JC DogPAC News

November 22, 2006 - Newspaper article

See photos and hear "An Afternoon at the Dog Park" in the Press-Citizen.

November 15, 2006 - Newspaper article

Read Terri Larson's column about the joys of taking her 2 dogs to the Thornberry Off-Leash Dog Park in the Press-Citizen. Terri Larson is a member of the P-C Writer's Group. "Every day my two dogs look at me when I'm putting on my shoes, hoping mightily that I'll grab those leashes next and say the fateful words, the words they dream of each and every night, "Do you want to go to the dog park?"

October 20, 2006 - Newspaper article

Read the Press-Citizen article "Plenty of tails wagging at the dog park." One dog owner interviewed for the story says that her dog is happier since she started taking him to the dog park. Another dog owner mentioned in the article takes her dogs to the park daily. No wonder more than 1700 tags have been sold.

October 6, 2006

No more working Wednesdays as the sand burr plants are no longer visible. If you think to sweep off the bricks at the entry, that clean up is appreciated.

Please do not put water buckets in the area between the entry/exit gates and the flags in the Lucky Pawz Playground.

Please note that park rules include keeping your dog(s) leashed until you are within the gate areas leading into each park section. Also keep your leashes with you in the park areas. If you need to remove your dog from the park, you'll have your leash with you to make that easier.

If you see snakes on the road, please use a stick to carefully lift or prod them off the road surface. Our dog park has displaced some wildlife, so please do what you can to keep from harming the wildlife.

Park on the gravel, not the grass, when there are gravelled spots available.

August 30, 2006, Water Buckets at the Park

Please bring your own water containers to the park. We removed the water buckets from the yards because the water in them gets dirty and full of algae and dog spit (and worse) when left out. So please bring (and remove) your own water bowls. If you bring water buckets in the Lucky Pawz Playground, please put them beyond the flags (not between the entrance and the flags, the area that gets congested with dogs coming and leaving.) The water in the tank is still available for filling your containers.

Wednesdays, 6:30pm

JC DogPAC has declared the next many Wednesday evenings "Working Wednesdays" starting at 6:30pm at the park. There are more sand burrs and lots of weeds along the fences to pull, and other miscellaneous clean-up things to be done. Come as you are available to help improve the park. As noted in the 8/23 notice below, bring gloves to pull the sand burrs. They are nasty.
(posted Monday, 8/28/06)

Saturday, August 26, 2006, 11:30am - Calling all dogs

Please bring your dog(s) to the park this Saturday, August 26, around 11:30 a.m. The JC DogPAC Board is having a dog behavior training session with professionals (for Board members) for about an hour starting at 11:45, and we would like lots of dogs to observe at the park. This training will allow us to learn more about dog etiquette and to clarify what is playful behavior and what is problematic. This training will help us educate people about dog behavior and to address behavior issues at the park.We intend to train other volunteers who will also be able to help the park goers with dog behavior issues that might occur.

So come with your canine companion(s) and enjoy the park on Saturday over the noon hour. Thanks for your help.

August 23, 2006, Wednesday, 6:30pm, Sand burr-pulling party at the park

You and your dog may have noticed sand burrs (photo at left) at the park. We cannot spray them, but we can pull them up. The sand burrs will eventually be crowded out by the grass that is mowed regularly by the City. Please come and help pull up as many as possible.

Show up at 6:30pm with gloves (the burrs are sharp and you will want to wear gloves to handle them), a yard bag, and garden kneeler. The last two items are optional and extras will be available at the park.

August 5, 2006 2-4pm

Emma's Run has been reserved for Saturday, August 5, from 2-4pm.

July 20, 2006

Read the notice on the University of Iowa web page about the dog park being open.

June 23, 2006

THORNBERRY OFF-LEASH DOG PARK IS OPEN!! How do we put it into words? We are happy, we are excited, and we are grateful.

The park is finally open, and YOU, our park supporters, turned out in high numbers to register your pups and join in the off-leash fun.

From beginning to end, both days of opening weekend, June 17 and 18, we saw a steady stream of happy people with their dogs, eager to enjoy the thrills of running free (mostly the dogs), and meeting new friends (humans and canines alike).

