somerville dog

No Dogs

Dogs are not allowed in Somerville city parks (Code of Ordinances, City of Somerville Sec. 12-51. Dogs in parks and playgrounds).

The Dog Lover's Companion to Boston: The Inside Scoop on Where to Take Your Dog, 3rd edition, by Joanna Downey (Avalon Travel Publishing, 2002) lists dog-friendly things to do and places to go in Boston and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, the entry for Somerville is pretty short:

Okay, we looked. And looked. And looked. Where do you poor folks in Somerville take your dogs? Every park we found has a No Dogs sign big as day, and all the secret spots where locals told us we could go were given the big thumbs-down when we spoke to city officials (97)

Nearby, in Cambridge, according to that city's website, there are dog runs at "Fort Washington, located on Waverly Street between Erie Street and Putnam Avenue, and at Dog Park, at Mount Auburn and Hawthorne Streets. There are also leash-free zones at Danehy Park and at Fresh Pond Reservation. . . At all other parks, the City ordinance on leash control applies. And of course, dog walkers are required to pick up dog waste at all sites."

Obtaining a dog license

Information about obtaining a dog license is available from the 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 $12.00 for a dog license, or $6.00 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.

Busted

Strummer and I were in Nunziato Field late this morning. I was trying to coax the six-year-old standard poodle I'm in the process of adopting to chase a tennis ball. She wasn't interested. All she wants (for the moment anyway) is love. As I was petting her, I noticed a gentleman with a clipboard walking down Putnam on the sidewalk outside the field toward the gate that I had meticulously latched shut. "Uh oh," I said to Strummer, "are we going to get a ticket?" The man with the clipboard entered the field. He left the gate wide open, so I attached Strummer's leash (which was easy, since she was in my arms). He walked about one third of the way toward me, made a call on his cell phone, and then called to me: "No dogs in the park, Miss."

I asked him if he was the Dog Officer. I've spoken with David Renna, Head of Animal Control, on the phone (a very nice man who owns two German Shepherd dogs and is fostering a third) and I thought I might be getting the (albeit inauspicious) opportunity to meet him. But the man said that he works for the city and that he is the one who hung the [very visible] "No Dogs" signs by the gates to the field. I introduced myself: I was breaking the law, but I'm not an unsociable person. He told me his name, which I didn't catch (okay, my social skills are not going to win me any bids for public office), and that he works for the Office of Housing and Community Development. We left the park together and went our separate ways.

And that was it: the end of my visit to my local park. Before I adopted Strummer (less than a week ago), I have never had any reason to visit a Somerville city park. Since I have adopted Strummer, I have visited Nunziato Field three times.

Somerville residents who like to toss a football can enjoy their pastime in Somerville city parks. Somerville residents who play basketball can shoot hoops with their friends in Somerville city parks, and in our parks they can meet other Somervudlians who also enjoy basketball. Somerville residents who have children can take their children to Somerville city parks where their children can play with other children and where they can meet other parents who live in Somerville. But Somerville residents who have dogs have no place in the city where they can play with their dogs and socialize with other Somervudlians with their dogs.

Everyone will agree that a park that has people in it is a better park than a park that is deserted. When there are people in a park, it is a safer park: Generally crimes are not committed when there are people around. Also, when there are people in a park, dog owners are more likely to clean up after their dogs: a dog owner who is all alone, surreptitiously breaking the law by having his dog in the park, may not clean up after his dog for any number of reasons including:

1) He may feel spiteful toward the city for making him break the law in order to exercise his dog off leash.
2) He may subscribe to the albeit flawed tree-falling-in-the-forest principle: if no body saw it, do I have to clean it up?
3) He may be a jerk (okay, if a dog poops in a public place (or in someone else's yard) and his owner doesn't pick it up for whatever reason, he is a jerk).

More often than not, however, even a jerk will pick up after his dog if someone else sees his dog pooping. So if the city allowed dogs in parks, law-abiding dog owners would be that many more people who might see a dog pooping, effectively pressuring the owner to clean up after his dog!

Dog owners, like football players and parents and everyone else who lives in the city, do not like to step in dog poop. We don't like our dogs to step in, roll in or eat dog poop. If we are exercising our dogs and we find dog poop, we will very likely pick up and dispose of the offending poop, even if our dog didn't do it. Dog owners are, I think, the only residents of the city who carry with them plastic bags for picking up dog poop. And these are the people the city does not want in its parks?!

I don't want to break the law. But I do want to be able to exercise my dog regularly off-leash and let her play with other dogs. Dogs that do not get enough exercise and that do not get to play with other dogs develop what humans justifiably consider behavior problems: for example excessive barking and uncontrollable excitement around other dogs. Strummer has lived in rural New Hampshire with six or seven other dogs and had a big fenced in yard in which to play. Since I brought her home, she has not barked once, and she is pretty blasée around other dogs. But I know that once she gets used to her new home, she'll be playful and energetic. Opportunities for exercise and access to other dogs are different in the city than in the country: the City of Somerville needs places where dog-owners can legally and safely exercise and play with their dogs off-leash.

Strummer's First Groomer

I took Strummer to Pet Spa (669 Somerville Ave), yesterday, for her first "bath and tidy" since I brought her home three weeks ago. The experience seemed to energize my generally sedate six-year-old girl, but then she's always more lively when I return after leaving her alone for a short period.

