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What's happening? South Puget Sound's initial dog parks are opening this year!
* Olympia: Design is underway for the 1.5 acre dog park located at the Sunrise Park neighborhood park in West Olympia. Click on this site map and drawing. Also underway is Imagine Olympia, the public involvement component of Olympia's Comprehensive Plan update. Attend a town hall meeting or submit a comment using the form on the website and advocate for dog parks as vital infrastructure for successful housing and tourist development.
* Thurston County: Design is underway for the 5-acre dog park located at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center (a.k.a. old Hawks Prairie landfill) located off Hogum Bay Road. Click on this site map and preliminary plan and architectual drawing.
These dog parks (off-leash areas) will be fully fenced and feature small/timid and large dog areas, signage and rules (as simple and similar as possible with other jurisdictions), drinking water, pathways, information kiosks, seating, double-gate entry systems, service gates, dog-friendly landscaping, public art, and more. Elsewhere...
* Lacey: Lacey is exploring dog parks sites. Lacey's Comprehensive Plan for Outdoor Recreation (a.k.a. Park Plan) update is underway. See the activity log for a summary of the open house held on January 19. The Park Plan update will guide development for the next 5-6 years. Lacey wants to hear from everyone about their park and recreation experiences and ideas to incorporporate into the plan. The survey and other ways to provide more feedback will soon be available on Lacey's website. Let Lacey know that dog parks of all sizes are needed and feasible in their many parks in addition to dog parks in Thurston County and other South Sound juristictions.
* Tumwater: Tumwater is exploring dog park sites - stay tuned! * Regional collaboration: See the activity log for a summmary of the first regional Park Board meeting in many years held on January 20. Sound Hounds is also working with Port of Olympia and the Washington State Parks on dog park development as a lower priority right now. Panorama City recently opened a private dog park and Carlyon Beach Homeowners Association is building a private dog park for their residents and guests. CBHA is still fundraising - contact Cory Hilby clhilby@reachone.com for more information. Photos. Sound Hounds has a Picasa site with lots of dog park photos. Email your dog park photos to Lynn for sharing on this site.
What's needed?
We welcome volunteers to help with public outreach, booths, park development, work parties, donations, and fundraising. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lynn or complete a Sound Hounds volunteer survey.
We gladly accept tax-deductible donations through the PARC Foundation (our fiscal agent) of money, discounts, and in-kind materials. The basics of our first two dog parks are funded, but we'll need to raise funds for additional amenitites and additional dog parks. We also depend on donations, including membership (donations over $25), to cover organizational and outreach expenses and to match with more funds from other sources. A Founding Member is any person or organization who has donated at one of the following membership levels from our beginning (2005) until the opening of our initial dog parks (2010):
* 1 Paw Member ($25-99)
* 2 Paws ($100-499)
* 3 Paws ($500-999)
* 4 Paws ($1,000-4,999)
* The Whole Dog ($5,000 and over )
 We need used small plastic bags (e.g. newspaper bags, produce bags) to restock the pooper scooper bag stations located in most Olympia parks (see photo at left). Bring your "bag o bags" to Animal Services (on Martin Way) or to the Olympia Parks Maintenance Facility (in Priest Point Park behind the rose garden) for redistribution. Better yet, bring them to your nearest pooper scooper bag station and restock them yourself. We encourage you to email elected leaders in the jurisdictions where you live and vote. Thank them for creating the first dog parks in Olympia and Thurston County.
Ask them to work with Sound Hounds to designate unfunded sites for the next dog parks. Or attend a public meeting and give a 3-minute public comment with the same message.
If you have any questions about Sound Hounds or about ways to help create a network of successful dog parks in South Puget Sound, contact Lynn Scroggins.
Our monthly meetings are on the first Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8:30 pm, at Kevin Jacobs and Skie Bender's home, located north of the San Fransisco Street Bakery at 1417 Brandon Ct NE, Olympia, WA 98506. Everyone is welcome. See our activity log has recaps of the monthly meetings. For Core Group members only we have new access to internal documents.
We're collecting dog parks names:
* Canine Commons (Palm Desert, CA)
* Dog Park (most common)
* Pooch Park
* Bark Park (common)
* Off-Leash Area (common)
* Dog Off-Leash Area
* Off-Leash Dog Park
* Diggedy Dog Area (suggestion)
* Sound Hounds Park (suggestion, see DOGGS Park)
* Paw Playground (FL)
* Off Leash Dog Area (Longview, WA)
* Pet Exercise Area (Taylorville, UT)
* Pet Spot (Nanaimo, BC)
* K9 Korral (AZ)
* Paws Park (AR)
* Woof Pack Park (CA)
* Ft Woof (Ft Worth TX amazing dog park :-)
* DOGGS Park (CT, named after their advocacy group)
* Dog Fancier's Park (NV)
* Dog Haven (NM)
Email us with other dog park names!
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Our Mission Sound Hounds is a dog park advocacy group working with Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, Thurston County, and other jurisdictions to provide a variety of off-leash areas (dog parks) for South Puget Sound residents and visitors.
"Dogs aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole." |
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