It’s a dog-meet-dog world
Thanks to Meetup.com, the January weather won’t make your pooch peevish.By Jamie Murnane
Dee Dee Sanford is one of many dog owners who detests Chicago’s cold, snowy winters. “All pug owners know that pugs do not tolerate the heat or the cold very well,” Sanford bemoans about her two pugs—playful, black Stuey and dark, quiet Guinness. “Our dogs cannot spend as much time out in the cold weather as they do when it’s nicer. Our younger pug loves the snow but still comes in a lot faster when it’s cold out.”
One cold February day in 2004, Sanford, with her stir-crazy pups, searched the Internet for pug sites, stumbling on pug.meetup.com/55, a Chicago-based Web group with a few members blogging about the breed and organizing playdates. About a year later, the website needed a leader and Sanford bit. Today the group has 676 informal members and holds monthly events, giving the sweet, heavy-breathing dogs (sometimes upward of 60 pugs at a time) a chance to safely run and play. To remedy the breed’s aversion to the colder months, they meet at the indoor facility at Roscoe Village’s Of Mutt and Men—an indoor dog park resembling a furniture-clad, dog-friendly, faux house—for $3. And when going out is not an option, the pug owners can leave messages on the website’s blog, share tips on the breed and keep abreast on pug-related issues. A few recent entries explored animal health insurance, finding breeders and adopting pugs. One member, Mariel, posted a link to a Chicago Tribune article on fraudulent pet insurance, while members Amber and Julia discussed the temperaments of black-colored pugs.
Pugs aren’t the only dogs that have their own web groups. Meetup.com is an online social networking portal that’s used to organize group meetings—and dog lovers have gathered via the site since it originated in 2002. These days, just about every breed—even dogs by size (large dogs, toy breeds) or age (puppies)—have their online club, from the Chicago Boston Terrier Meetup Group to the Chicago Boxer Meetup Group, all with their own websites, members and events.
Even when the weather is bearable, meet-ups are a preferred method of socialization for some dog owners, including Mary Scheffke, a member of the French Bulldog group, frenchbulldog.meetup.com/22, which gathers the third weekend of every month. Scheffke, a professional dog trainer, says the other most common option, dog parks, is not ideal. “People who take their dogs to dog parks do not have well-socialized dogs,” she says about unfortunately common lax or negligent pet owners. “Some take their dogs when they are sick and you have a breeding ground for health issues; some people feel dogs should be dogs and do not train their dogs and let their dogs be bullies.” The Frenchies meet at several different locations, from the large, open training room at the Anti-Cruelty Society or they could head to the Stay Dog Hotel’s designer 2,000-square-foot fitness area.
Dog parks can be especially hazardous places for tiny, vulnerable pooches, which might be why Chihuahua owners find meet-up groups enticing, says chihuahua.meetup.com/103 group leader Frank DeMarco, who describes the participants as “a mixed bag.” Unlike some of the other groups, which are free with a charge for facility rental, members of the Chihuahua group pay $5 to go to events. The money goes to website upkeep, and members receive refreshments and other perks. “At last summer’s meet-ups we had a professional chef cook for us, a spa and fashion-show day for the dogs, and a make-your-own BLT and Bloody Mary party,” DeMarco says.
While benefits like those are intended for the humans, DeMarco says his group is all about the dogs. “I enjoy seeing my dogs interact with other dogs and humans and have a good time in a safe surrounding,” he says about the 35 to 50 dogs that attend the meet-ups. “I especially enjoy seeing a frightened or antisocial dog slowly open up and start to have fun running around and just being a happy dog.”
Dogs have their day at the next round of meet-ups: Frenchies gather on Tue 16 , Pugs get together on Feb 9, and the Chihuahuas’ next meet-up is TBA. See websites for details.
