Friends of Kinderhook Dog Park

06/16/2023

Our annual meeting on June 10th was productive! First we discussed that membership is greatly down from last year at this time and made note of the budget. We are projected to be out of money in the near future if we keep on our current trajectory. This led us to a great discussion into fundraising opportunities. Some upcoming events will be:
* JoanFest on Main Street in Valatie on July 15th
* Octoberfest on Main Street in Valatie in September.
* A vendors fair outside of dog park at the end of September

Then we discussed some ideas for future fundraisers such as making shirts or car magnets to raise money; having memorial stones or plagues people can purchase for their passed pooches; putting brochures in vet offices to try to increase membership.

I’m sure I’m forgetting something. I will have the minutes posted here as soon as I receive them 😊

11/12/2022

The dog park will be closed tomorrow morning from 8:30am-12pm for fall clean up. Sorry for any inconvenience.

09/17/2022

Friends of Kinderhook Dog Park is at Oktoberfest today on Main St Valatie. Stop by and get a homemade pup cake for a dollar or some fresh cookies. Bring your rabies tag number and license number and apply for a membership. Or just say hi.

09/13/2022

Thank you to David and Gail for the beautiful handmade picnic table for our little dogs here at the park. It is so appreciate and kind 🥰

07/22/2022

Just a reminder:
Tomorrow is our annual dog park meeting. 10am on the little dog park side. Please no dogs!

04/09/2022

UPDATE: The owner has been found!! Thank you to everyone who shared.

A silver ring band was found at the dog park. It is engraved with “Theia and Mateo 5/5/91”. Please comment below with any info on possible owners.

02/08/2022

The dog park is very icy!!!! Please be careful walking from parking lot to park and inside the park!!

01/10/2022

Reminder:
All dogs (big and small) must be held back away from entrance gates when any dog approaches or enters park.

01/10/2022

Reminder:
All dogs must be on leash from parking lot to park gate. This is for the safety of all dogs and people.

01/09/2022

Park memberships can ONLY be mailed in at this time!!!

01/09/2022

As we begin a new year at the Dog Park we just wanted to remind everyone that as a community we need to be respectful of each other. We all as handlers and even our dogs have different comfort levels at the park. Some people really don't like having dogs jump up to say hi, some ask that all the dogs be pulled away from the entrances as their dog approaches, some are not ok with other dogs hu***ng their dog even during play, whatever the reason we need to respect those requests. When a person asks that your dog stops a behavior even if it is a behavior you don't see a problem with you must redirect your dog away from that situation. In addition, regardless of what the people's wishes are you must get your dog away from the entrance gate as a new dog enters. This is important for the safety of our dogs as fights can occur when a new dog enters an already established play pack. Most importantly, we ask that you and your dog have FUN at the park!!

12/15/2021

FYI: We now have a first aid kit located on the big park side in the standing cabinet. There is also a canister of disinfecting wipes for cleaning items or hands in there as well.

12/08/2021

Hello members :) I just want to let everyone know that we will be getting the stump on the big dog side that was left from the large tree that fell last year ground down and taken care of soon. I have a call out to a guy who will be coming to do it in his next patch of stumps for other people. As winter approaches and with it ice we wanted to make sure it is taken care of so no one slides and falls on it.

11/27/2021

Friendly reminder:

10/02/2021

The meeting regarding the addition of a spay/neuter rule was held today. After a lengthy discussion the motion to add the rule "dogs over the age of one must be spayed or neutered to attend the park" was removed from the floor. With no objection put forth it was decided that the current rule stating "No female dogs in heat are allowed to enter the park" was upheld. In conclusion, intact dogs are allowed in the park. Thank you to everyone who has been involved and have put time and energy into data collection in regards to this matter, allowing us all to reach an informed decision.

09/28/2021

Friendly REMINDER:

We will have another dog park meeting to discuss and vote on the neuter/spay issue. Since there will be a discussion prior to the vote, you MUST be in attendance for your vote to count.

The discussion will include the pros and cons of enacting a neuter / spay rule.

The vote will be:
Keep the rule as is (all dogs except females in heat are allowed)
OR
All dogs over 1 year must be spayed/neutered at the time of application (January 1 each year). Exceptions may be made by the Board (ex. medical).

Date: Saturday, October 2nd
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Volunteer / Dog Park Pavilion

* Snacks and refreshments will be provided *

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

09/25/2021

Kennel Cough season again!!