Strummer, a standard poodle, doesn't shed, which is good for my aversion to vacuuming and for my husband's allergies. The Humane Society of the United States suggests that poodles are "hypo-allergenic," because their coats demand more brushing and bathing than other dogs, and allergy-provoking dander is controlled by the additional attention and care that the poodle's coat receives. The implication is that, if all dogs' coats got the care and attention that poodles' coats get, they, too, would be less irritating to allergy sufferers. I don't know if this is true, but I do know that I prefer to run my fingers through a clean and well-groomed coat than over a dirty, matted coat!

Pet Spa was featured in a Somerville Journal article by Auditi Guha last month.

Beware of Dog

Yesterday evening on our way home from the office, after a brief romp through the grounds of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Strummer was attacked by a loose dog on Somerville Avenue between Laurel and Loring Streets. It was just after 6:00. The dog was maybe 12-18 inches tall at the shoulder, short-haired, white with brown markings. It looked a lot like this.

Being on a leash, Strummer had a difficult time defending herself. I tried ineffectually to pull her by the leash away from the attacking dog, before it finally occurred to me to kick the other dog to get it off her. A crowd of people gathered out of range of the two dogs and me, and finally a man arrived and kicked the attacking dog so hard that it flew about three feet from Strummer, whom I immediately surrounded with my whole body. I asked the man who stopped the fight if the other dog was his dog; he said it was not.

I then proceeded to run my fingers all over Strummer's body and through her thick poodle hair. I couldn't see any blood, but my hands found wet spots on her foreleg and flank. The moisture must have been the other dog's saliva, because after meticulously working my fingers through her hair, I did not come up with a trace of blood.

A concerned woman, who had stopped in the rush hour traffic on Somerville Avenue, talked with me for several minutes, which really helped to calm me down. She told me that she has a Yorkshire Terrier who has been attacked by the same dog that had just attacked Strummer. She encouraged me to check Strummer carefully for injuries and, even if I didn't find anything wrong, to take Strummer to a veterinary hospital anyway, just in case she sustained internal injuries.

The man who stopped the fight returned to check if Strummer was injured. He said he was the owner of the beauty salon on Somerville Avenue at the bottom of Laurel Street and that he thought the dog was owned by a man who lived across the street.

By this time I had calmed down sufficiently to realize that a loose dog had just attacked my dog and that Somerville has laws against both dogs being "at-large," or running loose and distubance of the peace by dogs (Code of Ordinances City of Somerville, Massachusetts, Sec. 3-33. Disturbance of the peace by dogs and Sec. 3-34. Dogs at-large. See Chapter 3 Animals, Article II. Dogs). I called 911 on my cell phone and was put through to the Somerville Police Department, who told me that the dog officer had already left for the day and advised me to call the Animal Control Office on Monday. I requested that an officer come to assist me in speaking with a witness and trying to identify the owner of the dog that attacked mine.

In about 20 minutes an officer arrived, escorted Strummer and me to the salon and spoke with the man who had indicated that he knew who owned the offending dog. Unfortunately, it turned out that the witness did not know who owned the dog and wasn't even sure where the dog lived.

Interestingly, Strummer showed no fear about returning to the place where she had been attacked. Either she was not afraid of meeting the dog again or her doggy senses informed her that the dog was not in the area.

I think I may have been more upset by the whole incident than my dog was: while we were waiting for the police officer to arrive, I sat on the grass with her in my lap and lavished love upon her. It was a warm evening and after a while she stood up and faced me and wagged her little tail!

I kept hearing in my mind the voice of the woman who stopped in traffic to comfort me, and I finally called my vet's office around 9:00 last night. Their answering service gave me the number for Angel Memorial Animal Hospital in Jamaica Plain. I called Angel Memorial and learned that they consider any dog fight an emergency: they recommend that any dog involved in a fight be checked by a veterinarian. Considering that Strummer was acting normal, had jumped up to greet my husband when we got home, had eaten and had urinated when I took her out, I decided that, rather than upsetting her by taking her to the Hospital, I'd let her enjoy a quiet evening at home. I'm keeping a close eye on her; she has a prior appointment with the vet on Monday to be spayed.

Citywide Spring Cleaning

A dog owner with a plastic bag can really help to make Somerville a city of which we can all be proud. But all the dog owners with all the poop bags in Somerville can't do it alone.

The city is organizing a cleaning party on a larger scale this weekend. The annual Somerville Spring Cleanup will be held Saturday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Additional information about the Somerville Spring Cleanup, including meeting places by ward, was published in last week's Somerville Journal.

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.

Extending the Minuteman Path

Among its plans for the extension of the Minuteman Bikeway from Cedar Street to Central Street, Somerville's Friends of the Community Path "is hoping to add a community garden or dog walk to the path."

Friends of the Community Path will present its plans June 15 at the 25% Design hearing, which is open to Somerville residents. . . . The 25% Design hearing will be held June 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Visiting Nurses Assisted Living Community, 259 Lowell St., third floor (from a June 2 article by Jessica Barnett in the Somerville City News).

Dog owners are strongly encouraged to attend the presentation tonight to learn more and voice their support for the dog walk.

History of Nunziato Field Dog Run

Brock Parker reported in the Somerville Journal yesterday ("Planning office gets changed") that

OHCD [Office of Housing and Community Development] director James Kostaras said Tuesday that he is planning to reorganize and rename OHCD in an effort to streamline the department and underline its emphasis on economic development. . . .

Under Kostaras' plan, OHCD would be renamed as the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development.

Since 2001, OHCD has been investigating "the feasibility and implications of creating a dog run along the Summer Street side of Nunziato Field."

