Editorial
Front Page - Friday, December 31, 2010
DOGood unleashes dog-friendly areas for responsible Chattanooga owners
Erica Tuggle
DOGood spokesdog Bentley and his friends Killer, Ginger, Tilly and Terror all don their green bandanas when they walk around town with owner and DOGood director Karen Roach and her husband, Ronnie. The green bandana pledge that DOGood volunteers and supporters take requires a promise that they will always clean up after their dog, carry extra doggie waste bags, always keep their dog leashed and gladly give you a bag for your dog.
- Erica Tuggle
Chattanooga is a town that loves its puppies, and enjoys bringing them along wherever its people go. From walking the Walnut Street Bridge to docking with them at Ross’s Landing, we enjoy having our dogs at our favorite downtown locations alongside us.
Yet, Chattanooga wasn’t always as dog friendly as they have become, and the kudos for these developments goes to the DOGood organization, its volunteers and those who take the “green bandana pledge.”
DOGood is out to prove to city officials that responsible dog owners are the majority in Chattanooga so that more areas will be opened to pooches, says Karen Roach, the director of DOGood for a dog friendly Chattanooga.
About two years ago, Roach and a group of “empty-nester” residents from the new developments of condos and homes downtown came to the group consensus that in the downtown and North Shore areas nothing was open to dogs.
“We couldn’t take them in the parks, couldn’t take them across the bridge and it was an area that Chattanooga had forgotten,” she says.
Instead of swarming the city officials with a list of demands, Roach says they started a petition and began meeting with the parks and recreation department to see what DOGood could do to educate the public on the issue keeping them out of public places: picking up after your dog.
“We are still a little behind the times, and people think it’s fertilizer, and ‘Why should I pick it up? It will get washed away in a few days …’” Roach says.
To counter this thinking, DOGood began to teach at every public event they could get involved in about the green bandana campaign. The green bandana campaign gives out its namesake to every dog whose owner takes the simple pledge: always clean up after your dog, carry extra doggie waste bags, always keep your dog leashed and gladly give others a bag for their dog. With over 1,000 pledge forms signed and the dogs wearing this fashion and educational statement out and about, the message is spreading and the DOGood progress continues.
After DOGood’s initial first success last fall in getting Ross’s Landing opened up to dogs, the city was still hesitant about extending dog privileges. Yet, thanks to the daily monitoring of dog-friendly areas
by DOGood volunteers, in August, the “crown jewel” was opened up to dogs: the Walnut Street Bridge.
“That thrilled us all when we were able to get that opened, because of those of us who live on the North Shore side that wanted to come over [with our dogs]. Before, we had to jump in our cars – because the Market Street Bridge is too dangerous to walk your dog across – and we are all trying to be more environmentally concerned, so it’s been a tremendous success.”
Thanks in part to these efforts, Dogfriendly.com named Chattanooga one of the top ten resort and vacation areas. With seven dog friendly hotels in the downtown area and local business and restaurants with outdoor seating open to keeping canines around, the title has allowed us to welcome outside dog-lovers to the community.
“A couple of years ago, we were not even on the list of 200, and then this past summer, we were named in the top 10,” Roach says. “Also, in September, the State of Tennessee Parks and Recreation Association named DOGood the top program in Tennessee. We received the four-diamond award for that and beat out Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and all their programs.”
DOGood continues its work by involving the younger generation, monitoring all the current dog-friendly areas and politely reminding people to pick up after their dog.
“We encourage other dog owners and dog lovers, if they see someone not picking up after their dog or see someone with a dog off leash, just to say something; not in a confrontational way. Our whole focus has been on education instead of condemnation,” she says.
Roach says the best way to communicate with DOGood is through their Facebook page at “Dog Friendly Chattanooga.” Here, weekly invites to walks and events, pet and owner tips and lost pet announcements are made. Volunteers can help by adopting and refilling bag stations that DOGood is in charge or by dropping off plastic recyclable bags at Bone Appetit to aid the effort. Pledge forms and green bandanas are also available at Bone Appetit, the Ark, Play Dog Excellent and several local veterinarian offices.
Roach says everyone walking the bridge with a dog should stop at the bag station and carry a bag across. If they don’t use it, put it on the other side’s station. She says she’s not too proud to pick up someone’s “leftovers” she sees as she walks her own puppies, and encourages all the do the same for an even more dog friendly Chattanooga.
Visit www.dogfriendlychattanooga.com for more information.
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