somerville dog

You've made your list and checked it twice...

Somerville has several options for the discerning dog owner in the market for rooty-toot-toots and rummy-tum-tums:

• Big Fish Little Fish
  55 Elm Street
• The Dog House
  169 Washington Street
• Fi-dough: Pet Bakery, Boutique and Grooming Salon
  70E Beacon Street
• Pet Spa
  669 Somerville Avenue
• Stinky's Kittens & Doggies Too
  110 Bristol Road

A fun holiday treat for dog lovers (and a great source for gift ideas) is the annual Bay Colony Dog Show, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, December 2 through Sunday, December 5, at the Bayside Exposition Center (Local News).

Every day offers a unique mix of competitions, demonstrations, and special events, and each day is presented by a different prestigious AKC dog club resulting in one "Best in Show" trophy each day.

The weekend offers family-oriented dog demonstrations by the Boston Police K-9 Unit, Northeast Search and Rescue as well as the annual "rescue parade" spotlighting pooches who found a new leash on life through breed rescue clubs. (Press Release)

Paris and Copenhagen

Paris is notorious for many reasons, not least of which is the importance of watching where you walk. The problem, of course, is that, when you are in Paris, the last thing that you are likely to be watching is where you are walking.

Dogs are ubiquitous in the city of light. The first thing I saw when I left the baggage-claim area with Strummer's other human companion and entered the Charles de Gaulle-Roissy concourse was a woman with a golden retriever. At a brasserie serving steak frites in the VI^e, the people at the table behind us had a toy breed under the table.

At another restaurant, the English-speaking people at the table next to us ordered the prix fixe dinner and then requested their dessert "to go." There was great confusion and the waiter ultimately explained that they could not let the customers take the food with them because the restaurant did not have an export licence. I think that, more than a "language barrier," the misunderstanding was cultural: when you can bring your dog with you to the restaurant, you can't very well ask for a "doggie bag."

Dogs may be welcome in the airport and in restaurants in Paris; but every park I visited during my brief stay in Paris in December (four museums in three days!) was posted "No Dogs Allowed" (in French). Dogs are not allowed in parks, except in Buttes-Chaumont (XIX^e), in parts of the Luxembourg Garden (VI^e) and the Tuileries (I^er), where they must be on leash, and in the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes.

The parks in Copenhagen, on the other hand, impressed me as very dog-friendly. When I entered Orsteds Park, a man with a dog was helping himself to a "mutt mitt" from a dispenser at the park entrance. I watched as he and his dog met another human-canine couple: while the dogs play-bowed and wagged their tails in anticipation, the humans had a brief conversation (in Danish) and then let their dogs off-leash to chase each other merrily.

Poodle Humor

To celebrate the last day of this long winter, Strummer and I went to the beach yesterday. The beach we chose was Singing Beach, in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Dogs are allowed on Singing Beach from October through April.

Poodles, as you know, were bred to be water retrievers. Thus is it rather embarrassing to me when Strummer runs away from the waves as they roll up the beach. Don't get me wrong, Strummer had a fabulous time at the beach. She just didn't want to play with any of the dogs that were playing in the water, with whom I, of course, kept encouraging her to play.

Just as I was thinking that it was about time to start thinking about leaving the beach, Strummer got caught up in a game from which she just couldn't tear herself away. The game involved three other dogs: a border collie, who was fetching two balls with her people, a boxer, and a Parson Russell terrier, and consisted in a twisted version of keep-away: i.e. keep the border collie away from her tennis ball, and, if that fails, keep her away from her humans. This is one of Strummer's favorite games.

The border collie and her humans didn't seem to be enjoying the game so much, so I called Strummer away. She kept trying to give me the slip, and, finally, when the game reached a new level of excitement, she bolted.

The next thing I knew, all four dogs, my fastidious poodle not last among them, were diving head first into a wave!

I'm convinced that Strummer knew that, if she got wet, we'd have to stay longer to give her coat a chance to dry a little bit.

Good one, Strummer. But the joke's on you: I'll turn you into a water dog, yet!

