them some support!
Jun 152010
One of the two most common questions that people bring up is – “Why is the Grant Bark Park surfaced with asphalt?“.*
A reasonable question. The last thing I think any of us would propose de novo is to build an off-leash dog park that looks like the parking lot at your local mall:
The Chicago Park District requires that DFA be hard-surfaced, and states that hard surfaces prevent transmission of bacteria and viruses. But this is not some bureaucrat’s whim, and there’s a history behind the decision.
The proponents of the first dog park in Chicago, Wiggly Field, spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best surface for an off leash area in the City. They noticed that grass quickly became mud, and they carried out tests for the parasites left behind in various surfaces, with the help of veterinary consultants. They approached the issue of determining the appropriate surface for dog ‘friendly’ areas thoughtfully. And it was their input that guided the policy decision made in 2000. Their work is written up in the attached document, which we’re posting with permission of Stacey Hawk of DAWG:
Click to download a PDF version of the document
For those of us concerned about the off-leash dog ares in Chicago, this is an important read. The priority issue is clearly stated: Infectious Disease Control. On page 2 of the document, the issues and concerns with various surfaces are explored, and the argument is made for requiring a hard-surface at ‘DFA’s, and for allowing a pea-gravel relief area (with some constraints).
There are also some revealing compromises stated up front – particularly, that “dog guardians should ideally cross-train and exercise their dogs in various environments“.
This is a document that impacts all of us as dog people in the City. The evidence and arguments supporting the ‘hard surface’ decision were provided by dog advocates, not by bureaucrats. Those of us who believe that ‘dog park as parking lot’ is a reductio ad absurdum will have to acknowledge and address the issues raised in this report if we are to propose a different direction.
* The other being – Where is that dog park, anyway?
Jun 132010
The South Loop Dog PAC has a new Facebook page.
Facebook users – ‘Like’ our Page and become a ‘fan’ and you’ll get updates from our (website) Blog, our (twitter) Tweets, and our (facebook) Wall sent directly to your Facebook home!
We’ll be retiring the old Facebook ‘Group’ soon!
May 112010
On May 1st, South Loop Dog PAC coordinated with representatives of two other Chicago ‘Dog “Friendly Area’ committees, Puptown and Churchill Park, to represent Chicago dog area committees at Bark in the Park. Some pictures from the event:
Debby Kotzen (Churchill Park) and John Lenti (Puptown) spread the word.
Pamela Focia (SLDogPAC) watches over our display.
Puptown's display of hats and T-shirts. Nice stuff.
Churchill Dog Park had T-shirts and Calendars available. The committee has a long term fund raising vision - represented by the fire hydrant waiting to be 'filled' - that should translate into some cool projects down the road.
Discussing dog issues of the day.
This seemed like a useful exercise, but we didn’t sell much, if anything. A bunch of people took membership information from the parks they frequented, and we hope this translates into ongoing support. If we do do this again, we should be clear that the function is to raise awareness of the role of DFA Committees in maintaining the off leash areas in Chicago, not fundraising. Next time, we might want to have a banner of some sort, and try to get more of the Chicago DFA support groups involved. We do have a Facebook group already!
Some things we learned:
- By far most of the people we asked were completely unaware that all dog friendly areas in Chicago are user-supported. This is a failure of communication by the city and the Chicago Park District. We will be bringing this to their attention – all DFA license holders should understand from the moment they pick up their tag: your off leash dog park is maintained by users like you, not by the City!
- The most requested information was ‘where are the dog parks‘. Luckily we had made one copy of a Google map that showed the location of the DFAs in Chicago, but for the future – we need more of these. We’ll be adding a link to the map on this website soon.
- And… John Lenti of Puptown is truly a masterful ‘barker‘ (pun intended).
May 102010
Thanks to Stephanie, Janet, Pam, Doug, & Katie from Soggy Paws for their help with the cleanup of Coliseum Park Dog Run on Saturday May 8th.
We made a couple of improvements to the gravel containment, both on a trial basis. Window screening was installed along the fence at the north end of the park:
Screening is about 2' high along the fence, and flashed under the gravel.
And, plastic fencing grid was installed along the fence at the south end of the park.
The mesh is about 2' high. The little 'blip's are cable ties.
We’ll keep an eye on these installations to see whether they hold up over time and weather, and whether they do the job they’re supposed to do – keep the gravel from those areas inside the park. Longer term, we’re thinking of wrapping the whole park in one or the other barrier to keep gravel in and to keep trash out. If you have a better idea, please let us know.
We tried to power wash the surface, as well. Unfortunately, your power-washers didn’t really know what they were doing, so the job is incomplete. Overall the place is much cleaner, but next time, we’ll do it right. (We’ll be using the power washer during the Grant Bark Park cleanup next Sunday May 16th, and will probably do a much better job!)
