Chicago Dog Expert Reaches Out to Groups Differing on Dog Park
CHICAGO – Ami Moore can imagine a park where dogs are allowed to roam free. And she imagines that park in Chicago’s West Loop.
This month, Ami Moore, a Chicago-area dog behaviorist and dog coach, is doing more than just imagining things, however. While the Chicago Park District and the Skinner Park Dog Advisory Group find themselves at odds over the park’s location, Ami Moore has attempted to extend an olive branch of peace in the hopes that the planned park will continue to move closer to becoming a reality.
Moore recently attended a West Loop Chicago community meeting regarding the proposed Skinner Dog Park. Concerned Chicago citizens that lived in the West Loop were encouraged to attend the meeting, during which the Chicago Park District presented a proposal to locate a small dog park at the southeast corner of Laflin and Monroe Streets.
During the meeting, Skinner Park Dog Advisory Group President May Toy openly criticized the Chicago Park District’s proposal, calling it “too little, too late” and “poorly placed.”
“May Toy advocates a dog park placed right in the middle of Skinner Park, aligned in such a way that it cuts the park in half,” Ami Moore, The Chicago Dog Whisperer explained. "The Chicago Park District was of a different opinion."
The Dog Advisory Group had hoped to have the park open by the spring of 2007.
Ami Moore, a strong believer in the benefits of dog parks as a way to increase public safety, offered to be a sort of liaison for the groups.
“I offered to assist the Skinner Park Dog Advocacy Group in creating a dog park for the West Loop,” Moore said.
Ami Moore also asked to be notified of monthly meetings held by the Dog Advisory Council, and expressed a desire to become an active member of the committee.
"I want to help the Skinner Park Dog Advocacy Committee get this park built,” Moore said. “It is good for the park, the children, the parents, and the dogs."
ami Moore, the Dog Whisperer of Chicago, also offered her support to the Chicago Park District, letting them know she is ready and willing to help “move the dog park process along,” she said.
Ami Moore, known as the Chicago Dog Whisperer, is committed to the creation of dog-friendly areas in Chicago.
“Dog parks are a key element in the proper socialization and training of Chicago dogs so that aggression and separation anxiety problems are eliminated,” she said.
“A dog park is a little oasis of dog recreation in a concrete jungle.”
ami Moore believes that more dog parks in the area will improve the lives of dogs and dog owners, and will benefit Chicago’s public health in general.
“Dogs that are well-exercised and well-socialized don’t bite people,” Moore said.
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Ami Moore is a Chicago-based dog behaviorist, dog coach, educator, speaker and author. Visit her Web site at www.dogwhispererchicago.com, www.amimoore.com or www.chicagodogwhisperer.com. Moore can be reached by calling 847-284-7760.
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