At the Regular Meeting of the Board of Aldermen on October 25, 2001 the Board adopted an order by Alderman James V. McCallum (Ward 4),

That OCHD create a dog run along the Summer Street side of Nunziato Field and post appropriate signs. [Board Order #170236 (see the 2001 Minutes of the Board of Aldermen)]

Stephen M. Post, who was executive director of OHCD at the time, responded to Board Order #170236 in a letter to the Board of Alderman dated December 12, 2001 and placed on file at City Hall. In his letter, Post wrote:

Sherri Geldersma, Director of Open Space and Parks, will investigate the feasibility and implications of creating a dog run along the Summer Street side of Nunziato Field, and she, or another member of my staff, will return our findings to the Honorable Board. [File #170467 Communication from City Officer, OHCD Director Responding to #170236 re: a dog run at Nunziato Field (The letter is a public document; City Clerk, John Long, graciously provided a copy. Receipt of Post's letter is recorded in the minutes to the Regular Meeting of the Board of Alderman on December 13, 2001.)]

At the Regular Meeting of the Board of Aldermen on February 13, 2003--just over one year and some personnel changes later-- the Board of Aldermen adopted the order by Aldermen Thomas F. Taylor (Ward 3), Bruce M. Desmond (At Large), William A. White, Jr. (At Large), Joseph A. Curtatone (At Large), Denise Provost (At Large), and Maryann M. Heuston (Ward 2),

That the Commissioner of Public Works, the Chief of Police and the Director of Housing and Community Development address the continuing issues at Nunziato Field, specifically, locking and unlocking the field at posted times, dog feces, and the lack of a dog run, and report back to this Board within 30 days. This is one of many past requests to resolve these problems. [Board Order #173275 (see the 2003 Minutes of the Board of Aldermen)]

I have spoken with Sherri Geldersma, who will be the Director of Urban Design in the new Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. Although she will no longer be directly involved in the administration of Parks and Open Spaces, she says she will continue to serve in an advisory capacity to the task force that is being put together by the mayor to consider off-leash options in Somerville.

Somerville dog owners interested in the future of the dog run at Nunziato Field are encouraged to contact their aldermen. To find out who your alderman is, go to My Somerville, and enter your street address.

Future of Nunziato Field Dog Run

Somerville dog owners interested in the future of the dog run at Nunziato Field are encouraged to contact their aldermen. To find out who your alderman is, go to My Somerville, and enter your street address.

The American Kennel Club lists several reasons why dog parks are good for communities in their brochure on Establishing a Dog Park in your Community:

Allows dogs to exercise and socialize safely. Puppies and adult dogs need room to run, and enclosed play areas permit them to do so while preventing them from endangering themselves and others (for example, by running into the path of an oncoming vehicle). In addition, dogs who are accustomed to playing with animals and people other than their owners are more likely to be well-socialized and react well toward strangers.

Promotes responsible dog ownership. Dog parks prevent off-leash animals from infringing on the rights of other community residents and park users such as joggers, small children, and those who may be fearful of dogs. Parks also make it easier for a city to enforce its leash laws, as resident dog owners with park access have no reason to allow their canine companions off-leash when outside of the park.

Provides an outlet for dog owners to socialize. Dog parks are a great place for owners to meet other people with common interests. The love people share for their dogs reaches beyond economic and social barriers and helps to foster a sense of community. Park users also benefit from the opportunity to ask questions of other owners and find solutions to problems they might be having with their pet

Make for a better community by promoting public health and safety. Well-exercised dogs are better neighbors who are less likely to create a nuisance, bark excessively and destroy property. Their presence in the park, along with their owners, also helps to deter crime.

If you own a dog, chances are you've already got a long list of reasons why fenced-in off-leash areas are good for the residents of Somerville. My top three are

1) Since I adopted a dog, I have met and gotten to know a lot of people in the places where I bring my dog to run off-leash. If there were legal off-leash areas in Somerville, I would be meeting and getting to know my neighbors. Designated off-leash areas foster community relationships.

2) I am enrolled in training classes with my dog and I practice commands with my dog in my living room. Thus my dog is very well behaved in my living room. If it were legal for me to take my dog to parks in Somerville, I could practice commands with my dog in the park: she would learn to obey commands in an environment with a lot more distractions than there are in my living room. If Somerville had designated off-leash areas, Somerville's dogs would be better trained and better behaved dogs.

3) Responsible dog owners, because they are responsible, could really benefit the City's parks if our dogs were allowed in the City's parks. Dog owners who violate the municipal ordinance prohibiting dogs in parks, are de facto irresponsible dog owners. A dog owner who is all alone, surreptitiously breaking the law by having his dog in a park where dogs are not allowed, is very likely to neglect to pick up after his dog. Responsible dog owners, on the other hand, not only pick up after our dogs, but, to protect our dogs and ourselves from contracting parasites and diseases from coming into contact with other dogs' feces, we also pick up after other dogs whose irresponsible owners have neglected to do so. We are the only people in the City who carry spare plastic bags with us for the express purpose of picking up dog poop. If Somerville allowed responsible dog owners to exercise our dogs in the City's parks, the City's parks would be cleaner.

Belmont Street Dog Park

The front page of today's Somerville Journal features a story by Auditi Guha about the lack of off-leash spaces in Somerville and some local dog owners who are interested in turning Belmont Park into a dog park ("Doggone It! City has no parks for pooches to play off-leash"). I'm not sure where, exactly, Belmont Park is located--it's not included among the list of parks and playgrounds on the City of Somerville website--but Strummer and I will be taking a walk along Belmont Street soon to see if we can meet Rocky and Shadow, the Somerville dogs featured in Guha's story.

