Update for January 2010!

Hello everyone,

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, PLEASE CHANGE YOUR SOPODOG EMAIL ADDRESS FROM THE PREVIOUS YAHOO ADDRESS TO southportlanddog@gmail.com. THIS IS OUR NEW, PERMANENT ADDRESS. Thank you!

It's been quite a while since I've had a chance to update blogs, work on SoPoDOG activities and it took time to recover from the work of the election we won to keep dogs on Willard Beach! Yay! But we're back, stronger than ever and committed to continue our mission of responsible dog ownership, stewardship of the open spaces where we walk our dogs and protection of the access we have in South Portland for off-leash dog recreation.

On Saturday, January 2 from 8-10 a.m. we have our Beach and Parks Clean-up, but according to the weather forecasts we will probably be overwhelmed with snow and won't be able to get to the trash. So whatever you see pick it up please! It is very important we continue to keep our parks and Willard Beach very clean to show the city of South Portland that we are responsible and we do respect the places where we walk.

Clean-ups traditionally occur on the first Saturday of each month, but in the winter months they are not as consistent due to weather and snow, so keep picking up and remind others to as well. February will be another month to try, March and April are the best months to catch up when things start thawing (ok, I know that's optimistic of me to say, thawing in March and April?). "Doo" your best!

The SoPoDOG Website will be getting a bit of a makeover to make it easier for people to find what they need in a smaller space. Right now the homepage has a lot of photos and information on it, and over the next month I will be redesigning it to be more user friendly. If you have suggestions or comments please feel free to send them to me (kindly please, I am sensitive!) at southportlanddog@gmail.com.

Membership for 2010 is off to a good start, but we need YOU to send in your membership form and dues. Now it is easier than ever to sign up to be a member of SoPoDOG. You don't need to live in town, anyone can be a member! Just go to www.sopodog.com and you can sign up online, and pay online! Or you can download the old fashioned paper form and send it in with a check. Membership is $10 for an individual membership and $15 for a family. Just think of it, $1.00 a month to walk on Willard Beach, Hinckley Park, etc. How wonderful!

Please become a member. Without our membership this fall I can say with certainty we would have lost access to Willard Beach due to the referendum that was voted on in November. It is very rewarding to walk on Willard and see everyone enjoying themselves with their dogs off leash. If we had lost the referendum we would have to have our dogs on leash all winter and would be banned in the summer, which would significantly limit their exercise and socialization.

Even though the days are short and cold (10 degrees this morning without windchill!) we are enjoying the beach more than ever because 60% of the voters in South Portland told us they approve of us being there. Let's be the best dog owners we can be so we make that percentage even higher. We need to keep it higher than all of the presidential approval numbers, always!

Thank you again to everyone who donated their money, time and energy and voted to protect our access to public space - space for all to share!

Have a Happy New Year!

-Crystal Goodrich

Press Release: Fifth Annual Planet Dog “Sit With Santa”

Santa Claus visits kids and dogs at the Planet Dog Company Store to raise funds for the Planet Dog Foundation

What: Planet Dog Company Store is hosting the fifth annual "Sit With Santa", the Planet Dog Foundation’s popular annual fund raising event to help them support canine service organizations. Kids and dogs are invited to have their photos taken with Santa. The cost is $10.00 for a sitting with Santa. One image will be provided at the event and the others will be available to download later.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Planet Dog Foundation which supports canine service programs nationwide. A photographer will be taking the photos and a box of "costumes" will be provided for interested dogs (antlers, etc.). Free refreshments for the kids and dogs will also be provided (cider, animal crackers, dog treats and water).

When: Saturday, December 5th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm.

Where: Planet Dog Company Store, 211 Marginal Way, Portland

Cost: $10.00 per dog

Who: Planet Dog is a Portland-based designer, developer and retailer of award-winning and socially responsible products for dogs. Planet Dog is proud to donate a portion of every sale to the Planet Dog Foundation (PDF) to support canine service programs.

Contact: Katie LeBel, 207-563-7695, Planet Friendly Public Relations, e-mail: katie@planetfriendlypr.com

Kristen Smith, 207-761-1515, ext. 101, Planet Dog Foundation, e-mail: kristen@planetdog.com

Photography Exhibit of SoPo Officer and Police Dog, Baron

On November 19, beginning at 6:30, the South Portland Public Library will host an opening reception for a photography exhibit at the Main Library.

Photographer Cheryl Rau had the opportunity to follow South Portland Police Officer Webster and K-9 Baron as they went about their work - and lives - together. The South Portland Public Library, in cooperation with the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, is pleased to present a selection of photographs from Cheryl’s 8-weeks of work, documenting the fascinating partnership between Officer Webster and Baron.

This event will provide a unique opportunity to hear - from the photographer - about how this project was produced, as well as what the experience of being followed around by a stranger with a camera was like for Officer Kevin Webster and his K-9 partner Baron. Attendees will also learn about what this K-9 police team does to protect our community and will see a demonstration of the duo in action.

Officer Kevin Webster of the South Portland Police Department says that he spends more time with his K-9 partner Baron than he does with his wife and kids. Together 24/7, Officer Webster and Baron know each other so well that much of their communication - a look, body language, or tone of voice (or bark) - is subtle and easy to miss.

The exhibit will remain on display in the library through the end of the year.

This exhibit is made possible through generous funding provided by the Friends of the South Portland Public Library. Framing and additional production services for the exhibit have been provided by Casco Bay Frames in Portland.

For more information on Cheryl Rau’s photography, please visit her website: www.CherylRauPhotography.com

For more information on the South Portland Police Department's, K-9 units, please visit their page, HERE.

