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newlenoxpatriot.com Life & ARts
the New Lenox Patriot | October 12, 2017 | 21
Walker Country Estates Park goes to the dogs
Laurie Fanelli
Freelance Reporter
The dog days of summer
may have passed, but “fur”-
tunately it’s shaping up to be
a great fall – especially for
New Lenox’s four-legged
residents.
On Oct. 1, the New Lenox
Park District hosted an afternoon
of fun-filled activities
aimed at unleashing the good
times for dogs of all ages at
its annual Pooch-a-Palooza at
Walker Country Estates Park.
Raffles, demonstrations, dog
contests and pet massages –
compliments of Girl Scout
Troops 120 and 749 – ensured
that everyone had a “paw”-
some time.
Recreation Supervisor, Tracy
Wrase, especially enjoyed
this event because she is a
dog owner.
“I love dogs in general and
Pooch-a-Palooza is a great
opportunity for dog owners
to come out with no pressure
to check out all the different
products that are available
for dogs in the area,” she
said. “It brings the community
all together at a different
type of event.”
Prizes were awarded to
winners in a variety of dogcentric
contests.
“We held competitions for
the biggest dog, the smallest
dog and an owner look-alike
contest,” Wrase said. “All dogs
love to participate in our peanut
butter licking contest, and
we also had a costume contest
as well as the best trick.”
New Lenox residents, David
and Michelle Pawlak,
brought their 9-year-old rottweiler,
Macy, to Pooch-a-
Palooza where she relished in
some pampering while meeting
new pals.
“She enjoyed herself, and
she even made a couple of
new friends,” Michelle said.
“She had a complimentary
massage from the girl scout
Jake Tapella, of New Lenox, holds his dog, Grey.
Jenny English, of New Lenox, leads her dog, Choco Taco,
in an agility demonstration.
troops, she got dressed up and
had her picture taken and got
complimentary treats from
Tucker’s [Doggie Delights],”
David added.
Event sponsor Tucker’s
Doggie Delights – located
by Berkot’s in New Lenox at
2011 Calistoga Drive – was
onsite to help educate petowners
on the benefits of
feeding their dogs all-natural
food and treats, free of corn,
soy, wheat, by-products, artificial
preservatives and fillers.
“We’d rather have dogs
thrive than simply survive,”
said Manager Nick Janowski.
“The cheaper stuff from the
grocery stores – commercial
foods – have a lot of fillers,”
he continued. “A lot of
these products aren’t fit for
humans, so why would you
give your four-legged family
member that type of treat? It’s
all about what is species appropriate.
When pets thrive
on better foods, they have less
vet visits, less health issues
and their all-around health is
better.”
Stone City Kennel Club
also had a booth, and they
hosted demonstrations
on nose work and agility.
Advertising committee
Sophia Tannura, of New Lenox, holds her dachshund, Miley, Oct. 1 during Pooch-a-Palooza
at Walker Estates Park. Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
member, Heather Tannura,
explained that the New
Lenox-based club is for petowners
of all ages, skill sets
and fitness levels.
“We have junior handlers
all the way through seniors, so
it’s for everybody,” she said.
“We’re very family based.
From competition level dogs
Catie Kosteck, of New Lenox, poses for a photo with her
boxer, Welder.
to your average house pet, we
want everybody to have fun.”
Tannura encouraged anyone
interested in learning
more about the club to stop
by Stone City Kennel Club on
Fridays at 10 a.m. to try out
the Fido Fitness class, which
takes place on the facility’s
indoor walking track.
“The program is geared towards
seniors – or anyone –
especially when it’s hot, cold
or raining outside,” Tannura
said.
With so many great events
and businesses catering to local
pets it has become clear
that New Lenox has gone to
the dogs.