News from Dupont-Logan-U Street (mostly).

From Tom Hay. Questions for Tom? send him an email.You can follow him on Twitter @Tomonswann.

Dog Park Meeting

The Shaw Dog Park’s monthly meeting ,of the dog park committee is this Wednesday, April 20, 7 pm, at the Hotel Helix. All are welcome to attend. Shaw Dog Park located at 11th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW (just south of R Street) and operated by Shaw Dogs, a volunteer group. Our newest contributor, Tori Tyree, has some tips for the dog park.

Dupont Group Fundraising on eBay

Interested in bargains and want to help a local organization? Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets is holding an eBay fundraising auction. HDCMS’s mission “is to make Dupont Circle’s commercial corridors economically healthy, improve our quality of life, and reflect our community’s pride and history.” As of this writing they still have lots of cool vintage cufflinks, collectibles and artwork available to the highest bidder.

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Volunteers do monthly cleanups at the Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW. The park just received a $75,000 city grant for improvements. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Shaw Dogs has received a $75,000 grant from the city to make improvements at the public dog park at 11th and R Streets NW. Shaw Dogs is the non-profit group with responsibility for maintaining and operating the park.

George Kassouf, co-chair of Shaw Dogs, said he was notified Monday that they will receive the grant through the DC Neighborhood Investment Fund. NIF is handled by the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development.

“We applied for the grant in May and got tentative approval a few weeks later, but I didn’t want to announce it until we received the official notice. We basically have Mayor Fenty, a big supporter of dogs parks and other recreational facilities, to thank for this grant,” Kassouf said.

Kassouf said that the funds will help pay for upgrades and improvements to the surface, water systems, fencing and gates. In addition, Shaw Dogs will be able to purchase landscaping items, including planter boxes, trees, shrubs and shade sails. They also plan to purchase new, sturdier benches.

According to Kassouf, only certain, targeted neighborhoods in DC are eligible for NIF grants. The Shaw Dog Park falls just within the border of one of those areas.

The monthly volunteer clean up of the Shaw Dog Park is Saturday at 9 am. (Luis Gomez Photos.)

The next clean up at the Shaw Dog Park is this Saturday, August 28, at 9 am. Volunteers are always needed and should bring shovels, rakes, push-brooms and wheelbarrows, if possible.

You can join the group’s Yahoo! listserv, Dog Owners of Greater Shaw. Shaw Dogs is a non profit that takes care of the Shaw Dog Park at 11th and R Streets NW.

Check out the photo gallery. Shaw Dog Park clean up. (Luis Gomez Photos)

On a beautiful and cool Saturday morning, a group of dogs and their owners volunteered their time to help clean up the Shaw Dog Park at 11th and R Streets NW.

Some 20 volunteers and theirs dogs showed up early with their cleaning tools—with great help from the dogs, naturally. We got some pictures of these hard-working dogs and their owners.

The park is managed by a volunteer, not-for-profit group, Shaw Dogs.

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Shaw Dogs this week: Monthly meeting Wednesday, clean up on Saturday. (Luis Gomez, One Photograph A Day.)

The June meeting of Shaw Dogs is this Wednesday, June 23, at 7 pm at Hotel Helix on Rhode Island Avenue NW. The group’;s meetings are open to the public and it takes care of the Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW (between Rhode Island and R).

Bylaws

Shaw Dogs has recently been working on finalizing bylaws of its proposed 501(c)(3). DC’s city dog parks have volunteer groups that maintain and operate them on a daily basis. There is a similar group for the 17th Street dog park, known as Circle Dogs (also on Facebook).

Saturday Clean Up

The next clean up at the Shaw Dog Park is this Sunday, June 27, at 9 am. Extra hands are always needed and volunteers should bring work gloves and rakes, if possible.

Pride of Pets on Saturday

Pets-DC is having its annual Pride of Pets Dog Show, Saturday, June 26, in Dupont Circle. Dogs compete for Most Mysterious Heritage, Least Obedient, Best Vocal Performance, and so on. The registration fees benefit Pets-DC, a nonprofit that helps care for the companion animals of people with disabling illnesses. Here’s the link to more info about the organization and how to enter.

The Shaw Dogs monthly meeting is Wednesday, May 26, at 7 pm at Hotel Helix. The main item on the agenda is finalization of the bylaws of the proposed 501(c)(3) for Shaw Dogs. The group’s meetings are open to the public. Shaw dogs takes care of the Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW (between Rhode Island and R). This is a reschedule from May 19.

Lupe and Rudolph at play. The Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW is great for larger, active dogs. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Shaw Dogs needs volunteers for the monthly cleanup on Saturday at noon at the 11th Street NW dog park. Shovels, rakes and a wheelbarrow are also needed. Contact Shaw Dogs for more information.

The Shaw Dogs monthly meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, has been rescheduled to May 26 at 7 pm at Hotel Helix. The main item on the agenda is finalization of the bylaws of the proposed 501(c)(3) for Shaw Dogs. The group’s meetings are open to the public. Shaw dogs takes care of the Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW (between Rhode Island and R).

