somerville dog

Why we love our City Clerk

Somerville City Clerk, John J. Long, is doing a good job and giving the residents of Somerville our money's worth out of the taxes that pay his salary. Camille Dodero, in her article in the issue of the Boston Phoenix for May 21 - 27, 2004, "SOMERVILLE: Defying the Man," reveals just how efficient our City Clerk is:

At four o?clock, Somerville city clerk John J. Long sat down at his desk for a final tally. On May 17, the City Clerk?s Office dispensed 10 birth certificates, issued eight dog licenses, granted eight heterosexual-marriage licenses that had been requested the previous week, fielded countless questions from reporters calling from Georgia to Japan, notarized one document, assisted in one genealogy search, processed the City Hall mail, and presided over one same-sex wedding held upstairs. And, of course, the City Clerk?s Office accepted same-sex marriage-license applications ? 37 in total, with as many as 10 from out-of-state couples. Looking down at a notepad, Long admitted that the grand total of 37 could?ve included one or two applications from heterosexual couples. But by that hour, all the paperwork had started to look the same.

Strummer's was one of those eight dog licenses.

Thank you John J. Long.

Somerville Animal Control on the Web

Have you visited the Animal Control Department of the City of Somerville on the web lately? The website has been updated to include the responsibilities of the Department as well as information about the enforcement of city ordinances regarding animals.

Thank you, David Renna, Head of Animal Control!

Fall Clean-up at Foss Park

A public "thanks!" to the Foss Park Neighborhood Association for recognizing dog owners among the many neighborhood groups who enjoy the park!

The Foss Park Neighborhood Association is organizing an Autumn Clean-Up in Foss Park, Saturday, October 23, from noon to 3:00 pm. Foss Park is one of five parks in Somerville maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation [DCR]. It alone accounts for twelve percent of the open space in Somerville.

To promote good will between dog owners and other park users, I am asking dog owners who enjoy Foss Park to join me and Strummer in the Autumn Clean-up at Foss Park! The participation of dog owners in the Park Clean-up will also have the benefit of demonstrating to State and City officials that we care about the park and the Foss Park community at large. I think it would be great if dog owners would make a special effort to locate and clean up dog waste in the park: so bring a shovel and extra plastic bags!

In Foss Park, dogs must be kept on leash, and dog owners must clean up after their dogs. If you plan to bring your dog with you to the Autumn Clean-up, please make sure that you can provide adequate supervision for your dog while you participate in cleaning up the park. A two-person-per-dog ratio might be advisable for the Foss Park Autumn Clean-Up.

24th Annual MSPCA-Angell Walk for Animals

Eight Somerville Dogs walked with twenty-two human companions comprising team somervilledog.com in the twenty-fourth annual MSPCA-Angell Walk for Animals on a chilly but sunny Sunday morning, October 17, in Boston Common. Somervilledog.com thanks the people and dogs that walked on our team, everyone who bought team T-shirts, our top (and only) corporate sponsor, Pet Spa, and our co-workers, friends and families for their generous contributions to support MSPCA-Angell!

As Yukon's human companion explained, when I apologized for the team's getting separated when the Walk began at 10:00, "once the walk started, we just started walking. That's what he likes to do and it was his day!"

Team somervilledog.com (from left to right) Shannon with Cinder (a Lab/Pointer mix), Peter (from Blue Hill, ME), Genevieve, Stuart with King (a Greyhound), Adrienne, and Michele with Strummer (a Standard Poodle). Not pictured are Deborah and Rob and their two children with their dog Anna (a Husky/Shepherd mix); David and Nora with Austin (a Pomeranian); Janice with her dog Patsy (a Shepherd mix) and her nieces with their Corgi, Winnie (from Lexington); and Michael with Yukon. The following Somerville dogs had to stay home but were with us in spirit: three-legged Dash, Stu's second Greyhound, who is recovering from chemotherapy; Rosie, Genevieve's Pit Bull, whom she adopted last month from a shelter in Rhode Island and who is still getting used to being a beloved pet; and Willy, a Miniature Poodle whom Adrienne adopted last year and who was recently treated at Angell for heart problems.

Yukon (Siberian Husky) and teammates meet and greet.

Strummer: "I thought this was supposed to be a Walk for Animals."

A team member checks out some early Halloween costumes.

UPDATE 31 October 2004: Added the Team somervilledog.com picture.

Safety of Public Open Spaces

A letter printed in the Globe today, in response to the latest electrocutions of dogs in Boston, points to the scope of the problems that endanger us and our pets in public spaces ("NStar is only part of problem"). Monica Ponce de Leon, Associate Professor of Architecture at Harvard University explains that there are no safety standards regulating construction work in public open spaces comparable to the safety standards to which workers are held accountable in the construction of buildings.