We also moved the storage shed and sand bin into the enclosed area at the south end of the park. We purchased a 75 foot hose, which, thanks to the CPD plumbing department’s installation of a faucet off the water fountain, should prove to be quite useful in the future. We’ll be installing a configurable combination lock on the shed to keep our materials safe. You’re welcome to guess what the combination will be.
Thanks Pam!
Some lessons learned:
- Powerwashing takes a long time. If we are going to do this properly, it will probably require volunteers to work different parts of the park on different days.
- Because the drainage in the dog run is incredibly poorly constructed, there’s no way to escape having pools of dirty water around each of the drains at the end of the day. That means that there’s a need for a ‘second shift’ to cleanup that mess after it dries up.
- It is impossible to power wash the gravel in the patches at Coliseum Park dog run. It is unconfined and will just go flying.
- There is no point simply replacing the gravel in the patches; if the SLDogPAC is going to pay for additional gravel replacement, we will have to require that there be some means to constrain the gravel in those patches, as has been discussed elsewhere in this blog.
- We wonder if the poo bag dispenser is fostering a ‘poo bag dependency’. When the bag dispenser was out for a few days last week, an abnormally large number of orphan poos were left behind at the park. This may be a phenomenon worth discussing in the future. Share your bags? Call or tweet? You know what to do.
- There sure are a lot of cigarette butts left behind in the gravel… a dog & a smoke?
May 042010
The May newsletter from our new business member Dogone Fun! includes a nice shout-out for the SLDogPAC.
Thanks y’all!
But I gotta say, we wish it only cost ” a minimum of $400 per year to maintain” the parks 
It’s more like $4000 + ! 
And like you point out, that money does not just show up, it only comes from memberships and donations.
Breaking news: Dogone Fun! is going to participate with the South Loop Dog PAC in the Grant Bark Park Spring Cleanup on Sunday May 16th. Watch for the announcement!
May 042010
We’re planning a Spring Cleanup at Coliseum Park for this Saturday May 8th, at 8 AM.
Here’s the proposed task list:
a) General
- Pick up poo
- Restock bag dispenser
- General sweeping & trash
- Trash in EL support ‘pockets’
- Rake pea gravel
- Gravel shoveling back to gravel areas
- Powerwash hard surfaces
- Powerwash gravel
- Install fencing fabric
- Block off area around drain
- Resurface area around north drain
- Fencing spot repairs (e.g. where torn, use wire)
- Remove nanny sign (‘Pick Up’)
- Rust remover or steel wool on water fountain
- Remove the ‘DogPAC’ banner
- Remove old GotAMinutes and replace with new GotAMinutes
- Cleanup area outside but bordering the DFA fence
- Spray clean benches
b) Possible
- Paint water fountain.
- Cut the chain lock on the ‘Shed’
- Move the ‘Shed’ into the Sequestered area and re-lock
- Repair the fence support cup on the South end
c) Planning & Discussion
- Plan installation of concrete/stone shelf at south end gravel area
- Discuss resurfacing the gravel triangles by the water fountain
- Plan device to prevent small dog escape at the gate-gaps
A couple of issues:
- We will be supplying a powerwasher, but I don’t think any of us knows how to use it yet. Hijinks ensue.
- We want to install fencing ‘fabric’ to prevent gravel drift out of the dog run. But don’t really know what to purchase yet.
- None of us knows anything concrete about asphalt surface repair. We’ll talk to the guys and gals at the big box store.
So… if you think you could help in planning what we need to do on Saturday, yes, we need your help, and welcome it.
Comments, call, tweet, or email!
Mar 262010
It’s spring, there’s no water in the park… When will it be turned on?
The best we know is this, from Janis Taylor of the Park District:
I’ll check and get back to you but it is usually the first few weeks of April…
1st or 2nd week in April was the response.
Janis
Jan 142010
There’s a report that last week two dogs were shocked in Chicago. This time of year can be particularly dangerous – recall that in February 2007 a dog was electrocuted in Grant Park – so be careful out there. The SLDogPAC would like to hear about any incidents and has put this issue on its agenda. Unfortunately we have a LOT going on, so if you’d like to help, please let us know – join, email, or tweet. Thanks to Blair Sorrel of StreetZaps for the heads-up. We’ve put a link to the StreetZaps site in our sidebar.
Nov 052009
How about changing from this:
to this: 
The former is the way the worthless little gravel areas in the Coliseum Park DFA are currently ‘designed’. Features include:
- Gravel is at or above grade level
- Gravel spills out all over the place (and out of the park)
- Odd little triangles throughout the ‘DFA’
The latter is they way the dog relief areas at the Burnham Station Condominiums were built. Features include:
- Space is defined by landscape timbers.
- Space was excavated to put the gravel below grade level.
- No spillage at all.
However, the cost for four (4) of these spaces at Burnham Station was about $3600, total. That’s a lot of money.