It's unfortunate that the public information officer, Lucy Warsh, is quoted in the article as speaking of a need "to identify an adequate space that is acceptable for both residents as well as dog owners." Somerville dog owners are residents, so it?s not really an issue of satisfying the needs of two different groups, is it? Designated off-leash areas in fact serve both dog owners and those who prefer not to share their lives with dogs?far more equitably, I might add, than prohibiting dog owners from enjoying open space in the city with our dogs.

Cities all over America are coming up with creative ways to accommodate dog owners. In Massachusetts, Boston has the Charlesgate Dog Run in Back Bay and Dog Park in the North End. A pilot program in Boston Common allows dogs to be off-leash during designated hours. Brookline has initiated an off-leash pilot program, the Green Dog Program, which designates hours, seasonally, when dog owners may allow their dogs off-leash in twelve city parks. Cambridge has four off-leash areas. In Fort Washington Park and Dog Park dogs are allowed off-leash in the entire park. Fresh Pond and Danehy Park have designated off-leash areas.

Yeas and Nays

Last week I was pleased to read an article in The Somerville Journal about interest among Somerville residents and in City Hall in the needs of dog owners for off-leash areas in the city. This week the Journal published several readers' opinions. A letter to the editor strongly supports legal off-leash spaces. The Journal also prints opinions submitted anonymously by telephone in a section called "Speak Out." Two of the calls in "Speak Out" this week responded to last week's article about the lack of dog parks in the city. The calls recorded in "Speak Out" are not published in the online version of the paper.

One of the callers agrees that dogs should be allowed in city parks at times when the parks are not being used for other socially constructive purposes:

I want to talk about dogs . . . . In discussions about dogs in parks, I don't think it has to be an all or nothing situation. A lot of the parks aren't used at all during the colder months and during the early spring and late at night. I don't understand why, if dog owners are willing to pick up after their dogs, we can't use those spaces to let our dogs roam free in that particular area for short periods at night or during the colder months. We don't need to designate a[n] exclusive area for dogs. Most of us work and can't be in a dog park anyway. Most people who have small children only use them during the day. Why don't we take full advantage of the open space that we have and instead of having a complete rule against having dogs in the parks? Let's make certain that dog owners are responsible, and yet let them use the open spaces so dogs can run in the early morning and at night.

When the commissioner of public works, in his or her discretion, shall determine that any park, playground, schoolyard, or other public area in the control of the city is inappropriate for the allowance of entry by dogs, due to usage by small children, or landscaping considerations, or any other reason sufficient to him or her, he or she shall cause such place to be posted with appropriate and sufficient signs reading, "No Dogs Allowed." No person shall permit, suffer or allow any dog owned by him or her, or in his or her custody or control, whether restrained or unrestrained, to enter upon any park, playground, schoolyard, or other public area in the control of the city so posted as aforesaid.

The second caller responding to the needs of Somerville dog owners is less accommodating:

I am very tired of dog owners demanding space for their dogs to run around off-leash. There is a reason why people in big cities didn't use[d] to have dogs. I bought a home near a beautiful park; now I get in my car and drive somewhere else to enjoy a park because of these people and their dogs. I have walked and sat in the disgusting mess that they leave behind. If I sit to read a book, one or more dogs will come up and approach me. If I ask the owners to call them back, the are insulted. "He is just being friendly. He is just playing," they say. Well, I don't want to play with your dog. I want to sit and read a book. The best is my neighbor who has a yard but walks three dogs to the park. Wouldn't want that disgusting mess in your own backyard? Perhaps if the dog people showed some basic respect for the rest of us, we'd be open to hearing their needs. If this is how they are now, I can't imagine they would be cleaning up a dog park. What neighborhood would you choose to put that smelly mess in? In times like these, I can't imagine we'd give up any green open space that people can enjoy and give it up to dogs.

There may be "a reason" why people in big cities don't have dogs, but I expect it's the same reason that people anywhere who don't have dogs don't have dogs. The fact is that there is no place in America where people do not have dogs. The population density of New York is over 26,000 people per square mile. According to the same source, the population density of Somerville is over 18,000 people per square mile. Yet the City of New York allows dogs off-leash in all city parks before 9 a.m. In addition, the city has thirty-four dog runs, not including six private dog runs.

The complaint about "disgusting messes" and dog-owners refusing to restrain their dogs from harassing park users are serious and valid complaints. Like the excrement of any species, dog excrement poses a potential risk of carrying disease and parasites that can be communicated to humans (and to other dogs for that matter). Dog owners should always and everywhere clean up after their dogs. Just as dog owners should always and everywhere clean up after their dogs, they should not allow their dogs to harass people who are enjoying some activity that does not involve dogs. Part of socializing a dog is teaching how to greet humans--sit-to-greet is the preferred greeting--and when it is appropriate to greet humans--i.e. when the human says it's okay.

Contrary to the misgivings of the caller, however, establishing legal off-leash areas is a way to address these complaints; legal off-leash areas will help to eliminate disgusting messes (at least the ones made by dogs¹) and will help to isolate dogs from park users who do not wish to be approached by dogs. Dog parks foster responsible dog ownership, which is the key to dogs living harmoniously in human communities.


¹I found a dirty diaper--eww-- outside the port-a-potty--again, eww--in Nunziato Field one morning. Fortunately, being a dog owner, I happened to have a plastic bag in my coat pocket. I used the bag to pick up the diaper and dispose of it in the conveniently located trash receptacle in the park.

