at the 75th St. Brewery. Please RSVP to digannouncements@gmail.com if you plan on attending, thanks all!

Hello all,
Wanted to send some quick Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays wishes to you and your furry friends! Wish I had the skills to make a pretty email with puppies and Xmas lights and such, but I have no such skills, sorry. :) Stay safe and have fun!

---------------------------

I also wanted to share some serious issues facing Chain of Hope, via KCMO Animal Control. DIG has always tried to support COH as a highly effective animal welfare organization that does a lot of it's work in KCMO. As an organization that supports a KCMO funded and established entity (the PV dog park), we always try to support other organizations that help people in KCMO.

If you want the full details, and want to do something about it, see COH's blog here.

Thanks all, enjoy the park!
http://chainofhopekc.org/http://networkedblogs.com/rL18S

We were contacted by an individual whose husband got bit by a dog Sunday 10/16 AM. They badly need to contact the owner to confirm the dog's vaccination status. Please contact digannouncements@gmail.com if you have information to share, we will forward it to the individual- their story is below:

"It was around 9 to 10 on October 16th over by the picnic table when a huge tree next to it. Right when you walk in the park that table. It was an older woman with what we believe was Toy Fox Terrier black and white. Had on a blue collar. I am trying to reach the owner to see if the dog had all its vaccinations and shots! I would prefer both if at all possible."

Hello all,
Wanted to provide a head's up on a cool event at the DP this Saturday. Chain of Hope (COH) chainofhopekc.org will be holding a celebration-fundraiser that will be located in the small dog area from 10AM-Noon (more info on using small dog for charity events below). Chain of Hope is a great organization that focuses on dogs in the poorest parts of the community, dealing often with heart breaking situations (read their blog, but be ready to be upset at what you will see/read) that others ignore. The dogs they save would generally have had short, miserable, ignored lives, slowly dying of heartworms, starvation, or exposure, or possibly getting picked up by Animal Control (AC), where they have to hope that the shelter has the means (and space) to treat them and get them into an adoptable state instead of simply euthanizing them as too sick, too poorly socialized, or as a bad adoption prospect because they look bad and are emotionally shut down. Chain of Hope works on many levels to help these dogs- they work with AC and owners, tipping AC off to bad situations, and helping caring but very poor owners to keep their pets through assistance with food and other essentials. Many pets are 'surrendered' to COH, which then works to get them healthy (HSGKC is a big part of that when serious vet care is needed, btw), both physically and mentally, for later adoption. They also do tons of spay/neuter work- all of their assistance work is predicated on owners first committing to getting their pets fixed. COH does help cats, too.

This event is called 'A Day of Hope' and will highlight not only what COH does (while asking for a bit of help), but the wonderful dogs they have gotten out of terrible situations. Many furry four legged COH 'clients' will be out showing how dogs from horrible conditions can turn out to be handsome, loving, well balanced pets. There will also likely be a few adoptables that are still looking for a permanent home. Although much of the focus is to celebrate what COH has done for their furry 'clients' along with those client's humans, everyone is welcome to stop by and learn more, donate something, say 'Thanks Kate!!!', whatever. Kate Quigley (who IS COH, more or less, 'founder and leader'- fite4dogs is her appropriate email) and Caitlin, the main organizer for this event, are cc:ed above.

COH asked that folks consider donating the following items Sat. (or another way/day, see their website)-
We are desperately low on cat food

Warm weather has arrived and with it comes the flies. We are always in need of fly bags!

Large rawhides/pig ears
Treats/toys
Medium-Large collars, preferably the buckle type
Metal bowls (can be old pots, etc.)
Super weight tie-out cables
Dog and cat food
Large crates
Doghouses
Hay/straw
De-wormer
Advantage/Frontline products for dogs and cats
Gas card
Monetary donations for:
Spay/neuter surgeries
Animal medical issues
Fly-catching bags

Please consider helping out by bringing something. Or just stop by and learn about COH- like any organization, a new quality volunteer is worth a TON.

Rockfest will be Sat. 5/14, with access to the dog park completely blocked, likely starting late Friday or early Sat. Access on Sunday 5/15 will be questionable. Plan accordingly.
----------------------
DIG got an email about a found dog with a bandaged leg and wearing a veterinary cone- see text below-
Dog found at 44th and Gilham in South Hyde Park 5/7/11 roughly at 10AM.

45lb Female Brindle Mix. About 6 to 10 months.

Dog has a broken hind leg confirmed by X-Ray. Had the dog's leg wrapped to restrict movement as well as coned. This dog is not chipped, no collar. Possibly hit by car or attacked by another dog.

This dog has been well taken care of, someone is definitely missing her.

Email the list, digannouncements@gmail.com if you have info.

At the 75th Street Brewery, 520 W. 75th Street, KC, Mo. 64114.