If we focused on one or two areas in the Coliseum Park DFA – say, the north and south ends of the run – and did away with the rest, maybe this would be feasible? The gravel areas would still require cleaning and gravel replacement every year or two, but there wouldn’t be gravel spilling out all over the place onto the walkways and onto the street. And the DFA would look one increment less of a dump. It may be worth a shot, but at this point who knows whether the user community would support the cost. (Hint: the CPD is not going to do this – we asked)??
Oct 082009
Good news – we finally installed a ‘Dog Waste Bag Dispenser’ at Grant Bark Park and have committed to keeping it filled. If you forget a bag, feel free to take one. And if it’s empty or near empty, please please call us, email, or tweet @sldogpac – DogPAC members are NOT going to be patrolling it on a daily basis, if that.
Bad news – the water timer installed at the Bark Park has finally broken! It lasted, what, a month!?! But it did NOT fall apart like the first one. Instead, it seems to have fallen victim to crappy user interface design - it looks like someone twisted it the wrong way until the internal mechanism broke.
Good news – no big deal, it’s getting colder and the Chicago Park District will probably be turning off the water soon. And, we have another in reserve, so we’ll label that up with arrows and squares and a diagram on the back, and post the instructions when time comes to reinstall it.
Bad news – it seems that advertisements on the kiosk are no more – Janis Taylor of the CPD writes:
Park District staff visited the park recently and saw that there was a sign posted on the kiosk selling advertisement space (see attached). Please remove this immediately. It is against Park District policy and, as was stated at the city-wide meeting, dfa committees are not permitted to allow companies to advertise in exchange for money or other benefits.
Thank you,
Janis
That sign has been up for, what, a couple of years?? Who knew?
Sep 292009
Sign at the south end path adjacent to the sidewalk.
The Chicago Park District has graciously installed a sign at each of the path entrances that lead from the sidewalk to the Grant Bark park. Sure, they made an effort not to be too, too, fancy – but every little bit helps.
Sign at the East side path off Columbus St.
Sep 112009
Well the ‘Vigoro‘ mechanical water timer was no good and fell apart after a couple of days, so we’re trying the ‘Nelson’. The Nelson doesn’t have the same kind of glued joint as the Vigoro, instead, it has a metal shim to hold the attachment fitting. So at least it’s not going to break apart the same way but maybe it’ll find some other way to fall apart. We’ll see. If you find it broken, please take a brief look at it and then let us know what happened.
Aug 202009
The timer is installed at ground level at the central source.
Thanks to the CPD plumbing department, the central water at Grant Bark Park is now running off a mechanical timer. The timer was installed to address the longstanding ‘issue’ of the water hydrant being left on 24/7 to run the improvised fountain at the center of the park. It works beautifully.
Vigoro mechanical timer
The water flow is controlled by a simple egg-timer mechanism, and it can be set to shut off water flow after 15 minutes to 2 hours. The connections look to be leak-free, so there should never be a need to shut water off at the source. (There are two wrenches for the source stored in the lockbox).
Please try to use this timer, and to educate others how to use it: you want your dogs to play in a water fountain, you turn the dial, and you can leave the park without worry or guilt!
The flow timer is plastic, and we don’t know how long it will last in the weather, or whether it will break due to heavy or clumsy use. That’s fine – they are cheap ($14.77 at Home Depot), and if over time the mechanical timer works well as a way to regulate the water from the central source, the Dog PAC will budget to replace them periodically as necessary. If you see that it’s broken – contact us!
We’ve also installed a timer at the water fountain spigot. The hose is connected to a sprinkler now, but we imagine that long term the hose may just be left unattached for filling up water bowls (and, if we get our act together, for filling up wading pools).
Timer installed at the faucet off the drinking fountain
Aug 142009
The Chicago Park District guidelines for DFA committees, including the South Loop Dog PAC, are explicitly laid out in the CPD DFA guidelines document. A copy of the document, dated 4.22.2008, has been uploaded to the website and it is available for download. The new guidelines page outlines the responsibilities of the Dog PAC with respect to maintenance of the Grant Bark Park and the Coliseum Park DFA. It’s up to us, folks!
Aug 102009
We’ve finally gotten the PayPal Membership payment buttons configured properly, so if you’ve been holding off renewing your membership, or want to renew now, please do! And if you’re feeling generous, or, alternatively, if you’re not up for paying a full membership right now, use the ‘Donations‘ page to make a PayPal donation in any amount!
Jul 312009
OK, I’ve tried to fix all the bad links that carried over when the site was moved from the development tree to the live site.
Please let us know if you find a problem with the website or with particular links. The PayPal links do not work yet!
And, when we ask for ‘feedback’ we really mean it! Don’t like the colors? Want more information about something? Don’t like the site organization? Then, please email or comment. We need your input to make this website useful to our community.
Please spread the word, register, and participate! Thanks.