We have safety mechanisms that protect the public from faulty work in the construction of buildings; not so for the construction of our streets. When we build a home, a business, or even a public building, electricians must be certified and comply with drawings designed by engineers. Moreover, their work is reviewed by Inspectional Services before completion and the spaces can be occupied. Not so in our public spaces.

Ponce de Leon commends Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate, Maura Hennigan, for introducing a bill that addresses these issues.

Here in Somerville, Aldermen Dennis Sullivan (At Large) and Robert Trane (Ward 7) recently submitted an order

that the Superintendent of Lights and Lines immediately survey all roadways for possible electrical shocks to pedestrians or animals, and work with the utility to immediately rectify any problems (Agenda for the Board of Aldermen Meeting, March 10, 2005).

With all due respect to Aldermen Sullivan and Trane (and I do respect them) for their initiative, if the claims made in the letter in today's Globe are true for Somerville, and there are no standards in place to insure that future work is completed with regard to public safety, the risk to residents and our pets may not be mitigated by surveying and rectifying existing problems.

If these claims are true, I'm going to think twice whenever I have to cross a bridge. -Canis Major

Clifford: Honorary Somerville Dog

I disapprove of internet hoaxes just as much, if not more, than the next guy, so when a former Somerville dog owner sent me an email asking me to help save NPR and PBS, the first thing I did was check my trusty source for internet hoaxes, the Urban Legends Reference Pages. It turns out that this time our representatives to the US Congress really are voting on whether to slash funding for NPR and PBS.

According to the Washington Post, the House Appropriations Committee voted on Thursday, June 9, "to sharply reduce the federal government's financial support for public broadcasting." The Associated Press (via CNN.com) reported last week that "Public television stations and National Public Radio would lose 25 percent of their federal funding next year under a bill cleared by a House committee Thursday night . . . ," i.e. June 16.

June 9 or June 16, no matter. Yesterday in front of the Capitol dome MoveOn.org, a 501(c)(4) organization that "primarily focuses on education and advocacy on important national issues," presented one million signatures to save public broadcasting.

What does this have to do with the human and canine residents of Somerville?

Clifford, the Big Red Dog
Dogs and More Dogs
Extraordinary Dogs
Sled Dogs: An Alaskan Epic
WOOF! It's a Dog's Life

Public broadcasting is an outlet for alternative programing that does not have the commercial appeal to survive on network television.

Theme Song

In her journal entry for November 23, the day after the Board of Aldermen approved, by unanimous vote, Somerville's first off-leash recreational area in Nunziato Field, Somerville dog, Lotte, penned what may be the Somerville off-leash recreation theme song.

Pain-killer or Killer

I received an e-mail from Ward Seven Alderman and Somerville dog owner, Robert Trane, about Deramaxx, a pain reliever which veterinarians continue to prescribe for dogs even though a similar human painkiller, Vioxx, was taken off the market in 2004 in response to reports of illness and death linked to the drug.

According to an article that ran yesterday the Washington Post, "Vioxx Debate Echoed in Battle Over Dog Drugs," by Marc Kaufman, "more than 350 reports of deaths linked to Deramaxx have come into the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine." Deramaxx is the brand name of Deracoxib, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

David Stansfield, director of professional relations for Novartis Animal Health, the maker of Deramaxx, says that the company advises "veterinarians not only to inform pet owners of possible side effects . . . but also to conduct blood and sometimes urine tests before the drug is prescribed. Those tests can be expensive, however, and are not routinely done."

The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes efforts to require vets to give out the drugmakers' information because "it's just not the be-all and end-all of the communication that's needed," according to Elizabeth Curry-Galvin, interim director of the AVMA scientific activities division, quoted in the Post.

A miracle drug for one individual may be dangerous or deadly for another. Ask your veterinarian for the consumer information provided by the drug manufacturer and to discuss with you the risks an benefits of the treatment prescribed for your pet.

UPDATE 14 May 2006: In the som|dog "Dog Talk" forum, a member shared another article about Deramaxx that ran a little over a year ago in USA Today, "Even painkillers for dogs have serious risks," by Julie Schmit.

Somerville Animal Control

You know that there is a forum for posting lost and found dogs on the Somerville Dog Owners Group's website. April Terrio, the City of Somerville's Animal Control Officer (ACO) often posts pets that have been turned in to her on the lost and found forum. There is also a forum exclusively for the ACO to post pets that are available for adoption from the City.

But did you know that April also posts lost and and found pets and pets available for adoption on the Animal Control page on the City's website? Check it out!

September 2006 is Responsible Dog Owners Month

I recieved an e-mail from State Representative Denise Provost (Twenty-seventh Middlesex) about a dog-friendly event at the State House on the occasion of the proclamation of September 2006 as Responsible Dog Owner's Month in Massachusetts:

Today, September 21st, please join Representative Jennifer M. Callahan (Eighteenth Worcester), the MSPCA, AKC Chapter Members, responsible dog owners and their dogs as we proclaim September to be:

"Responsible Dog Owner's Month"

If you have a dog that is friendly and can handle the excitement of a press event with other dogs, you are both welcome to join us!

