ALL Council candidates support dog park

The League of Women Voters of Greater Hartford has just released its 2011 Voters' Guide for the West Hartford municipal election and one of the major Issues at a Glance is: Are you committed to seeing that West Hartford establishes a dog park? All twelve candidates answered "Yes"!

For those interested in viewing the Guide, here is the link:
http://www.lwvgh.org/r/voterinfo/2011/2011-WH-VotersGuide.pdf

Join us for the Park Road Parade - Saturday, October 1st

Please join the West Hartford Dog Park Coalition as we march with our pups in the 13th annual Park Road Parade!

Park Road on Parade is Saturday, October 1st

*FINAL INSTRUCTIONS*

The parade begins at: 10:30 a.m.
Participants should be in place no later than: 9:30 a.m.

We are in DIVISION 4 between Marc's Appliance Warehouse and ProCourier, Inc.

Line up on the south side of Park Road at the first entrance to the Convent, across from the Prospect Cafe.

PLEASE NOTE: Political signs not allowed.

Remember to wear your green WHDPC t-shirt or other green shirt. Well-behaved dogs must be on leashes no longer than 6 ft. Please clean-up after your dog and bring water if it is a hot day.

We are looking forward to a great turnout in support of the Dog Park!

Any questions? email or call Caroline at barkeater@sbcglobal.net 860.985.4797

Pooch Plunge Raises Money for a Dog Park in West Hartford

Click here to view a great story by Adam Chiara on this year's Pooch Plunge.

Please join the West Hartford Dog Park Coalition as we march with our pups in the 13th annual Park Road Parade! Details are below.

Park Road Parade
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Parade steps off at 10:30AM at Ringgold Street and ends at South Quaker Lane
Wear your green WHDPC t-shirt or other green shirt to show your continued support for the Dog Park!
Well-behaved dogs may march on leashes no longer than 6 ft. in length
Our meeting time and place will be announced as the date gets closer

Any questions, please contact Caroline at barkeater@sbcglobal.net

Pooch Plunge is Monday!

The 2011 Pooch Plunge, our 4th annual, will take place Monday, August 22 at Kennedy Pool in West Hartford. There will be two sessions available for your dogs: 3:30 to 5:15 and 5:30 to 7:30; pool will be cleared between sessions.

Admission is a $5 donation per dog per session, additional donations gladly accepted!

All dogs must be licensed with their CT Town to participate (tags will be checked at entry). No dogs will be admitted without their license, so be sure you have it with you!

This event is possible due to the generous support of the following sponsors:
Uberdog
REI
Andrea Zmenyak-Liberno / Allstate
The Good Dog Spot
Planet Bark

Have questions? Contact Caroline Gaetano: WestHartfordDogPark@gmail.com

Final Parade Info

We look forward to having a great turn-out for this year's Memorial Day Parade!

A few reminders:
Parade is scheduled for Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10AM!

The WHDPC is in the Third Division and will assemble on Farmington Avenue WEST of Newport Avenue. We are between the Ballet Theatre Company and Hwang's Martial Arts. Please plan to be there by 9:45AM.

Well-behaved dogs on leashes less than 6ft. in length are welcome! Be mindful that it may be a hot day, so plan to carry some water for your 4-legged friend.

This year the parade will highlight the Greatest Generation. So, in addition to wearing your green WHDPC t-shirt, or other kelly green shirt, please consider getting creative and make a pin or sign that respectfully thanks our WWII Veterans.

The parade ends at the Town Hall. For those interested, there will be a brief ceremony immediately following the parade at the West Hartford Veterans Memorial (corner of Farmington Ave. and Main St.).

Join us in the Memorial Day Parade!

Please join us as we march in the upcoming Memorial Day Parade scheduled for Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10AM! This year the parade will highlight the Greatest Generation. So, in addition to wearing your green WHDPC t-shirt, or other kelly green shirt, please consider getting creative and make a pin or sign that respectfully thanks our WWII Veterans.

Well-behaved dogs on leashes less than 6ft. in length are welcome! Be mindful that it may be a hot day, so plan to carry some water for your 4-legged friend.

RSVP to barkeater@sbcglobal.net so we have some idea of how many marchers to expect!

Check back soon for updates on meeting/line-up location.

Status of the Project

A lot as happened the last couple months with the dog park project, and I apologize for not keeping up with the blog. As you know, the coalition and supports were thrilled with the prospect of a parcel of land donated by West Hartford Place Condominiums (Home Depot, BJ's & Aldi). Unfortunately, their offer has been withdrawn.

A meeting was held last night with the mayor & other town officials to discuss the future of the project. To read an excellent summary of the meeting, please see this article:
http://mywesthartfordlife.com/community.php?cid=4&id=1817

The WHDPC is gearing up to march in the Memorial Day Parade in a few weeks. We'd love for you to join us! Check back soon for details...

