DOG PARK CALENDAR MEANS MUCH TO POOCH LOVERS
Source: Daily Jefferson County Union (Extract)
Posted: September 27, 2021
JEFFERSON — It’s been about a decade since the first Jefferson County Dog Park Calendar was published and the document continues to grow in popularity.
It is a useful way for the county to earn funds to support the popular park located south of Johnson Creek.
The county’s dog park has been a labor of love that has been supported, in part, by sales of the dog park calendar.
The people and their pets who enjoy the park on state Highway 26, ambitiously support the calendar by purchasing it and proudly presenting their pets within its monthly pages.
According to Mary Truman of the parks department, the calendar has been available since 2012.
“Much to my surprise, they sold for $10 in 2012 and are still selling for $10 in 2021,” Truman said, adding the publishers of the calendar have included a Rainbow Bridge page to pay tribute to the pups that passed during the last calendar year.
Truman said the county tries to be “all inclusive” when it tries to determine what dogs will be depicted in the calendar.
“The 2022 calendar has 160 pups in it,” she said. “We will find a spot for any photo submitted, as long as the photos are good enough quality for printing. And each year we try hard to avoid placing the same pups from the last year’s calendar in the prominent photo spots for the current year. We like to try to offer everyone a chance to take the spotlight.”
Design and printing of the calendar are all done, in-house, by the county.
“As a department, we look forward to putting the photos together to create the completed product,” Truman said. “The photos are a combination of owner submitted photos and photos taken by our dog park ranger.”
The calendars are more than just a fundraiser for the Jefferson County Dog Park.
“As dog owners, so many of us love our dogs and we treat them like they are our kids and part of the family,” Truman said. “The dogs and parents who regularly visit the park have created a community. Both the dogs and the parents look forward to the social aspect of the park. When they buy calendars, they search the calendars with excitement to find their ‘kids,’ and the ‘kids’ of their friends.”
The Jefferson County Parks Department and the Friends of the Jefferson County Dog Park recognized several local businesses for their support of the 2022 calendar. These include Nestle Purina with a $500 sponsorship; Custom Grooming, a $225 sponsorship; Blains Farm & Fleet, Jefferson Veterinary Clinic and Sullivan Veterinary Service for $150 sponsorships; and Lake Mills Veterinary Clinic, Pidder Padder Paws, and Theisen’s with $75 sponsorships.
Calendars are $10 each and are available for purchase in person at the Jefferson County Parks Department in the county courthouse Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They are also available from the dog park attendant at the Jefferson County Dog Park or on-line at https://jeffersonco.seamlessdocs.com/f/daakhzlju1un