Dateless (and dogless) in Somerville

Every person is a potential dog person. The online dating service, match.com missed an opportunity by targeting its recent social mixer Singles and Pets Mingle--at Somerville's own Pet Spa--to singles who already have pets. How many dateless people out there are also dogless? Why not give people a chance to end their datelessness as well as their doglessness at the same time?

And, really, new relationships are fragile enough as it is without a young couple's having to deal with cultivating a relationship between their two dogs as well. Did match.com hand out educational materials about introducing pets when combining households?

Another online dating service, Animal Attraction, caters specifically to "pet lovers." According to their website, they are "proud to team up with The Humane Society of the United States [HSUS]--exclusive provider of the most reliable and up-to-date pet care tips." But I couldn't find any information for couples about introducing their pets to one another on either the Animal Attraction site or on the HSUS site.

In her book, Successful Dog Adoption (Indianapolis: Wiley [Howell], 2003), Sue Sternberg devotes a chapter to "Adding Another Dog." While her tips are not irrelevant to dog owners who move in together, nonetheless, the situation of a family that owns a dog or dogs and is considering adopting another dog is very different from that of two dog owners who move in together. The family that Sternberg advises always has the option not to add another dog. Dog owners whose dogs are not compatible have two very different options: break-up or get rid of one (or both) of the dogs.

The website, "Doggie Door to Canine Behavior," offers tips for Introducing Two Dogs, but, ultimately, concedes that "some dogs are used to being the only dog and do not wish to 'visit' or 'meet' anyone else for any length of time." Here, too, the final word is that the responsible dog owner must be prepared to "reconsider your plans to add a new dog to the family."

Which brings me back to the beautiful potential that there is a dog person within each of us. If you are dateless and dogless, go out to the local dog park and meet the dogs. Dogs are great icebreakers. Just remember, the rules of engagement are sitll the same: it's the person, not the dog, with whom you wish to cultivate a relationship. Be friendly toward and respectful of the human first, he or she will help you to be friendly to and respectful of the dog.

Today "Speak Out;" tomorrow the world (off-leash)

Speak Out is now included in the online edition of the Journal. Ask, and ye shall receive.

Check out this week's yeas!

Also this week, in a letter to the editor, a reader made the excellent point that dog parks will help the City to enforce existing laws, because Somerville can require that all dogs must wear tags verifying that they are properly licensed and vaccinated against rabies in order to be allowed in the parks.

My gift to the Mayor and his Administration

Alderman-at-large William White's resolution,

that the Administration take measures to publicize the City's dog leash law (Ordinance 3-34)

I would like to take the opportunity to assist the administration in acting on this resolution:

Sec. 3-34. Dogs at-large.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or custodian of any dog to permit any such animal to run loose or be at-large within the corporate limits of the city. All dogs found any place other than on the premises of the owner or custodian shall be deemed to be running loose or to be at-large within the meaning of this section, except such dogs that may be under control by means of a chain or leash, not longer than six feet or those that may be in any vehicle or boat, while so therein, which shall be deemed to be under personal control of owner or custodian thereof.

In the course of establishing dog parks, the City will have to amend the language of this ordinance to except areas designated as and in accordance with the rules governing designated off-leash areas.

Update 6 August 2004: In the Regular Meeting on February 12, 2004, the Board of Aldermen adopted the order included in the January 27 report of the Standing Committee on Legislative Matters (comprising aldermen Thomas F. Taylor, Chairperson; John Connolly; Bruce Desmond; Denise Provost, and William A. White, Jr.),

that OHCD [now the Office for Strategic Planning and Community Development] recommend to the Board strategies for reducing damage to turf by dogs, the feasibility of establishing dog runs in the city, and the advisability of modifying the city?s leash law at these locations.

Somerville dog owners embrace the continuing effors of our aldermen to address our need for off-leash areas.

National Night Out

If you are out tonight observing National Night Out, you will see dog owners out walking our dogs. We will enjoy your company! Dog walking is a deterrent to criminal activity, and dog owners go out to walk our dogs every night.

Somerville is celebrating National Night Out tonight at Foss Park, but, because Foss Park is posted "No Dogs Allowed," dog owners who wish to spend the evening with their canine companions will miss out on tonight's community festivities.

Correction 6 August 2004: Many, many thanks to reader Peter Ungar, who reminds me in a comment here that Foss Park is one of five parks within Somerville that are owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Urban Parks and Recreation (formerly the Metropolitan District Commission [MDC]) and is neither under the jurisdiction of the City of Somerville nor posted "No Dogs Allowed." Although I can't seem to find the leash laws for parks under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, according to the Chairman of the Foss Park Neighborhood Association, Foss Park, which Strummer and I look forward to visiting soon, is in fact posted "Leash And Pick Up After Dogs: $200 Fine."

I trust that many Somerville dog owners enjoy visiting Foss Park, and I hope that everyone else in Somerville had a great time celebrating National Night Out this year. I'm sorry that Strummer and I missed it! We'll be there next year!

Team somervilledog.com!

The 24th annual MSPCA-Angell Walk for Animals, Sunday, October 17, 2004 at the Boston Common, will be a fun community-building event for Somerville dog owners. As a "team captain" my goal is to walk with a team of twelve Somerville dog owners and our dogs! MSPCA-Angell welcomes "all dogs that enjoy the company of other dogs" and that are "leashed, licensed, in good physical condition and up-to-date on all vaccinations." If you have a pet that cannot participate in the Walk, bring a photo for the "I Wish I Were Here" board!