The Mac is off to the shop!

Hello everyone,

Now that the election is over it's time for me to take the Mac to the store and drop it off for repairs.

The SoPoDOG website is all loaded with a membership page so you can go there now and get your membership ONLINE! Just follow this link to get your membership: MEMBERSHIP SOPODOG.

I will still be able to send out the updated SoPoDOG Newsletters and update this blog, so please check here for the most recent information. You can also join our facebook page: SoPoDOG Facebook Group
or follow us on Twitter: SoPoDOG on Twitter.

Make sure you bring a flashlight to walk the dog after work, it's getting dark really early now!

Have a wonderful weekend!
- Crystal

Healthy Howl-o-ween Pet and People Costume Party a Success!

SoPoDOG Howl-o-ween Event on 10/31/09

Sorry not to post this earlier but we didn't have photos back from our two photographers at the event, Helen Slocum of Simonton Cove Photo and Meredith Perdue of &unlimited photography. The picture to the left is complements of Helen Slocum and you can find the other photos on her website at this link: Simonton Cove Photography and Restoration. Take a look at all of the cool costumes!

Meredith will get her link to me and I will post it when it is ready so you can take a look at her shots too! Enjoy! The day was overcast, but that didn't keep dog owners from showing up to clean up the beach from 8-10 a.m. The first people to arrive were given a free glow in the dark Orbee ball from Planet Dog (my car still smells like the mint from the balls)!

The cleanup was followed by a costume party of dogs and people, healthy snacks for the kids (adults had doughnut holes and coffee :) and prizes! Donors included: Fetch in Portland, Barkwheats Biscuits, Gertie's Doggie Bakery, Elsa Larsen, dog trainer of My Wonderful Dog, and Fetch Dog. We also started our membership drive and sold a couple of t-shirts. For the campaign the best part was the press showing up. Channel 6 interviewed our SHARE spokesperson, Tom Ayres (who, by the way, was dressed as a mutt mitt - very good image).

The broadcast was shown on Sunday and Monday morning - just a day before the election, and was helpful to get our message out - we clean the beach, we care for the beach and we are the stewards of the beach. So thanks to everyone who came and helped with judging, including one of our city councilors - Patti Smith. We really had a nice time and we would love to do it again next year.

There has also been the idea of a Captain Benjamin Willard Event on the Beach. Some of the members have started planning for that event. We haven't chosen a date yet. If that is something you would like to be involved in please email me at southportlanddog@gmail.com so we can get you on our list. It will be a great way to celebrate the history of the Willard Neighborhood and Willard Beach.

Please note the change in our email address: southportlanddog@gmail.com, we will no longer be using our Yahoo account, so please send info to our new gmail account. It was changed to make blogging and website updating easier and more consistent.

Thanks, Crystal

Party Tonight at the new Mad Horse Theatre Company

Party With NO ON ONE and SHARE / SoPoDOG

Date / Time: Sat. 11/7, 7 - 10 p.m.
Location: Mad Horse Theater
Address: 34 Mosher Street
Cost: $5.00 donation for renovation of the Mad Horse Building
Beer at location, otherwise BYOB
Please bring a finger food to share!

You are invited to a potluck party to celebrate the amazing work of our SoPo election volunteers and to thank Mad Horse for the use of their new space.

The campaign volunteers for No on 1 and Share Willard Beach deserve a night to relax, raise a glass, and honor our commitment to making South Portland a place where we all are treated equally!

* Please bring $5 to donate to Mad Horse Theater for their generous use of their meeting space. This donation will go toward their building renovation fund and will let them know we appreciate them being a part of our community.

* Please bring a finger food to share (appetizers or sweets that do not require utensils). Beer will be available. Please bring anything else you wish to drink.

* Food, drink, music, neighbors - victory was never so much fun!

* An RSVP is required so we know what we need for supplies.

Follow this link to RSVP via Facebook! If you don't have a Facebook account you really should get one because SoPoDOG is on there, and you can email David Jacobs instead at: davidjacobs@mindspring.com.

Thank you!

Celebration at Willard Beach!

What a beautiful morning to celebrate our defeat of the dog ban! There was a gathering at Willard Beach of SHARE volunteers, campaign organizers, SoPoDOG members and supporters.

We had a great time relaxing and enjoying the below 40 degree weather, which was made very bearable by abundant sunshine and no wind chill! (Those days are coming). Of course there were many walkers without dogs and they seemed to have a nice morning as well.


Some of our group members' dogs have passed away recently and they were there discussing their plans to add another member to their family. If you are interested in adding a dog, cat or another animal to your family there are many options for adoption.

Planet Dog is having several adoption days this month and below is a list of the dates:

Today, November 7 - The Animal Welfare Society

Nov. 8 - Friends of Feral Felines (there is a huge crisis of feral felines and adoption issues with cats in Maine, please consider donating if you can).

Nov. 14 - Maine Greyhound Placement Service

Nov. 15 - Labrador Retriever Rescue

Nov. 21 - Small Paws Rescue - Bichon Rescue

Nov. 28 - Memphis Area Golden Retriever Rescue, "From Memphis to Maine"

Planet Dog is located at 211 Marginal Way, Portland. Call 347-8606 FMI.
Adoption agencies and rescues are typically at the store between 1-4 p.m.

Thank you to everyone who came this morning, it was nice to see everyone so happy and relaxed! Remember to renew your membership to SoPoDOG, we need financial support to continue to keep our mission of responsible dog ownership and access to South Portland parks open! Follow this link: MEMBERSHIP!

- Crystal