YOUR WALKING BUDDY

Building Bridges
Between Our Animal Companions and the City They Live in

By Julie Cantonwine

Our PACC Mission Statement: PACC looks for ways to further the social mobility of animals by bridging the conflicts created by animals living in the city. In this way we hope to build bridges that will bring animals and cities together playfully. Community, Communication, and Commerce. Using Communication, we give the animal’s companion the skills necessary to constructively communicate with and care for animals in urban areas. Using Community, we bring the friends of animals together with the decision makers in business. Using Commerce, we create standards that will allow animals to travel with their companions in urban areas. www.ourpacc.org

When walking the streets of Portland, OR, one would be hard pressed not to notice the abundance of dogs out and about with their owners in this city. Just recently, Portland was named the number one dog city in the US by Dog Fancy Magazine. As we notice doggie daycares sprouting up on every corner and city meetings discussing off leash hours in popular city parks, we also see more and more conflict between home owner associations and business owners concerning dogs and their behavior and the dog owner’s behavior in neighborhood parks and surrounding businesses.

With that said, dog owners and non-dog-owners are seeking ways to bridge the conflicts that develop with the abundance of dogs living in an urban setting, including dog waste issues, unfriendly dogs left unattended and tied up outside of a business, dogs off-leash in clearly marked leash-only areas, and off-leash dogs approaching people who may be afraid of dogs and not wanting to interact with a dog.

People’s Animal Chamber of Commerce (PACC) is a group dedicated to looking for ways to further the social mobility of companion animals by bridging the conflicts created by animals living in the city. The PACC, which likes to be referred to as “Our PACC,” was formed by past editor/owner of the “Dog Nose News,” Laurie Morton; owner of Healthy Pets Northwest, Julie Cantonwine; and owner of Canine Outdoor Equipment, Sue Loftesness.

Our PACC offers animal businesses, pro- animal people, and animal-positive businesses a place to network while being playful and helping animals. Our PACC’s first campaign is “Canine Good Citizens™ Welcome Here”

The goals of this campaign include:
• Improving the behavior skills of dogs in metro areas.
• Improving the training skills of pet owners in metro areas.
• Increasing the opportunities for dogs to patronize businesses with their owners in metro areas.

This will be accomplished by:
• Promoting the AKC Canine Good Citizen™ certificate as the minimum standard of behavior for urban dogs.
• Enlisting urban businesses to welcome Canine Good Citizens™ into their establishments by posting “Canine Good Citizens™ Welcome Here” signs in their windows.
• Working with trainers to publicize opportunities for pet owners to learn how to train their dogs.

Our PACC meets monthly and is in the beginning stages of gaining non profit status. Businesses, trainers, and individuals are all welcome to join this group. If you or anyone you know is interested in Our PACC and in joining this great group-effort to build bridges in our city between animals and business, visit www.ourpacc.org where you will find information on upcoming campaigns, meeting times, and contact information.