If you are interested you can join the somervilledog.com team or make a donation online.

In addition to serving local communities with animal health clinics and adoption centers, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a national and international leader in animal protection; their "services include animal protection and adoption, advocacy, humane education, law enforcement and the highest-quality veterinary care available anywhere in the world."

MSPCA has seven animal care and adoption centers and three premier veterinary hospitals, including Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, one of the foremost clinical veterinary institutions in the world. MSPCA law enforcement officers investigate cruelty complaints; inspect facilities and events involving animals; testify in court; work with police and social-service agencies in animal-related cases; and speak to school and community groups about animal care and protection. As an advocacy group MSPCA promotes workable "pets allowed" policies, help for pet owners with HIV/AIDS, Spay/Neuter Assistance, and Humane Education. MSPCA's Niven's Farm facilitates in rehabilitation and adoption of all kinds of farm animals. The Hillside Acre Animal Cemetery offers a lasting tribute to beloved animal companions, bringing support and peace of mind to bereaved pet owners.

If you would like to take a lovely stroll with your Somerville dog and support the MSPCA on October 17, please join the somervilledog.com team. How will you and your leashed dog get to the Boston Common on Sunday morning? Why not take the T?

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.

Preventing dog attacks

Somerville is now safe from one aggressive dog. David Renna, Somerville's one-man Animal Control Department, confirmed this morning that Diamond, the unlicensed dog that mauled three people in an apartment in Homer Square (near Union Square) on the Columbus Day holiday, has been humanely euthanized at the North Shore Animal Hospital in Lynn. The Somerville Journal is running the story about Diamond, who "viciously attacked two kids and their mother" on Monday, October 11. The mother "was dog-sitting . . . for her downstairs neighbor . . . , who went out of town on business."

Renna said that when he arrived at the scene last week, he was able to calm the dog down so that he could transport her to the North Shore Animal Hospital, the facility that kenneled the dog for the ten days that the City is required to hold a dog that has not been claimed by its owner. But he said that, in his opinion, the dog was mentally instable, "crazy," due to inbreeding. He said that staff that worked in the kennel where Diamond was quarantined also reported that the dog was confrontational. A female, Diamond was fine with men, but she challenged women, almost as if she didn't distinguish between people and dogs. Although Animal Control had received no previous complaints about Diamond, Renna said that neighbors at the scene of the attack told him that they have had many problems with the dog, including the report that was printed in the Journal, that Diamond had bitten one of the children before.

Human-directed aggression in dogs is never acceptable. Diamond was a menace to society. Now that the problem of the aggressive dog has been taken care of, however, what concerns me is that the Journal article, rather than addressing the problem of an aggressive dog, insinuates that aggression was only to be expected because of the dog's breed. A San Francisco based organization of pit bull owners, rescuers, and supporters, Bad Rap--Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls--agrees with me on how to deal with aggressive dogs: "Pit bulls that do show aggressive behavior towards humans are not typical of the breed and should be humanely euthanized." A dog that is aggressive toward humans is not a typical dog. Dogs and humans have co-evolved over thousands of years to live together to our mutual benefit.

Rather than demonizing pit bulls, our community will be more safe from dog attacks when we understand aggression in dogs and prevent it from ever being directed toward humans. According to Jean Donaldson, in her book The Culture Clash, "the usual reason dogs bite 'without provocation' or 'for no reason' when they had never behaved aggressively before" is that "some novel combination of elements [specifically, 'risk factors'] pushes the dog higher than the elements on their own have ever pushed him previously." "Risk factors," are what Donaldson calls things that "bug" a specific dog. "Typical risk factors include: categories of people to which the dog is not socialized, hands and/or being touched, approach, presence of food bowl or other guarded resources and any discriminative stimulus for positive punishment (such as a choke collar or a strap used to beat the dog)." Donaldson gives the following example:

Hypothetical dog Zaphod has always been uncomfortable around strange men. His other major risk factor is that he freezes up on approaches to his food bowl. The owner has also noticed that he seems just a little bit more sensitive at night than during the day and not perfectly relaxed with hands or when approached. These last two, by the way, are in the profiles, to some extent, of most dogs. One day, Zaphod bites a man who approaches to pat him. The owner is completely floored as Zaphod has never bitten or even growled at anyone before, and there was no provocation on this occasion, from the owner's perspective. As you can see from his profile, however, Zaphod was a time-bomb which, unfortunately, went off (91-92).

Diamond's owner failed to understand his dog's risk factors and thus failed to prevent her from attacking and injuring people. Given that Diamond allegedly bit the ten-year-old girl last year, it was irresponsible of Diamond's owner to leave her in the custody of that child's family.

UPDATE January 23, 2005: Check out Jean Donaldson's new book about dog-dog aggression!

Why dogs are the best thing that can happen to your neighborhood park (a true story)

Yesterday evening, after dark, at about 6:45, Nunziato Field was abandoned except for two women and their two dogs. The women watched as a young man deposited, through the equipment-access gate on Putnam Street, a clattering bundle of metal curtain rods and returned to a house on Summer Street. He and another young man were moving items from the house to the driveway. The women, with their dogs, confronted the young men on the sidewalk, in front of their driveway and asked if they were moving. They were not moving, it turned out; they were just throwing out some trash. The women explained that they had just watched the boys toss a bunch of curtain rods into the park across the street: "That's your neighborhood park. You can look out your windows and enjoy that park! Wouldn't it be a nicer place if you didn't throw your trash on the ground there?" To the women's pleasant surprise, one of the young men returned to the park and removed the curtain rods. They thanked him.