The Leash Cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17, went off without a hitch. Former IC mayor Ernie Lehman, most of the City councilors, Park Commission members, Terry Trueblood and Terry Robinson of the Parks and Recreation Department, major sponsors such as Jean Walker, Lucky Pawz, Brian and Jan Harvey, and assorted park goers were in attendance as Dean Thornberry ceremoniously cut a leash, as a symbolic gesture of the end of a long volunteer effort, and the beginning of a new era in Iowa City parks. In addition, the press was well represented, and their coverage was widespread and positive.

MANY THANKS to the many volunteers who helped set up tents, post signs, register folks, and orient the park goers; we could not have done it without you. You did a great job!

Another HUGE thanks to those who have made the major donations that have helped create essential portions of the park. The park is open, but there is still work to do and money to be raised. We will finish the pond; install shelters, trees, shrubs, more benches, and yard signs in each yard; and also build an entry structure that will shade the water tank as well as provide shelter for a posting board for notices and information.  This park will only get better with time!

So, we are carrying on. Please continue to support us in any way you can. Buy a brick for the beautiful new walkway. Pitch in and continue to volunteer. Communicate with us, and join us, and HAVE FUN with your pooches at the park - they love it!

Thanks again to all!

The JC DogPAC Board of Directors

June 19, 2006

Read the Iowa City Press-Citizen article about the opening of the Thornberry Off-Leash Dog Park (TOP). TOP opened on Saturday, June 17, 2006, and is open daily from dawn until dusk.

June 14, 2006

Read the article in the Press-Citizen about the Thornberry Off-Leash Dog Park opening.

The Thornberry Off-Leash Dog Park (TOP) will open on Saturday, June 17, 2006. Come to
the leash-cutting ceremony that day. Buy your park tag at the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, or
Iowa City Parks & Recreation. There will be volunteers at the park by 7:30am on Saturday, June 17, to sell park
permit tags. Bring proof of rabies and spay/neuter and microchip (if applicable). The park will open at 8am. At 1pm
there will be a leash-cutting and press event. There will be volunteers at TOP on Sunday, June 18, as well. Please
read about the park and park rules.

After Saturday, 6/17, TOP will be open from dawn until dusk each day.

May 2006

All the 5000 egg-shaped dog treats, provided by WOOFABLES, the Gourmet Dog Bakery, were found at the Eggstravaganza. See photos from that event.

April 2006

The September 2005 Dog Paddle was featured in AquaMagazine, a trade magazine about pools and spas. The photos in the article were taken by Jeff Banaszek, who has photographed other JC DogPAC events.

March 21, 2006

The 2nd Annual EGGStravaganza will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2006. Details available on the Events page.

January 31, 2006 construction photos

Park construction update:

THE POND:
The pond has been dug and the water line to fill the pond was put in place this week. As of Friday, it appeared that this would be completed early next week.The pond still needs to be landscaped around the edge, including ground cover to keep prevent soil erosion. The fence has been put up around the majority of the park. The fence around the pond area will be completed after work on the pond has been completed.

THE ENTRY AREA
The entry area, including the waste tank, commemorative bricks, and information board will be completed in the next few months. Progress on this will depend in large part on the weather, as much of this involves concrete work. The fence around the entry area, including the double-gated entries, will be completed after the concrete and brick work is completed.

THE GRASS
The City seeded the entire park last year in an effort to eradicate the sand burrs that have been prevalent in the park and to establish a solid ground cover that will withstand doggie use. The grass looked very good last fall, and we are hoping for even better coverage this spring. However, in order to ensure that the grass has a fighting chance this year, we will most likely not allow use of the park until the grass has been established this spring. We hope that you will all understand that allowing the grass to establish this year will keep us from having mud and washout problems in the future. 

THE PATHS
The City will be installing an ADA-accessible path in the main yard this spring.  They are coordinating with the contractors who are doing the fencing and other work on the park to determine the best time to do this work.

THE PLANTINGS
Our contractors will be installing some plantings this spring. DogPAC will continue to do fundraising to be able to put in additional plantings, including shade trees, shrubs, and flowers.

January 2, 2006

The Dogs of Iowa City Desk Calendar is a fundraiser for the Iowa City Dog Park and the campaign to buy animal oxygen masks for area fire departments.