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Volunteers are "Going to the Dogs"

One of the fastest growing segments of the Adult Conservation Team has been volunteers who own dogs. Since before the establishment of the first dog park at Viking Park, dog owners have been giving their time and energy to the establishment, upkeep and funding of Dane County Parks dog parks. Here are some recent examples:

While human park visitors usually pick up after their canine friends, sometimes you just can't find what you're looking for. The snow cover also has a way of "obscuring the facts". The first early spring, post-snow dog park cleanup day was initiated by park users in 1996.

The third annual cleanup day was held on April 4. This year's cleanup included the City of Madison dog parks. The event was sponsored by the Badger Kennel Club and the Wisconsin Dog Federation, and coordinated by Jim Bolton and Dolores Kester. Business sponsors provided gift certificates and services as prizes for participants; they are Mounds Pet Food Warehouse, Dog's Best Friend, Noah's Ark Pet Center, Badger Kennel Club and Mad City Dog Training. Crew leaders in the County parks were Dolores Kester, Nancy Anderson, Jenny Schroeder, Kathy Wirka and Steve O'Neil.

Kadi Row organized a workday held later in April at Yahara Heights. This site was an old fishing site and local "party" spot. Numerous cleanups have reduced but not yet eliminated litter. Kadi organized and publicized this workday, and over 40 people participated. They cleaned along the shoreline and under groves of trees, removed barbed wire and spread woodchips over low spots along the trails. Sponsors for this workday included Camp K-9, Coca Cola, Copps Food Center, Dane County Parks, Dane County Extension, Kristin Nelson, D.V.M., Pet Plus, Pet Supplies "Plus" and Shadow Plastics.

The second annual "Canine Connection Walk and Ice Cream Social" was held on May 31 at Badger Prairie Park. Dogs and their humans walked and raised funds to benefit the Dane County Humane Society, and city and county dog parks. "Walk Coordinators" were Protect Our Pets, the Dane County Humane Society, Wisconsin Dog Federation and Madison Area Dog Sports. Like the dog park cleanups and workdays listed above, this is another event that was initiated by dog owners who saw a need and got to work.

In addition to these organized workdays and fund-raisers, numerous volunteers cleanup dog parks on a regular basis. Pete and Helen Reinhardt do so at the Tower site. There are probably more such volunteers of whom we are unaware. We thank them all!

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