People who care about their neighborhood parks can have a great influence on the respect that a park gets from the community at large. People who both care about their neighborhood parks and visit their neighborhood parks after dark are often people with dogs. It is a shame for Somerville's parks that the community has succeeded in banning people from visiting our neighborhood parks with our dogs.

Dachshund found on Lee Street

Update 08 November 2004: The Craigslist posting about the found Dachshund has been deleted. I hope that means the little guy has found his way home!

Whoa. When did that happen?

Check out the new City of Somerville website!

The old site had its quirks, but it really did include a lot of helpful information and was more or less easy to navigate (once you figured out its quirks).

I haven't had a chance to spend much time on the new site, but here are two observations...

"My Somerville," where you can look up City information ("Real Estate Assessments, Trash pickup & recycling schedule, Yard waste pickup schedule, Where to Vote, My Government Representatives") by residential address, is now accessible from the main page.

I used to go to "Information for Residents" to look up Municipal Ordinances. Now Municipal Ordinances are listed under "City Clerk," under "Departments" on the main page.

Health benefits related to dogs

My intent was always to have a place to work that was the right mix of corporate and artistic—part of creating that environment is to wear suits and have dogs.

The dog-friendly corporate philosophy of Roger Sametz, president and founder of Boston branding firm Sametz Blackstone Associates, is not just about dogs: it's about a better workplace for people. Sametz Blackstone Associates was featured in an article on December 12, 2004 in the Boston Globe, "Some companies help to lick stress by allowing dogs at work" (via Boston Pooch*). According to the article

a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association in 2001 found that having pets in the office created a more productive work environment among 73 percent of the participating companies. The association's survey, which included workplaces with dogs, cats, fish, small animals, reptiles, and birds, showed a reduction in absenteeism of 27 percent among employees.

Another study conducted at the State University of New York at Buffalo and published in 2001 found that "control of borderline hypertension [high blood pressure] can be assisted by a behavioral intervention involving a pet dog."

Now, if having a pet dog in your home can help to lower your blood pressure, and if allowing pets in the workplace can improve employee morale, reduce absenteeism and help to make employees more willing to stay late, it stands to reason that allowing residents to enjoy municipal parks with their pets will also reduce tension, for example the tension in neighborhoods between people who want to enjoy parks with our dogs and people who want to enjoy dog-free parks.

It just so happens that it was precisely the dog-friendly Sametz Blackstone Associates who researched and installed the multi-colored educational signs at Somerville's "story park," Conway Park. As a Globe article put it last year, the City hired the corporate branding firm "to boost its self-respect and attract outsiders." An article in the Somerville Journal emphasized that

the park and story signs were created to be accessible to kids. It has been tailored so that children can take field trips to the park and learn about the history. However, there is something there for everyone, from sports, to industry and gardening.

Correction: there is something at Conway Park for everyone except families with dogs.

Somerville parks accommodate residents who enjoy playing sports—both in organized leagues and in casual games among family and friends, but not residents who enjoy playing with our dogs. Somerville parks accommodate residents who enjoy bicycling, walking, in-line skating and running, but not residents who enjoy walking with our dogs. Somerville parks accommodate residents who enjoy simply spending time outdoors—gardening, reading, socializing, etc., but not residents who enjoy spending time outdoors with our dogs. Somerville parks accommodate families with young children, but families must leave our dogs home while we enjoy Somerville's parks.

A dog-friendly policy for Somerville's open spaces is not about dedicating parks to dogs, it's about creatively managing the City's open spaces in a way that accomodates the diverse needs of Somerville families. "The right mix" of recreational opportunities is exactly what Somerville needs.

*UPDATE 22 February 2006: The BostonPooch site is, alas, defunct.

som|dog website

The som|dog website is now "live," and I have moved some information from this weblog to that site. For example, the link to the local weather forecast from Weather Underground is now on the som|dog information page. The links to other dog owner groups as well as the links to websites providing information about starting a dog park are now in the bibliography, located under som|dog resources. I have also moved the link to the Somerville Dog Owners Group message board to the som|dog homepage.

The som|dog logo on the blog homepage links to the som|dog website.

Soon I will be adding information about past (and upcoming) som|dog meetings to the som|dog events page. You can still find the agendas and summaries of past meetings on the message board.

Speaking of som|dog meetings, the first som|dog meeting of 2005 will be rescheduled soon. The meeting previously scheduled for January 24, 2005 was postponed due to a snow emergency. I had been waiting to reschedule the meeting until the Green Line meeting was reschduled. The Green Line meeting has been rescheduled for to Monday, February 28, 2005 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Somerville High School.

A lesson learned

Today is the last day of school vacation week in Massachusetts.

I was speaking with David Renna, Director of Animal Control, yesterday, and learned that he received a complaint on Monday (Presidents Day) from people who had taken their children to play in the snow in a city park. When they got to the park, other families were enjoying off-leash recreation in the park. The people with the children reported that they asked the dog owners to control their dogs, so that they could bring their children into the park, and the dog owners refused to cooperate.

When schools are closed, the ordinary schedule of park usage is affected. Whereas, on an ordinary week day, parks may be otherwise deserted during the day except for off-leash recreation, during school vacation children may be playing in city parks at all hours during the day.

The unfortunate fact for families with dogs in Somerville is that, currently, off-leash recreation is not permitted in city parks. When Somerville establishes safe and legal off-leash recreational areas, we will have places where we can enjoy off-leash recreation without competing with other park uses.