Update: Mt. Misery

Today the Lincoln Journal is running a story about the third public hearing regarding the new regulations regarding dogs at Mount Misery in Lincoln that was held on May 18.

Readers will recall that last week's meeting was the continuation of the second public hearing that was held on April 27.

A letter from dog owners in Somerville and Boston was printed in the Lincoln Journal last week. Additional materials from the Journal have been archived on the Mt. Misery Organization website.

Strummer's Inner Dog

Here's Strummer sporting her new haircut for the beginning of swimming season!

Strummer's friend Vincent (Vizsla) introduced her to Noanet Woodlands in Dover, yesteday. With shady trails and swimming holes, Noanet is very dog-friendly. The Dog Lover's Companion to Boston gives it the highest possible recommendation: four paws!

Could be the best birthday ever...

Strummer will be eight years old, Saturday, June 18, 2005.

Saturday is also the date of the opening celebration and rededication of the newly renovated Palmacci Park, which welcomes families with leashed dogs and features Somerville's first doggie drinking fountain!

Fireworks: June 30

Someone mentioned this at the som|dog meeting last night:

The City of Somerville will be having a fireworks display Thursday evening, June 30, beginning at 9:15 p.m. at Trum Field. If you live near Trum Field and your dog does not like loud noises, you may want to plan your evening so that s/he is not home alone during the fireworks or arrange an excursion for the whole family on Thursday evening.

The fireworks are part of the Summertime in Somerville festivities. In addition to the fireworks on Thursday night, the City is hosting Family Fun Day at Trum Field, Saturday afternoon, July 2. Families that include dogs are not welcome to enjoy Family Fun Day together: Trum Field is posted "No Dogs Allowed."

If your dog does like loud noises and crowds, leashed dogs are allowed on the Esplanade in Boston. Boston's Independence Day festivities will be held on the Esplanade, Monday, July 4, 2005.

DoggieFest Boston

Off-leash recreation at Bunker Hill Community College. Free for dogs. Adults $15.00; Children (8 yrs. and under) $8. One day only: Saturday, August 06, 2005, 10.00 am - 5.00 pm. Rain Date: August 13, 2005.

DoggieFest Boston will feature four fully enclosed leash-free playgrounds:

• Puppy Playground - for dogs less than 6 months
• Small Dog Playground - for dogs less than 30 pounds
• Medium Dog Playground - for dogs weighing between 30-59 pounds
• Large Dog Playground - for dogs weighing over 60 pounds

UPDATE 01 August 2005: I received additional information today from info at doggiefest dot com.

The following rescue organizations will be present at Doggiefest: Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue, Greyhounds of Amercia, Colonial Basset Hound Rescue, Underdog RESQ. The organizers are waiting to hear back from others and encourage nonprofit organizations that would like to participate to e-mail info at doggiefest dot com as soon as possible. There is no charge for non-profit sponsors to have a booth at Doggiefest Boston. All non-profit organizations present at Doggiefest Boston are eligible to receive a donation from the proceeds from the admission fees. The amount of the donations will be announced and the donations will be presented at Doggiefest Boston immediately following the Waggin' Wear Adopt-a-Dog Fashion Show.

I have also been informed that

Certain vendors have elected to charge a nominal fee to attendees to offset their cost. However, the vast majority of activities at Doggiefest Boston are offered for free. You can enjoy a great day without spending any money once you get into Doggiefest Boston or you can elect to receive personalized instruction and use the dog agility course for $5.

The founders of Doggiefest Boston promote the event as a way "to address their concern with the lack of available leash-free park space and other opportunities to socialize their dogs." Lots of other dog owners who share this concern are working with our local govenrments to redress the lack of off-leash recreational opportunities in public open space. If you can afford to spend $15 to take your dog to DoggieFest Boston to enjoy off-leash recreation for one day, why not donate $15 dollars as well to a local dog owners group that is working for safe and legal options for off-leash recreation in our communities? Why not donate $15 to the City of Somerville's Somerville Unleashed fund?

The Circus is Coming!

The Circus is here!

