About Us
Windy City Working Dog Club is Chicago's newest PSA club. We train on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings in central Chicago. We also meet on some Sundays to train outdoors in Hinckley, IL (west on I-88 toward DeKalb). Our goal is to work together to prepare our dogs for PSA competition and to provide a friendly environment for consistent, high quality training for working dogs and handlers.
We are committed to fostering a club atmosphere where everyone participates equally. In this spirit, we choose not have a "training director." Rather, our founding members include Daniel McElroy, Chicago's first certified PSA decoy and owner of Bark Avenue Playcare; Mike Pulford, a NARA certified ring decoy who has titled his own dog in PSA competition and who owns and runs K-9 Country kennels and training facility; and Paul Bilecki, who has trained personal protection dogs and patrol dogs for law enforcement and military service for over 20 years and has a long history as a Schutzhund training decoy and competitor. Our hope is that as the club grows, each new member will bring his or her own knowledge and experience to the mix so all can benefit.
While our sport focus is PSA, we welcome members with a background or interest in other dog sports as well as those who may not wish to compete but would like to be part of an active training community. A handler-training program is available through Windy City Working Dog Club affiliates for novice handlers who are interested in becoming members but whose experience with working dogs is limited. This program emphasizes safety, etiquette, and control. It is offered for a fee through Bark Avenue Playcare and through K-9 Country.
For information about the the handler-training program, please contact Windy City Working Dog Club. To learn more about club membership, please visit the "Membership" page or contact the club by phone or email.
Current Windy City Working Dog Club officers are:
President - Paul Bilecki
Phone: 847-507-1701
Email: paul@bileckiweb.com
Vice President - Daniel McElroy
Phone: 312-455-8582
Email: danielm@barkavenueplaycare.com
Secretary/Treasurer - Melinda Bilecki
Phone: 847-899-7709
Email: melinda@monkeysharkmedia.com