K9COLA
News From K9COLA
March 2012  
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Parks Update

in the woods
Construction continues at the new park as weather permits, and of course Cheyenne is open for your enjoyment!  
Ball Launcher
January/February donors to K9COLA include Lincoln Allen, $155; Nathan and Shantelle Franzen, $50; and Josh and Dawn Svenson Holland, $50 in memory of Travis William Hoekstra.

 

Dog Treats Needed!

If any of you out there are bakers, K9COLA could sure use donations of home-baked dog treats to sell at the Downtown Farmers Markets! The treats are very popular - plus selling homemade items is what allows us to maintain our booth!

See an example recipe in an adjoining article. Please contact Jill, our volunteer coordinator, to offer your baking services!
You can still volunteer to help put on the next K9Splash! dog swim in Cedar Rapids. The next planning meeting takes place on Monday March 12 at 5:45 pm at the Ambroz Recreation Center, 2000 Mt. Vernon Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids. Write Marie at [email protected] for more information.
Wine Tasting
Ball Launcher
We have set the date for our 4th Annual Wine for a Good Cause wine tasting fundraiser! Note May 25, 5:30-7:30 on your calendar, and be sure to join us at the 1st Avenue Wine House. There will be a silent auction -- if you have something you'd like to donate, contact Steve at [email protected].

 

Get Your 2012 Permits
Do you have a 2012 park permit and tag for each of your dogs? Visit Animal Control to pick them up. You can find more information here. Note that permits are good in both parks, and if you purchased tags for 2011, they are still good throughout 2012 too.
Benefit This Weekend

Ball Launcher
During the warm months, Hy-Vee opens its grill outside and donates part of the profits to local groups and programs. On Saturday and Sunday March 10-11, 10 am to 3 pm, the store on Mt. Vernon Road will be opening its outdoor grill and will be donating to K9COLA. Stop on by! K9COLA will have an information table there.
Go Green!

Less than two weeks to go before St. Patrick's Day is upon us! K9COLA will once again be walking in the Cedar Rapids St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 17, at 1:00 pm. We invite everyone who wants to walk to join us in the parade. We need people with their dogs to walk, two people to carry our banner, and several to hand out candy. Even if you don't bring a dog, we can use your help!

We are entry #4 and we are in staging area "A". This is on the corner of 4th Ave. SE and 6th St. SE. The parade starts right at 1:00 pm so everyone needs to be in the staging area by 12:30. Syd and Steve will get there around 11:00-11:30 to get us checked in. We should be easy to find. Please join us, and if you know anyone else who would like to walk let them know. If you have any questions, email Steve at [email protected]. We know you'll have fun! 
K9COLA at Farmers Market

K9COLA will again have a booth at the Cedar Rapids Farmers Market  this coming summer. The markets are open from 7:30 am to noon on the first and third Saturday mornings from June through September. The dates are:

 

June 2 & 16

July 7 & 21

August 4 & 18

September 1 & 15

 

If you come, be sure to stop by the K9COLA booth. We will have homemade dog treats and other crafts for sale. For that reason, we need homegrown, homemade, and handcrafted items to sell! Dog-related items are most popular. For example, dog treats are always big sellers. Can you help? Please contact Jill, our volunteer coordinator, to offer your baking services!

  

If you bring your dogs along, we always have water for them to drink. Just remember that dogs need to be on a leash no longer than 4 ft. long. There are always people who don't like the dogs there, so we need to follow the pet policy to make sure we can continue to take our dogs to the markets. Hope to see you there this summer. For more information, write Steve [email protected].

K9COLA Recipe Book

Here's a good recipe for dog treats. We'll feature more recipes in upcoming newsletters!

Banana Mutt Cookies
1 1/2 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 2 1/2 bananas)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. oats
1/2 c. chopped peanuts
1/4 c. applesauce

 

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Press flat with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. Makes about 20 cookies. 
Trash Volunteers Needed
Ball Launcher
Hello everyone! It looks like we are going to have some warmer weather coming up. We are going to start scheduling two trash collections a week at Cheyenne Park. If you've never helped out with trash, it's easy and we can tell you what to do. Don't let that stop you from volunteering!

We need people to stop out on the weekends and midweek. Here are the dates:


April 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28
May 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30
June 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20 23, 27, 30

If you are interested in any of these, please let me know. Thanks for all your wonderful help!! Write me at [email protected].
Jill :), Volunteer Coordinator K9COLA

Swallowing a Penny Comes at a High Price for Dogs

Humans aren't the only species with money troubles. Did you know that pennies can be hazardous to your dog's health? One-cent coins used to be made from 100 percent copper, which is nontoxic. In 1982, the government began minting pennies that were made mainly from zinc (much cheaper) and coated them with a thin layer of copper, keeping the look of a penny. When swallowed, the copper coating of the newer penny dissolves in the stomach acids, leaving a wafer of toxic zinc.
Read More
Dogs Succeed While Chimps Fail at Following Finger Pointing: Chimpanzees Have Difficulty Identifying Object of Interest Based On Gestures

Dogs are better than chimps at interpreting pointing gestures, according to a study published in the online journal PLoS ONE. Read More
Thanks again for your interest in our dog parks, and we'll look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,
K9COLA Board of Directors