For the past several weeks in Somerville parks, kids have been learning to perform circus acts—stilt-walking, unicycle riding, juggling, clowning... This weekend is the 20th anniversary performance of the OPENAIR Circus in Nunziato Field on Summer Street between Putnam Street and Vinal Avenue!

Performance schedule:

Friday, August 5: 7:00 PM
Saturday, August 6: 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Sunday, August 7: 2:00 PM

Strummer stayed home yesterday evening while the human members of the family dodged raindrops to check out the opening night performance.¹ There seemed to be a rain delay, and we continued on to the Sherman Cafe for ice cream cones. We're looking forward to catching one of the remaining performances this weekend...

¹Dogs are not allowed in Nunziato Field—probably why the OPENAIR Ciruus does not have any dog-training acts.

'Tis the season, 2005

Last year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, pet-columnist, Gina Spadafori, blogged a new reason every day not to give a puppy as a gift.

Here on the somerville dog weblog, I gave holiday shoppers this little thought experiment: "Imagine a puppy with a bow around its neck on Christmas morning. Now, imagine it's President's Day: Where is the puppy? Where is the person who got the puppy as a gift? How about on the fourth of July? Where is the dog next Christmas?"

If you're thinking of giving someone a puppy as a present, please use your imagination and think of something else.

That being said, if you're thinking about bringing a member of the species canis familiaris into the family, December in Boston is a great time to start doing research. This year, the annual Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show—a series of shows presented by five Boston area AKC dog clubs: Eastern Dog Club, Ladies' Dog Club, Middlesex County Kennel Club, Concord Dog Training Club and the Yankee Golden Retriever Club—runs from Thursday, December 8, through, Sunday, December 11, at the Bayside Expo.

Check out the family-oriented dog demonstrations Saturday and Sunday from 11:30a-1:30p: Northeast Search and Rescue and the Department of Homeland Security Beagle Brigade will demonstrate their "dogs on the job" skills.

Local breed rescue organizations will celebrate dogs with a new "leash on life" in the "rescue parade."

Agility trials hosted by the Yankee Golden Retriever Club run all four days (until 2 p.m. only on Saturday and Sunday).

And if you're shopping for the dogs and dog lovers on your list, check out 100 concession booths displaying every type of "doggy bling-bling" imaginable: hand-knitted sweaters, specialty t-shirts and hats, grooming supplies, exercise equipment, digital photography, gourmet treats, handmade toys, safety products, bedding, custom clay pottery, fine jewelry and dog antiques.

Download the Press Release (.doc file).

Friends of Peters Park submits Boston's first Dog Recreation Space Application

In the Bostondogs Yahoo! group the Friends of Peters Park anounced today that they have submitted the first Dog Recreation Space (DRS) application, in accordance with the DRS ordinance that Mayor Menino approved over a year ago.

Especially for those who worked tirelessly for many years to lobby for, create, and ultimately ensure enactment of a Dog Recreation Space ordinance for the City of Boston, I thought that this interest group would be pleased to know that the first formal submission under the new ordinance guidelines has been made by the Friends of Peters Park in Boston's South End....

This proposal is a testament to the dedication and persistence of the Friends of Peters Park in crafting a DRS application that, in my opinion, not only meets both the letter and spirit of the ordinance, but also clearly establishes a necessary standard by which other submissions can be both fashioned and judged. Kudos to the Friends of Peters Park for their hard work, forbearance and for leading the way in Boston.

The Friends of Peters Park have made their application available as a .pdf file.

Congratulations Friends of Peters Park!

Let's be responsible out there

Somerville's first off-leash recreational area will be opening in Nunziato Field in 2006. Until it opens, please be a courteous criminal: Don't enter the park with your dogs when people without dogs are in the park, and when people without dogs enter the park please leave and take your dogs with you. It's an unwritten rule, but it's better than the one currently posted in the park.

A friend of mine was in Nunziato Field Tuesday evening as I was walking by. I went in to greet him. The first thing out of his mouth was that the Alderman from Ward Four has been coming to Nunziato Field (which is in Ward Three) and telling people to take their dogs out of the park. My friend told me that he'd met another friend our ours at the Sherman Cafe last week who told him about her encounter with the Alderman; he met someone else on the street a couple of days later who had just left the park after being kicked out by the Alderman.