If you plan on attending, please shoot a quick RSVP to digannouncements@gmail.com. This will help us to make sure there is room for everyone.

Thanks!

Hey all,
This weekend we will be hosting M'Shoogy's on Sept. 11 and Midwest PAWS Sept. 12, starting at 10AM each day. DIG is also gathering volunteers to staff a table of our own either (or both) day(s), let us know if you're interested in helping, just reply to the list!

Info on these rescue orgs below:

M'Shoogy's is a no-kill animal sanctuary that has been dedicated to saving the lives of abandoned, injured, and abused animals for many years. The 22 acre refuge is located about 60 miles north of Kansas City in Savannah, Missouri and is currently home to several hundred dogs, cats, and other animals.

Please use this email for contact info:

doghound@att.net
--------------------------
Midwest PAW's:

We are a non-profit 501C rescue group formed two years ago for the purpose of saving german shorthair pointers and weimaraners. You may have seen us on television in February 2009 where we participated in a rescue of over 75 german shorthair pointers along with probably 50 spaniels. To date we have rescued over 200 dogs. We work completely through foster families and participating in your rescue weekend will help us to get the word out about our program.

Contact information is:
Joann Miller
816-516-1205
jmiller1755@comcast.net

This website only shows a fairly small percentage of the information we send out to our email list. If you want to:
1. Get more info on events, great charitable causes, and general doggie interest items.
2. Be informed of times when the dog park may be blocked off or closed, or of safety or other concerns.
3. Support the dog park by giving DIG the backing to get things done. With this help, DIG has pushed through the parking lot and expansion, funded the small dog area, planted trees, and done many other things to improve everyone's dog park experience. We need a robust email list to get volunteers, improve general awareness of user responsibilities, attract people to our fundraisers, and, when necessary, provide political backing when/if our dog park is ever threatened by policy changes or a dog park hostile park board.

If you are willing to work with others constructively and respect their opinions, please email digannouncements@gmail.com to sign up. Thanks- we need your help to continue to get things done!!!!

Hey all,
Quality article in USA Today linked here regarding dog park safety. Few items from the article below that are worth emphasizing, with some notes:

To lessen the chance of conflict, be sure your dog is well socialized around other dogs and people. Early socialization of puppies is essential.
If your dog is under-socialized, consult a professional trainer or your veterinarian before considering a visit to a dog park.
- it is far from uncommon, unfortunately, to see clearly fearful dogs, specifically small ones, at the dp. This is frankly a recipe for disaster- these dogs are likely poorly socialized (or simply smart, realizing how vulnerable they are, see below), and are fights and injuries waiting to happen. The natural reaction from normal dogs to an insecure, fearful dog is to go after it- their instincts are to drive mentally weak dogs away, if not eliminate them. Picking up the dog does not address the issue. These 'under-socialized' dogs should have their fear worked out away from the dog park before visiting. As owners have often either created or reinforce this fear in the way they interact with the dog, the help of a trainer or behaviorist is often needed. Btw, this is a classic example of where the 'aggressive' dog is not really the issue- it is just doing what the doggie code of behavior tells it to do.

Be sure your dog is well trained in basic commands like sit, stay, come(recall), and leave it. If an altercation occurs, your dog will be more likely to respond to you and leave the situation.
-if you don't have basic control over your dog (solid recall response is best, but at the very least the ability to sit/stay when commanded with 100% reliability), you are completely at the mercy of your dog's ability (and willingness) to 'play nice'. Untrained or poorly trained dogs are essentially loose cannons- they basically see you as a non-entity in terms of listening to what you want them to do. Fortunately, dogs are social creatures and inherently pre-disposed to get along, but they are more likely to behave if they are aware that a higher power (you) is watching, especially if you have made it clear what kind of negative behaviors will not be tolerated.

Always keep a close eye on your dog to ensure he's playing nicely, and that other dogs are playing nicely with him. While you're both there to have fun, your dog relies on you to keep him safe.
- this is the essential corallary to the training item above. If you aren't paying attention, your dog will know it, and is much more likely to act up- sometimes only to get your attention. Big issue these days- see way, way too many people that not only pay no attention to their dog pooping 20 feet away because they are busy chatting with somebody, but are half a park away as their dog continually provokes issues by bullying, being overly dominant, etc., and show up to a resulting fight after others have broken it up for them. And it's not just to watch that your dog behaves- if you expect them to not 'take care of themselves' by responding aggressively to a dog that is pushing them around, you have to be there to keep them from being bullied, harassed, etc.

