Chicagoist Dogs' Social Calendars Filling up Rapidly

By Rachelle Bowden in Miscellaneous on May 5, 2006 11:31AM

Chicagoist loves animals. More specifically, we love our dogs (some of which can be seen here), so we were pumped today when we came across 2 dog events and one dog study all in the same day!

First off, did you know Old Navy has a dog mascot? And its name is Magic? We're not remembering this at all.... Anyway, Magic is retiring (too old for performance fleece and capri pants?) so Old Navy is looking for a new doggie mascot. If your pooch likes picture time and has been begging you to go on casting calls that will lead to fame and fortune, then now's your time. The Old Navy Woof Wagon will be at North Ave. beach Sat., May 20, 2006. You'll get your dog's photo taken, enter the contest, meet "special guests," get "free stuff," and rock out to a live DJ. Hope Fido likes to dance! More deets here, and if you can't make it that day, you can enter online.

Secondly: Bark in the Park. This weekend thousands of dog lovers will be going to Montrose Harbor for tons of doggie fun. There will be a 5k walk, obstacle courses, a pet masseuse, training demos, a dog/owner look-alike contest, and a canine fashion parade. Also, free snacks for you and free treats for your dog. Registration is $30, but this all goes to a great cause, the Anti-Cruelty Society.

Finally, and this is kind of gross, but a survey of America's top cities ranked Chicago one of the most responsible at scooping the poop. The study was done by the makers of Heartgard and the CDC to shine a light on the dangers of dog poo to people (parasites, etc.), and we can't find the results online, but in the email we got Chicago ranked #13th worst offender out of 15, which means we were the 3rd most responsible. The worst was poopy ol' Houston, and the most responsible pet owners were in San Fran. Yay for being responsible and keeping our city clean!