CHICAGO - Wrigley, a golden retriever puppy, today was unveiled as the “Doggone it” contest winner and Peoples Gas’ new canine safety ambassador to help spread the word about safe digging. National 811 Day is observed each year on Aug. 11 to raise awareness about calling 8-1-1 at least 48 hours before beginning any digging projects. Activities such as landscaping, installing a mailbox, and building a deck are among the projects that require a call to 811.

Peoples Gas and 811 Chicago also commemorated national 811 Day with a demonstration of how utilities locate and mark underground natural gas pipelines. The demonstration, at Navy Pier, served as a reminder to homeowners and others to call 811 for locating and marking underground facilities prior to excavation.

“The safety of our customers, employees and communities is our top priority, and we want to ensure they understand the importance of calling 811 before digging,” said Dan Germeraad, manager – system integrity, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas. “Our new canine safety ambassador, Wrigley, will help us raise awareness in the community about safe digging so that we can continue to create a culture of damage prevention.”

811 Chicago was also present at the celebration to provide information on safety precautions before digging.

“Every nine minutes, an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811. It is important to remember that reaching out to the local one-call service is the first step to a safe excavation on any project,” said Jai Kalayil, Chicago Department of Transportation.

Peoples Gas has approximately 4,000 miles of underground distribution and transportation natural gas pipeline in the city of Chicago. Natural gas and electric lines are buried underneath property throughout the city and could be in striking distance.

Visit peoplesgasdelivery.com or 811 Chicago for more information about 811 and safe digging practices.

Peoples Gas, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), is a regulated natural gas delivery company that serves more than 845,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the city of Chicago. You can find more information about natural gas safety, energy efficiency and other energy-related topics at peoplesgasdelivery.com.