Thursday, September 21
1PM
State House steps (Beacon Street)

In honor of Governor Mitt Romney declaring September 2006 "Responsible Dog Owner's Month, " Representative Jennifer Callahan will be presenting the Governor's proclamation. Dozens of dogs and their owners will be gathered for the event. The MSPCA will be highlighting dogs that are available for adoption. Nationwide, throughout the month of September, the AKC holds events to educate the public on how to responsibly care for their dog. This is the first time the State of Massachusetts has declared "Responsible Dog Owner's Month."

Any questions, please contact Colleen in Representative Callahan's Office at 617-722-2130 or Rep.JenniferCallahan (at) hou.state.ma.us.

Massachusetts dog owner groups have been holding special events in celebration of Responsible Dog Ownership all month. The New England Dog Training Club is holding a "Meet-the-Breeds" event Saturday afternoon, September 30, 2006, from 2:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m. at the Cambridge Armory, 450 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138.

To all the reponsible dog owners in Somerville and all of Massachusetts, thank you, and have a happy Responsible Dog Owner's Month in September 2006!

Park Users Thank the Somerville Department of Public Works

The Somerville Journal today printed a letter from park users, thanking employees of the Somerville Department of Public Works for the work they did earlier this month on improvements to the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area.

What makes dog parks successful?

In an article that ran in the Brookline Tab on November 30, 2006, Correspondent Lara Farrar contributed a story about off-leash hours at Winthrop Park, in which she spoke with people from neighboring communities about successful off-leash recreation programs.

Ward Three Alderman, Thomas Taylor, commented very graciously about the partnership of the City of Somerville and the Somerville Dog Owners Group.

     Thomas Taylor is an alderman in Somerville who advocated for the city's first dog park. He said what has made a big difference is the Somerville Dog Owners Group, an independent group that has rallied for off-leash spaces, even raising money to fund the projects.

     "If you can create a group, that could make a big difference," he said.

Thanks, Alderman Taylor. Somerville's Ward Three, the only Ward with an Off-Leash Recreational Area, gets my vote as the Best Ward in the City!

Happy New Year! License your Somerville dog!

It's a new year and this year Somerville's Canine Good Citizens are sporting gold dog bones—2007 Somerville dog license tags!

Did you know that the Somerville Public Library was funded in part by dog licenses? I learned that on the Someville Illuminations Holiday Tour. The tour guide on my trolley was Elections Commissioner, Nicholas Solerno. Did you miss the tour? Somerville City of Lights, a 36-page book illuminating the families and traditions surrounding Somerville's vibrant holiday light display, is available from local vendors.

Information about obtaining a dog license is available online from Somerville City Clerk's Office:

Residents of Somerville may obtain, in person or by mail, a dog license from the City Clerk's Office at the following address:

City Clerk's Office
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 625-6600 x4100

The City Clerk's Office provides dog licenses Monday-Wednesday, 8:30AM-4:00PM, Thursday 8:30AM-7:00PM, and Friday 8:30AM-12:00Noon.

The fee is $16.00 for a dog license, or $10.00 if the dog has been spayed or neutered. The City accepts checks or money orders only by mail, and checks, money orders or cash in person. Checks should be made payable to "City of Somerville."

For requests in person at the City Clerk's Office, bring the following information with you:

• the owner or owners' name(s), address(es) and telephone number(s).
  
• the dog's name, breed, color, age or date of birth, and gender (male/female).
  
• evidence of the dog's most recent rabies vaccine.
  
• evidence that the dog has been spayed (female) or neutered (male), if applicable.

For requests by mail, complete and submit an application, available from the City of Somerville website as a PDF file.

Here are five reasons why Strummer has a 2007 Somerville dog license:

1. It's the law.
2. If Strummer got lost (gods forbid), finding her, a kind soul could call the City Clerk's office (617-625-6600 ext. 4100), get my contact information and contact me so that I could bring her home.
3. I vote. There may be as many as 18,000 dogs in Somerville, but only about 900 dogs were licensed in 2006. The owners of 18,000 dogs have more political power than the owners of 900 dogs.
4. One of the rules for Somerville's off-leash recreational areas (OLRAs) is that dogs must have a valid license to enter the areas. Somerville's first OLRA opened in Nunziato Field in 2006!
5. I support the government's efforts to prevent rabies. Massachusetts law requires that all dogs, cats and ferrets be vaccinated against rabies (MGL c. 140, s. 145B). Through dog licensing, the City of Somerville, like all Massachusetts cities and towns, ensures that dogs in the Commonwealth are vaccinated against rabies.