Our Committee.

When Angie decided to adopt a rescue dog in 2005, she fell in love with a Rottweiler/German Shepherd/Border Collie mix, Violet Rose, who would chew up her furniture if not given a chance to run free every day. Violet and Angie spent a lot of time at dog parks on the North Side of Chicago. Watching the unbridled spirit of her dog running her fastest and initiating play with other dogs brought Angie a sense of freedom and clarity during some very stressful times. The dog park also quickly became the best way to learn what was going on in the neighborhood and to meet people who didn’t have a lot else in common with her. When Angie moved to the Southwest Side in 2014, she soon learned that many others in this neighborhood wanted to have this same experience. So, with Violet Rose by her side, now a healthy-but-graying senior, she began researching and working with neighbors to bring a dog park in McKinley Park.

When Carina became a pet owner and moved into a McKinley Park apartment with no yard, she knew she had a problem. She decided to join a few others in spearheading the much-needed, neighborhood dog park effort in 2014. Since then she has moved to Bridgeport with her two canine friends, Kingsley and Chopper. When she’s not volunteering with her awesome committee you’ll find her flying in and out of Detroit as a flight attendant.

Min Huang always wondered why there is no dog park on the South Side of Chicago and would love to have one closer to her house so she can take her miniature schnauzer, Lucky, to play and exercise. In February 2017, she was very excited to learn that there is a group of dog owners and lovers working on the development of a Dog-Friendly Area in McKinley Park. She joined the McKinley Dog Park Committee in March 2017 and has been volunteering to bring the first dog park to the neighborhood.

Adriana Perez is a teacher at Greene Elementary School in the 12th Ward. She is not a life-long dog lover, but became one through marriage! She became involved in the McKinley Park Dog Park Committee in the early months of 2017. Adriana loves to travel and is looking forward to having a place in the neighborhood to run and play with her dog, Eddie.

Though Katrina had never had a pet dog, she felt that the McKinley Dog Park initiative was an awesome cause to get involved with! Being a south side native, she gets excited about bringing new opportunities to the community. Katrina enjoys working with MDPAC so much that she recently adopted a sweet dog, Winnie. Now, she loves taking Winnie to other dog parks so the two of them can socialize. Both Katrina and Winnie cannot wait for the McKinley Dog Park to open so they can become great friends with the McKinley Park community!