It’s a dog-centric week coming up. (Luis Gomez Photos)

“Dog Days” refers to those horribly hot days and weeks of August. But this week is a different type of dog days with several dog (and cat) related events on the calendar. There are two Shaw Dogs events (one a reschedule), a Washington Animal Rescue League benefit and BowWow PowWow (rescheduled).

The notable pet event of the week is the 2010 White House Pet Correspondents Benefit Happy Hour, which will benefit the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL).  This is a very Washington type of thing—details below.

Yes, there are some other things happening this week, too. Check out the info on the launch of Deals for Deeds on Tuesday night at ACKC Cocoa Bar.

Parking Restrictions this Week

There are parking restrictions in effect in several limited areas of Logan Circle and Dupont Circle neighorhoods. Due to filming, production vehicles have been granted parking spaces on the west curb lane of the 1300 block of Vermont Avenue NW between N and O Streets from 8 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday… and on the east curb lane of the 1600 block of 21st street NW between R Street and Hillyer Place NW from 8 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. If you need more information, contact the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development at 202-724-8094 or jennifer.jenkins5@dc.gov.

Tuesday, April 27

Deals for Deeds launches Wednesday and there is a launch party on Tuesday from 6 to 8 pm at ACKC Cocoa Bar, 1529 14th Street NW. The group buying website will be similar to LivingSocial and Groupon, but supports community nonprofits in the process. Deals for Deeds will offer “one huge daily deal on the best things to do, see or eat around the city…. and a portion (at least 5%) of every deal is donated to one of three local non-profits that rotate on a regular basis.” On the business side, they have already partnered with ACKC, Arganica Farm Club, Tango Mercurio and Carafe Wine Makers. On the nonprofit side, Deals for Deeds has lined up Washington Animal Rescue League, Food & Friends, and Habitat for Humanity of DC.

Wednesday, April 28

Shaw Dogs holds its monthly meeting at Hotel Helix, 1430 Rhode Island Avenue NW, at 7 pm; meetings are open to the public. This is the group that takes care of the Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW. (Rescheduled from the 21st.)

The 2010 White House Pet Correspondents Benefit Happy Hour benefiting WARL is from 7 to 9 pm at Hotel Helix with some local media names promised by WARL: “Please Join Adam Falkoff, Shelley Hymes, Holidae Hayes, Peter Mirijanian, Lynly Boor, Susan Lavine, Brad Wine, Pia Maria and Steve Norris, Tina and Spike Karalekis, John McLaughlin, Buzz and Lois Aldrin, Christa Ventikos and Tucker Carlson, John McCaslin and Juleanna Glover, Angie Goff & Their Dogs for the first annual 2010 White House Pet Correspondents Benefit celebrating the release of Wendy and Lucky Diamond’s new book, It’s a Dog’s World, a culmination of a decade of her experience in the pet business…” Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online or by calling 212-629-0392 x204.

Saturday, May 1

The District’s Department of Health will hold a vaccination and registration clinic from 1 to 4 pm for dogs and cats at the Shaw Dog Park. Dogs must be on leash, and cats must secured in a carrier box. The vaccinations are free, but there are registration fees. Here’s more information.

Sunday, May 2

The Adams Morgan Main Street Group is hosting BowWow PowWow at Marie Reed School (18th and Wyoming NW) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is “a day of fun and festivities for you and your dog.” There will be a dog agility demonstration, 11 contests, information about adoption from WARL and more. (Rescheduled from April 25.)

Rachel of K-9 Divine will hold a free training session at Shaw Dog Park at 12:30 pm on Sunday. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Sunday, April 25: Clean Up, Training Session

Shaw Dogs is holding a Shaw Dog Park clean up and training session on Sunday, April 25. At 12:30 pm Rachel of K9-Divine will hold a free training session for dog owners, which will be followed by a park clean up—volunteers are needed. The park is on the 1600 block of 11th Street NW, between Rhode Island and R NW.

Wednesday, April 28: Monthly Meeting

Shaw Dogs holds its monthly meeting at Hotel Helix, 1430 Rhode Island Avenue NW; meetings are open to the public. This is the group that takes care of the Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW. This meeting was rescheduled from the 21st.

Saturday, May 1: Vaccination, Registration Clinic

Next Saturday, May 1, from 1 to 4pm at the Shaw Dog Park, the District’s Department of Health will hold a vaccination and registration clinic for dogs and cats. Dogs must be on leash, and cats must secured in a carrier box. The vaccinations are free, but there are registration fees. Here’s more information from DC DOH.

Lupe (right) and a friend at the Shaw Dog Park on 11th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)

The Shaw Dog Park Committee holds its monthly meeting tonight with the main topic of discussion the formation of a non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation to maintain and manage the dog park. The park is located on the 1600 block of 11th Street NW. Shaw Dogs currently operates as a subcommittee of the MidCity Association, a neighborhood non-profit organization. The meeting is at the group’s regular location, Hotel Helix at 1430 Rhode Island Avenue NW, at 7 p.m. Shaw Dogs meetings are open to the public.

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