09/16/2021

Animals often suffer for more extended periods because they can’t let us know that they are hurting. Keep a close eye on your pets to watch for changes in their behavior or personality, as this can often signal that they are in pain.

09/11/2021

Update: just was informed by Patsy Leader Kinderhook Town Supervisor that the dog park has to close today @ 1:00pm for the remainder of the day. Sorry for the late notice.

09/02/2021

Good Evening!

We will have another dog park meeting to discuss and vote on the neuter/spay issue. Since there will be a discussion prior to the vote, you MUST be in attendance for your vote to count.

The discussion will include the pros and cons of enacting a neuter / spay rule.

The vote will be:
Keep the rule as is (all dogs except females in heat are allowed)
OR
All dogs over 1 year must be spayed/neutered at the time of application (January 1 each year). Exceptions may be made by the Board (ex. medical).

Date: Saturday, October 2nd
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Volunteer / Dog Park Pavilion

* Snacks and refreshments will be provided *

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

08/30/2021

FYI: The dog park will be closing during this time. So please plan on the dog park being closed from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm. Thank you for you understanding.

08/11/2021

Good morning members. I was just informed that the guys from Roma fence will be at the park in 30 to 40 minutes to repair our fence and make it more secure for the dogs. If you plan on heading over I would wait until 11 or 11:30am to do so. Sorry for the short notice the guy realized he had some free time in his day to scoot over to us. Thanks for your understanding.

07/27/2021

Here is an article that is worth reading.

Bee and wasp stings can be painful and frightening for a dog. A single bee sting will produce pain, swelling, redness, inflammation.

07/20/2021

Xylitol is a sweetener used in many foods and products for people (things like certain gum, sugarless ice cream, candy). Though safe for humans, xylitol can ...

07/11/2021

We have an upcoming members’ meeting on July 31st at noon. Come out for hot dogs, chips, and a drink while also making sure your voice is being heard in regards to the Important matters on the agenda. These agenda points are as follows:
* Voting to add mandatory sterilization for dogs as a requirement to join the park or to have the rule removed from the sign at the gate entrance.
— attached is a response I received from an acclaimed specialist in dog and cat behavior in regards to my question “is it safe to allow intact males to play at dog parks?”

* Vote people onto the Friends of Kinderhook Dog Park board.
* Vice President: responsible for assisting or stepping in for the President if needed. Be a voting member of our board and our dog park community.
* Board Member: be 1 of 7 people on the Board of Directors tasked with encouraging membership growth, making sure the park is operating smoothly, and educating people amongst other tasks.

— If you or someone you know are interested in becoming a member of our board please come to the meeting to be nominated or to nominate yourself.

* we need all registered members to come out to vote on these issues. If we don’t make quorum we can’t officially adopt any new rules or vote people onto the board. If you are unable to attend you may send in your votes with a member attending so your vote can be counted.

https://www.parsemus.org/2019/04/how-to-avoid-aggression-and-other-problems-at-the-dog-park/

chrom://external-file/Safari%20-%20Jul%2011,%202021%20at%203:59%20PM.pdf

DEAR READERS: Please read the following article by Lauren Quinn of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It was originally published on the website ...

06/25/2021

UPDATE to June 19,2021 park meeting minutes. It has been brought to my attention that there are some corrections that need to be made to the meeting minutes.
* There were 3 board members (Melissa Miller, President; Tim Wells, Vice President; Paul Walter, Board member) and 5 park members present, I stated there were 2 park members.
* Chris Wells was responsible for the creation of the Park rules sign and purchased said sign as a donation to the park. Tim Wells had nothing to do with the sign.
* Currently there is debate over the spay/neuter rule at our park. The sign on the gate has it as a rule and when the sign was brought in front of the members in attendance at the meeting held on the date of its completion those members agreed with all stated rules. The problem for some is that these rules are not the rules that we are signing to follow and obey as we obtain our memberships. The upcoming meeting on July 31st is imperative in that it will put this debate to rest. As a dog park community we need to all have our voices heard so get out on the 31st to vote on whether or not dogs must be sterile to join our park. Come out and vote or have someone coming to the meeting carry your vote via proxy vote but vote!!!

06/19/2021

Do you guys know about Amazon smile‘s? It is a program that Amazon does that gives an extremely small portion of the sales to a charity of your designation. Anything and everything helps and accounts feel free to set up Amazon smiles for the Kinderhook dog park in the mobile app it’s quick it’s easy. Let me know if you need any help