I received an e-mail from Alderman Pero last week. I called him on the telephone but didn't catch up with him until Sunday, January 30, when he called to tell me that he had just left Nunziato Field, and there had been five people in the park with "dogs running all over the place." I asked him if there had been anyone else using the park without dogs. There had not.

The Somerville Dog Owners Group was founded by unwilling scofflaws. We know very well that it is easier for dog owners to support the status quo because there has been little direct cost to them personally for breaking the rules. In spite of this, we are working to change the status quo for the benefit of everyone who enjoys open space in Somerville.

Transparency is one of som|dog's core values. We have always acknowledged the activities of dog owners in our city's parks and the potential consequences of those activities. Responsible dog owners founded som|dog to work in our community and with our elected representatives to find solutions that address the open space needs of all residents.

It is by socializing and exercising our dogs off-leash that responsible dog owners ensure that our dogs are good neighbors. We know the benefits to the community of well-socialized dogs and the benefits to themselves, to their families and to their immediate neighbors of a tired dog. But the City of Somerville currently treats our efforts to provide these benefits as criminal activity.

Nearly every park in the City of Somerville is posted no dogs allowed. The fine for failing to comply with the "No Dogs Allowed" signs is $25.00.

Planning for a Dog-Friendly Community 2006

Today is the first day of a one-month e-conference about planning for a dog-friendly community: The Ithaca Conference. The conference is intended for community planners, activists (read: "dog owners"), tourism consultants, and entrepreneurs in pet and related sectors. This week's topic is "dog parks." Jump in and join the fray.

The e-conference will lay the groundwork for a live conference in Ithaca on April 22. Details are available at ithacaconference.com.

Sharing Open Space in New York City

via e-mail

In the years that dogs have been allowed to run free in [New York] city parks, dog bites have decreased 90 percent

according to an op-ed piece in the New York Times today by Jonathan Safran Foer, "My Life as a Dog."

Whether or not the source is reliable is a good question: Foer intimates that his own dog, George, who "occasionally tries to eat [his] son" is one of the culprits keeping the decrease in dog bites in New York City from achieving one hundred percent.

Foer may not be a responsible dog owner, but he does have something worthwhile to say about the place of pet ownership in human communities. Pet ownership, Foer understands, is an inter-species relationship. From his relationship with his dog he has learned that "compromise is necessary to share space with other beings"— a lesson that applies not only in the myriad relationships individuals may have with one another, but also in relationships among groups and organizations of all kinds.

It's well and fine that Foer advocates "sharing our space with other living things," but the the off-leash hours policy in NYC parks is not about humans sharing public open space with dogs: It's about neighbors sharing space with each other; it's about park users sharing space with each other. People who enjoy off-leash recreation live in communities with people who do not like dogs. Public open space must accommodate park users who enjoy off-leash recreation as well as park users who enjoy basketball, frisbee, reading and soccer.

Yes, off-leash recreation is good for dogs. Off-leash recreation provides much needed opportunities for socialization and exercise, and dogs that are well socialized and that get enough exercise are better pets and better neighbors. They are less likely to develop inappropriate and destructive habits like barking, chewing, digging, lunging and jumping-up on people.

Off-leash recreation is good for humans, too. It provides an incentive for people to get out in the fresh air and to meet other people in the community who share similar interests.

Here in Somerville, MA, opportunities for off-leash recreation are provided in designated off-leash recreational areas according to posted rules. We have one OLRA, which opened almost eight months ago—the fully fenced-in OLRA at Nunziato Field. For the time being, one quarter-acre of open space must serve the 27,000+ people who live with dogs in Somerville. In New York City, overuse of the City's 40+ dog parks is mitigated by the Offleash Courtesy Hour policy: In public parks without designated areas for off-leash recreation dogs are allowed off-leash from 9 pm to 9 am.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Board of Health votes on December 5, 2006 whether to adopt amendments that will clarify the authority of the Parks Commissioner under the Health Code to allow dogs off the leash in City parks.

Congratulations NYCdog!