We need your HELP in this critical point in our project!!!

The Coalition needs your help now more than ever before to make the goal of a West Hartford Dog Park a reality. In the coming weeks, your participation in the process will help to determine the fate of the dog park.

Our formal application to locate the dog park on Flatbush Avenue has been submitted to the Town Planning and Zoning Commission. The application will be discussed and voted on at the April 4th TP&Z 7:00pm Meeting (please arrive early!!!). If the TP&Z approves our application, it will then be discussed at the April 11th Town Council Meeting.

Show Your Support

It is important that there is a room full of supporters at these meetings, so please put the dates on your calendars now! In addition to your physical support at these meetings, we are looking for people who would be willing to stand up and share their support for the dog park with the members of the TP&Z and Town Council. Please email us if you would be willing to speak. Also, letters and emails submitted to the TP&Z and Town Council will become part of the official record that will be reviewed when these groups determine whether to approve the dog park. Your support letter could help make a dog park become a reality. Please email your letters to:
mila@westhartford.org, Scott.Slifka@yahoo.com, TimBrennanTC@gmail.com, DeniseBHall@comcast.net, StevenIAdler@hotmail.com, Shaboyz@comcast.net, Judy.Casperson@gmail.com, LSDavidoff@sbcglobal.net jfv82@comcast.net, elleng@westhartford.org, westhartforddogpark@gmail.com

To ensure that your letter is part of the record reviewed by both TP&Z and Town Council, please print two copies of your letter and address them to both:
· TP&Z Chairman Theodore Doolittle c/o Mila Limson; and
· Mayor Scott Slifka c/o Ellen Guest

Both letters can go in the same envelope and be sent to:
· Town of West Hartford, 50 South Main Street, West Hartford CT 06107

Distribute Flyers Door-to-Door
Members of the Coalition will be going door-to-door in the Charter Oak neighborhood to hand out flyers and discuss the project with residents. If you are available over the next few weekends and would be willing to help, please email us and let us know.

Spread the Word
Talk to your neighbors, friends and co-workers. Tell them about the dog park, the meetings and how they can also get involved. Remember, the more support we have, the better our chances of having our application approved and making the West Hartford Dog Park a reality!

Brownstone Bakery For Dogs Appriciation Night

Calling all dog walkers, groomers, pet sitters and anyone else who lovingly cares for a four-legged friend...

Join the Brownstone Bakery For Dogs for a special Dogs After Dark. Bring your dog, bring your friends, bring your friend’s dog. Enjoy a glass of wine while your furry friend romps around and samples their tasty fresh-baked treats.

Thursday, March 10, 6:00-7:30 pm
Brownstone Bakery For Dogs, 16 Ensign Drive, Avon

For more information call: 860.677.2111

Neighborhood Meeting Thursday!

The West Hartford Dog Park Coalition would like to invite you to join us for a friendly neighborhood meeting next Thursday, February 24th at 7:00 p.m. in the Charter Oak Elementary School Auditorium. We will be discussing our upcoming plans to submit an application to the Town Planning and Zoning Committee to locate the future West Hartford Dog Park on Flatbush Avenue.

Have questions about the dog park and the Coalition's proposal to TP&Z?

Please let us address them!

Want to support the project as we move forward?

Please come out and share your opinions and let others know why you think having the West Hartford Dog Park on Flatbush Ave is a great idea!

All are welcome

Happy 2011!!!

(Photo Credit: prettyfluffy.com)

Happy New Year! As we begin 2011, we wanted to take a moment and thank you for all of your hard work on the dog park project in 2010 and provide an update for 2011. 2010 was a very busy year for this project. The group has undergone the process of vetting two potential sites (Fernridge Park and Flatbush Avenue), participated in the Memorial Day Parade, Celebrate West Hartford, the MADD walk, and the Park Road Parade, raised funds at the Blue Back Square Charity Tastes and Toasts events, and held the 3rd annual Pooch Plunge event. The success of these events could never have been possible without the support of our volunteers. Thank you for your continued generosity and support! In 2011, we expect to have another busy and exciting year. The Town has been working very closely with the businesses who currently own the property off of Flatbush Avenue (Home Depot, BJ's, and Aldi's) to create an agreement for the Town's use of the land for a dog park. We had hoped to have that agreement completed by December, but the timeline has now been changed to the end of January. Once that agreement is in place, we can work with the Town to go through the Zoning process, work with the Community to finalize the design, and begin fundraising. In preparation for these next steps, we will have a Coalition meeting in January/February to discuss the next steps in more detail and determine volunteer needs. More to come on this meeting soon. Again, we wish everyone a happy new year and we look forward to working with you on the dog park project in 2011. Thank you, The West Hartford Dog Park Coalition Leadership Team