September Cleanup a Success

Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday to help make the dog park and the community just a little bit better. We mulched the tree boxes, edged and pulled the weeds inside and outside of the park, disinfected the benches, and cleanup up dog poop. We also added new new poop bag dispenser. Just an hour of work made a huge difference.

And after the cleanup, a few of us joined together for a dog friendly brunch at Bar Roubaix.

Fall Park Cleanup & Brunch - September 22

It's time for a fall cleanup, and we need your help. Join us on Saturday September 22 at 10:30. We'll add new mulch to the tree boxes, trim the grass, pick up any debris in and around the park, and repair the plastic meshing that keeps small dogs safely in the park. 

We'll bring trash bags, gloves, mulch, a rake and shovel, and zip ties for the plastic meshing. If you can bring, or lend us, a manual push-mower or a gas-powered weed wacker to trim the grass, please email us.

Post-Cleanup Brunch at Bar Roubaix
After the cleanup, we’ll gather and have brunch at Bar Roubaix on Irving Street. Dogs are welcome on the patio. 

Please RSVP here to let us know if you are coming to brunch.

If you can't attend but would like to help? Consider a tax-deductible donation to help fund the cleanup. Your generous donations help us buy mulch and other supplies. Thanks again. 

Join Us for the Columbia Heights Day Dog Show

The 13th Annual Columbia Heights Day 2018 will take place on June 16 from 11 am - 6 pm. Stop by our table, where you can buy bandanas for your dogs, purchase bottled water, and take steps to support the park. Also, enter your dog or come by to watch our Dog Show. Registration for the dog show begins at 10:30 and the show begins at 11:00. Prizes will be given for:

• Best dressed
• Best kisser
• Best trick
• Best tail wagging
• Best ears
• Most mysterious mutt
• Most Distinguished (dogs 7 & up)

To volunteer at the table or the dog show, email us.

A Successful Earth Day Cleanup

On Saturday, April 21, 11th and Bark held a cleanup at the park in conjunction with a neighborhood-wide cleanup, the Great CoHi Cleanup. In addition to picking up any debris in and around the park—including up and down Park Rd. and 11th St.—volunteers repainted the benches and table, and repaired the plastic meshing that keeps small dogs safely in the park. The biggest project of the day was creating a dry well to stop a standing water issue not-so-fondly referred to as "the pond." Thanks to everyone who spent their afternoon helping, and in particular those who were on shovel duty.

An extra special thanks to the guys who did the digging! (And to Miles and Ivy, who probably also tried to help with the digging.)

Thanks to Ward 1 Councilmember, Brianne Nadeau, for fighting to try to get money in the budget so that the DC Council can buy, save, and improve the park. And, a thanks for stopping by the cleanup. 

See how much fun it is to clean up the park!  Thanks Jamie and Penelope for all your hard work!

Update: Park Supporters Testify at DC Council Hearing

On Thursday, April 12, seven park supporters spent their afternoon asking the DC Council to add funding to the FY2019 budget to purchase the Columbia Heights dog park from WMATA. 

As you might already know, WMATA owns the property at 11th and Park, but has let us use the land for a dog park since 2009. Now, WMATA wants to sell the land. Our only chance at saving the park is for the District to buy the land and make it an official city park.

On Thursday, the DC Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment held a hearing on the parks and recreation budget. Five people testified before Chairwoman Mary Cheh (Ward 3) in support of the park. Lori Robertson, Chair of 11th and Bark, spoke about the nonprofit that has been trying to work with WMATA to improve the park for several years. Eva Guenther explained to the committee that the park is about more than just the dogs, it is also about the relationships and community is fosters. John Henderson, of Green Spaces for DC, testified about the importance of green space and that the Columbia Heights neighborhood is already lacking in parks. Yared Mekbib, spoke to his many years as a park-goer and what the park means the neighborhood. And, Penelope Poole, spoke to her experiences in the park and how she and her husband, who is blind, chose their home so that Aaron's service dog could use the dog park. 

Park supporters also presented the Council with the petition, signed by more than 1,400 DC residents; statements in support of the park from 216 DC residents; and letters from 11th Street businesses and neighborhood nonprofits. 

Councilwoman Cheh expressed concern that we could lose our well-established, strongly-supported, and well-loved park. She noted that once you lose green space you never get it back and that the District can't allow every square inch of land to be turned into buildings. She also expressed interest in trying to work with Councilmember Jack Evans (Ward 2), who is also the Chair of the WMATA Board, to try to find the funds to purchase the land. 

Convincing Councilmember Cheh to take an interest in our park is a huge step forward that we could not have done without park-goers signing the petition and engaging in social media advocacy. But we haven't won yet. We need to do more.

Now, we need

• park-goers to call and email members of the Committee.
• a good showing at the April 21 park cleanup to show that we will take care of an official park if the District buys it.
• you to come to our next happy hour, Wednesday, April 18 at 6:30 at Wonderland to help take action and thank those who testified on your behalf on Wednesday. 

Help Us Get Rid of the Pond

We’ll pick up debris in and around the park. We’ll also create a dry well to stop the formation of the “pond.” This event is being held in conjunction with the The Great CoHi Cleanup, a neighborhood-wide event.‬

‪Sign-up for the cleanup and designate your interest in the dog park cleanup:

Come to our April Happy Hour

It's time for another 11th and Bark Happy Hour! Join us April 9 from 6-9 at the Coupe. If the weather permits, we can sit on the patio with the doggos. Otherwise, we will meet inside. 

We'll talk about the next steps for the saving the dog park, including prepping for the April 12th Council hearing on the Parks and Recs budget. 

Hope to see you there. 

Mardi Paws Event on February 17

Join us for Mardi Paws! It will take place on Febuary, 17, 2018 from 11 am - 1 pm at the dog park. There will be a pet costume contest, prizes, and giveaways. Celebrate your pets and learn about the efforts to save the Columbia Heights Dog Park. 

Clean-Up Day Scheduled for February 10, 2018

Do you love your dogs? Then show them by helping us clean up their dog park. Please join us Saturday, February 10th from 9am-11am. We'll bring the coffee.