The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups applauds the State Supreme Court ruling from Judge Peter J. Kelly on November 30, 2006 denying, in its entirety, the Juniper Park Civic Association’s petition to compel the Parks Department and the City of New York to end the successful 20-year off-leash courtesy hours policy (9 PM until parks close, and when they re-open until 9 am, only in certain designated Park spaces).

In May 2006 the so-called* civic association interpreted existing municipal ordinances to prohibit the Parks Commissioner from designating off-leash courtesy hours in parks without designated off-leash areas. The NYC Health Board votes on Tuesday on new regulations that would clarify the Parks Commissioner's authority to designate off-leash courtesy hours in parks without designated off-leash areas.

*In my humble opinion, there is nothing "civic" about an association that wants to deny the enjoyment of public open space to 40% of their neighbors.

Summary of Callahan State Park (Framingham) Meeting

Five Somerville dog owners were among over 150 people who attended a public meeting held by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in Framingham, MA about off-leash recreation at Callahan State Park

The turnout was impressive and largely dog-friendly, favoring Callahan State Park being maintained as an off-leash park. The Callahan Canine Owners Association did a great job of getting people to attend the meeting. People entering the meeting room were offered red pieces of paper that read "Keep the trails at Callahan State Park open to off-leash dogs." A few people had "My Dog Votes" signs.

Also in attendance were State Representative Tom Sannicandro (Seventh Middlesex, consisting of the town of Ashland, and precincts 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16 and 18, of the town of Framingham, both in the county of Middlesex) and State Representative-elect Pam Richardson (Second Middlesex and Norfolk, consisting of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton and Natick, precincts 1 to 5, inclusive, and 8, in the county of Middlesex; Franklin, precincts 1 and 5 to 8, inclusive, and Medway, in the county of Norfolk).

At the meeting the DCR was represented by Callahan State Park Supervisor, John Dwinell; Chief of the Bureau of Recreation, Gary Briere; and Regional Director, Susan Hamilton. The DCR did a good job of facilitating audience response. They said that the draft proposal would be put up on the web at www.massparks.org (which redirects to the DCR main page), and that they would continue to accept written comments into February.

Dwinell presented the draft proposal of the new leash restrictions at Callahan Park explaining that the DCR's goals in drafting the new policy were to protect the perimeter of the park and the abutters' properties and to maintain a multi-use park. In its draft proposal, the DCR has tried to create two loops of trails, one accessible from the South Entrance and one accessible from the North Entrance, where dogs would have to be on leash, ostensibly to afford users without dogs an improved park experience.

Dwinell confirmed that the DCR has received complaints and that they have banned [individual] dogs from Callahan State Park.

During Dwinell's presentation, there was a lot of unruliness in the audience—people interrupting the presentation to comment on flaws in the proposal and other people in turn replying about the merits of the interruptions. Indeed Dwinell had to go over the presentation a second time. Members of the audience felt that the DCR was not entirely familiar with the draft proposal.

Gary Briere, Chief, Bureau of Recreation, facilitated the greater part of the meeting, dedicated to discussion, and, for the most part, the audience was respectful and spoke in turn for the remainder of the meeting.

Briere said that, according to DCR regulations, dogs are not allowed on properties except under conditions set by the Director. There are places where the DCR does not want dogs, and there are other places where it is taken for granted that people will have their dogs off-leash. Callahan State Park, he said, is the most dog-friendly park in the park system. It the only park in the system where dogs are allowed off-leash on the entire property. The Park was all off-leash until this summer. Now it is all on-leash: the proposed policy would relax the leash restrictions at Callahan. He also clarified that whereas changes to regulations require a public process, changes to policies do not.

A park user observed that a brown board at the south entrance to the park establishes a policy of voice control over pets at the park.

Off-leash Hours in NYC Parks codified

The New York Council of Dog Owner Groups (NYCdog) cheers the unanimous vote of the NYC Health Board to amend Section 161.05 of the City Health Code, commonly known at the "Leash Law," granting the NYC Parks Commissioner explicit authority to permit off-leash recreation in the New York City parks at certain locations and at certain times.