SoftDawgs

Mission: Softdawgs is a volunteer group that was started in Bend in 1998 due to an increase in dog issues in our community and a desire to be proactive about future problems.

Softdawgs' mission is to educate dog owners about responsible dog stewardship in order to keep Bend a dog-friendly city, and enhance the human/canine bond through outdoor activities.

The volunteer group's goals are to advocate towards a better understanding of dogs, dog training, healthcare and current dog-related conflicts.

Softdawgs proactively educates the dog-owning public through monthly meetings, monthly park clean-ups and special events.

Softdawgs also participates in a partnership with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

De-Poop-Da-Park Dog Waste Clean Up Campaign

Bend, Oregon is a recreational mecca as well as a boom town. Our population is increasing at a phenomenal rate and, with that, so is our dog population. The purpose of the survey is to inform dog owners of the conflicts and issues now facing dog owners in the area, provide education on responsible dog stewardship, to gauge peoples' knowledge on issues and provide useful information to Softpaws, the regulating partnership and other dog concerned folks that would be interested in this kind of information.

Survey

Here's the idea: "Carry a Bag, Get a Bone." Softpaws' volunteers will routinely visit the parks around town, as well as dog-related events and ask the dog owners if they have heard of the Clean Up Campaign in town. We will then ask if they have a bag to pick up their dog waste. If they do, they get Bone Bucks from our sponsors including Ruffwear, Biscuits of Bend, Pet Express, and Dancin' Woofs Compassionate Dog Training & Daycare, to purchase their products. If they get caught in the act of picking up their waste, they get double the "Bucks". If they don't have a bag, we offer them one. If they would also like to fill out the 5-7 minute survey, their name will be put in a raffle for even more products provided by our sponsors.

The goal of the survey is to create a database with at least 1000 responses that will be distributed by volunteers in parks around town, at the annual Pole, Paw Piddle skijoring race at Mt. Bachelor, the annual World of Animals Education Fair in Redmond, Oregon and the Earth Day Fair downtown Bend, the Central Oregon Humane Society's Summer newsletter, and special Friday evening events at the parks.

Campaign Launch and Advertising

We launched the campaign and survey on April 14 at Drake Park. The cool, cloudy weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm as Softpaws volunteers got the word out through collecting surveys and raffling off dog items donated by some of the sponsors.

Left: Mare Shey, Softpaws Coordinator, talks with Z21 Reporter, Lee Anderson, at the launch (Photo by Mark R. Johnson).