If you notice play getting out of hand, or are uncomfortable with the behavior you see, remove your dog before a fight can begin. This is where a strong leave it and recall are important.
- very rare for a fight to occur instantly, without signs. Both dogs will indicate, via body language (dominance contest- super erect posture, stiff, high tight wagging tail, fear- showing teeth, hackles up), growling, etc. that things are about to go south. It is fairly easy to prevent a fight at these stages- just step in (literally) and make your presence felt, firmly. You can often break it up from a distance with a strong word, especially if your dog knows it is supposed to 'just walk away' when another dog is annoying it or making it uncomfortable.
Note that extreme excitement, often characterized by constant barking, is 'getting out of hand'. Redirect your dog- if it won't listen to you, leave the park and do some training before coming back.

Visit the dog park without your dog to be sure there are appropriate areas for both small and larger dogs to safely interact.
-just because 99% of the time it works out OK does not mean it is a good idea to have small dogs interacting with much, much larger dogs. Any dog under 10lbs is in real danger being in the large dog area- they are simply very vulnerable, both to suffering fatal damage from a single bite or from getting run over or stepped on by a larger dog. The only two known fatalities in our DP as a result of wounds inflicted were very small dogs. Stouter, heavier dogs can absorb some damage and still give you time to intervene and save them- toy poodles, etc. simply don't have the heft to take the damage. And any dog that can be picked up and shaken will likely do little better than a squirrel or cat that gets handled similarly. It appears that in some cases, very small dogs get confused with small prey animals by some dogs. A prey reaction in this case is tragic for all parties involved. Please, use the small dog area, for you and your dog's sake!
Don't bring food or treats to the dog park.
- bringing food is an extremely bad idea, and against park rules. Amazed at folks who come in occassionally and expect to be able to eat on a bench and not be bothered. It's a DOG PARK. :)

The rest of the article is great, too, including the details on how to break up a fight (water, citronella spray, 'wheelbarrrow' separation method).

Enjoy the park safely everyone!

Hello all,
M'Shoogy's will be out Saturday, August 7. Info on them below- here http://www.pawprintsthemagazine.com/?p=10800 is also a great article about them. Never knew what their name meant, or that we basically had a 'dogtown' type refuge right in our own backyard! Come out Sat. 10AM-4PM to check them out and give them some support!

M'Shoogy's is a no-kill animal sanctuary that has been dedicated to saving the lives of abandoned, injured, and abused animals for many years. The 22 acre refuge is located about 60 miles north of Kansas City in Savannah, Missouri and is currently home to several hundred dogs, cats, and other animals.

Please use this email for contact info:

doghound@att.net

--------------------------
Also, we got another org, Midwest PAW's, to sign up for September 12th. See their info below:

We are a non-profit 501C rescue group formed two years ago for the purpose of saving german shorthair pointers and weimaraners. You may have seen us on television in February 2009 where we participated in a rescue of over 75 german shorthair pointers along with probably 50 spaniels. To date we have rescued over 200 dogs. We work completely through foster families and participating in your rescue weekend will help us to get the word out about our program.

Contact information is:
Joann Miller
816-516-1205
jmiller1755@comcast.net


-----------------------
One way to help all the Halfway Home dogs you see emails about is by supporting HH's official foster partner, TAILS. See the email plea I received below-

Hi friends!
A new adoption site for TAILS Rescue (HHPA dogs) is going to be the Petsmart off Barry Road in Kansas City. We will start on Sunday, August 1 from 12 to 4.
We will still do adoptions at the Belton location on Saturdays from 11 to 3 pm.
We also anticipate being at the Blue Springs Petco on Saturdays in the near future.
Can you please send a request by email to your contacts seeking volunteers to help with the mobile events listed above? (Please cross-post and forward).
If you have seen the urgent lists go out regarding the Half Way Home Pet Adoptions' need to move dogs, this would be a great way to help as we run their foster program and pull dogs from the shelter, placing with foster homes!
We are looking for people who can help transport to and from events, people who can work the events, etc. We can't expand and get the Kansas City shelter dogs more exposure at multiple locations by ourselves, so we are really going to need some teamwork. A few dedicated people would really help.
The more dogs we move, the faster we can pull more. Your help is appreciated, please forward to your contacts!
Halfway Home Pet Adoptions: www.petshalfwayhome.com
TAILS Rescue:
www.tailsrescuekc.org
Thank you,
Anna M. M. Leeson
President
TAILS Rescue
Anna@tailsrescuekc.org

-----------------------------------
Got word on a former Halfway Home 'urgent' who is in danger of going back to death row due to losing his owner. See forward below.

Thanks everybody, enjoy the dog park!

From: Tammy Saum <saumfrock@live.com>

Subject: Artie, a former KCMO dog, needs our help or will end up back at shelter

Hi everyone. I just received an email last night about a very very sweet guy named Artie. Artie was formerly a KCMO dog on the urgent list and was adopted out by an older man who LOVED Artie...After only a short few months in his new home, the wonderful man who adopted Artie died of a heart attack and they family had to return Artie to shelter...

While the family was taking him back to surrender him, Nicole (another rescue gal) happened to meet Artie