Why?

 

Why does the South Loop Dog Park Action Cooperative ask for membership support? Because the Chicago Park District does not pay for and does not work with us to maintain, fund and improve our South Loop dog parks (‘Dog Friendly Areas’).

The dog community, acting through and with the support of the SLDogPAC as a designated DFA Committee, maintains and improves the South Loop DFAs for its own benefit.

Rationale – your membership contributes to making possible:

Quite simply, without a membership base and without volunteer support, ongoing DFA maintenance is not possible. Your membership makes it possible for us to organize and procure resources needed to keep the parks looking good!

Cleaning materials cost money! The SLDogPAC supplies materials for our periodic park cleanups, locates dog-friendly soap, and provides and updates signage. We are required to power-wash the parks several times a year. In addition we patrol for orphan poo and litter.

Fixing things costs money! The Chicago Park District requires that the financial resources for repairs and improvements come from the community. We are committed to support maintenance and carry out repairs at three dog parks in the South Loop.

Dog poop bags cost money! Several years ago we initiated a dog-poop bag dispenser program at all the South Loop DFAs. A volunteer group fills the dispensers with bags. But where do the bags come from? The City is not supplying them – we, that is you, the dog community, buy them with our collective resources!

Benefits – with your membership:

You become part of an organization that advocates for a dog-friendly South Loop. We are committing resources to advocate for community support of dog-friendly efforts in the South Loop, and to bridge the dog- and non-dog- communities here. You support our efforts to maintain open avenues of communication between the dog community and the CPD.

Your dog parks become more dog-friendly! We have tried to establish strong relationships with the Chicago Park District and have worked hard to help guide the design and implementation of the three DFA construction projects that have moved forward in recent years. Artificial turf? We love it, and so do the dogs! Shade sails? We love them, and so will you!

You have a voice and direct input into the maintenance and improvement of the South Loop dog parks. All our members are invited to attend our meetings and are welcome to participate. We’d also like to encourage those of you who write to contribute to our blog and to our Facebook and Twitter feeds!

Business member benefits also include:

Your logo and a link to your website will be displayed on our website at southloopdogpac.org and are included on a rotating basis in our periodic email Fetch!

You will have the opportunity to contribute materials at our community events. You’ll be able to supply materials and brochures to be distributed at South Loop Dog PAC events, including our very popular Winter Mutt Meet-Ups!