Until then: Beware of children playing!

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

Dog Owners Beware

I was talking to another dog owner yesterday about the article in this week's Journal about the hypodermic needles that Alderman Provost has been finding in her neighborhood and around the city ("Alderman finds dirty needles"). The dog owner remarked that when she is out with her dog, she occasionally finds needles, too. She said that she carefully picks up the syringe using a plastic bag (which, as a dog owner, she always has on hand), smooshes the needle against a tree, and takes the needle home to dispose of it in a coffee can.

The Journal article underscores the risk that my friend is taking by handling these biohazards:

Police Lt. Paul Upton said there is a danger of being infected by disease when handling dirty hypodermic needles.

Upton said residents should call police to handle the needles, but if forced to pick up a needle to protect children, residents should use "some type of barrier between the syringe and their skin—like a glove—and they should never touch the sharp end."

Needless to say (no pun intended), a plastic bag hardly offers protection against the risk to responsible dog owners of being pricked by a dirty needle. Maybe we need to start carrying surgical gloves with us, too.

A question for the authorities: if a dog owner calls the police to report that she found a needle in a city park, will she get a ticket for having her dog in the park?

Neighborhood Coffee Hours with Mayor Menino

Boston Dogs is encouraging families with dogs to get out to Mayor Menino's Neighborhood Coffee Hours with their dogs and tell the mayor that

we need his commitment to paying for dog recreation spaces. We now have an ordinance, but no money. We need the funding to build dog recreation spaces. We need openness on the part of the mayor and the commissioner to share park space with taxpayers who choose to recreate with dogs.

Three of Mayor Menino's Neighborhood Coffee Hours are scheduled in playgrounds where people may not be allowed to attend with their dogs. They can stand outside and look mournful, though! That's just what we'd do if Mayor Curtatone scheduled coffee hours in Somerville parks: all our parks are posted "No Dogs Allowed."

Bi-Monthly Coffee Hours with Mayor Curtatone

On Monday, May 23, you can have a cup of joe with the Mayor between 6:30 ane 7:30 at O'Natural's in Davis Square—the first of a series of regular off-site office hours scheduled for the second Wednesday and fourth Monday of each month for the remainder of the year.

View the flier.

Rumor

There's a rumor going around about the cost to license a dog in Somerville. It does not cost $75 to get a dog license. A dog license in Somerville costs $12.00 if the dog/bitch is intact, $6.00 for spayed or neutered animals.

One of my very first posts was about how to obtain a dog license (.pdf file).

Happy Memorial Day!

Welcome, Somervudlians! We had a great time today marching in the Parade. It was a lot of fun to see our fellow citizens lining the route.

The Somerville Dog Owners Group website is here.

Thanks for visiting!

Somerville Fire Dog

"It's a good story. . . . It's man's best friend doing the right thing."

People's safest bet is still to own a functioning smoke detector, but an alert dog can be helpful, too, [Fire Chief Kevin] Kelleher said.

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!

Strummer's Eighth Birthday Party

Twenty people and fourteen dogs attended a fund-raiser on the occasion of Strummer's birthday party, Saturday, June 18, at Pet Spa (669 Somerville Avenue). We raised $370 for off-leash recreation in Somerville!

Pet Spa owner, Theresa Sammon, with the help of her staff, graciously provided the wonderful space at her store, as well as decorations and party favors. Strummer's fabulous carrot and peanut-butter birthday cake was donated by Joe Thompson, owner of Fi-Dough (70E Beacon Street). The Beacon Street Star Market donated a $25 gift card for party supplies, and Marco Romao, of Jerry's Liquors (320 Somerville Avenue), helped with the refreshments.

Dogs and the FY '06 budget

Have you had a look at the FY '06 Budget?

The City Clerk's office estimates that 500 dog licenses will be issued in 2005 and projects that 600 dog licenses will be issued in 2006. In the 2005 budget the revenue generated by dog licenses is estimated at $5,000; the estimated revenue from dog licenses in 2006 is $10,000. Is the cost to license a dog in Somerville going double in 2006?

John Long, the City Clerk, explained to me today that the cost to obtain a dog licenses next year will not be double what it costs this year, but the fees are going up:

In 2005 licenses cost $6.00 for an altered (spayed/neutered) dog and $12.00 for an intact dog. The license fees are being increased, by $4.00, to $10.00 and $16.00 respectively. If I've done my math correctly, this is a 66% percent increase in the fee to license an altered animal and a 33% increase in the fee to license an intact animal.

What does it cost to license a dog in neighboring towns?

• Arlington
  The cost for a Neutered Male/Spayed Female is $10.00.
  The cost for a Male/Female is $15.00.


• Boston
  Spayed and/or neutered dogs $6
  Unspayed and/or unneutered dogs $17
  Pit Bulls & Pit Bull Mixes $50¹


• Cambridge
  $5.00 (neutered/spayed dog)
  $15.00 (un-neutered/spayed dog)


• Medford
  For a Neutered Male or a Spayed Female the fee is $6.00.
  For a Male or Female dogs [sic] the fee is $10.00.

¹ somerville dog opposes breed specific legislation because it is ineffective in addressing real problems with dangerous dogs in our conmunities.

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.

1 out of 3 second graders prefer dogs

Eighteen Somerville second-graders' descriptive essays about their favorite animal were printed in the June 30 issue of the Journal. Six essays were about dogs.

Cats and bunnies tied for second, with two essays each. Other favorites include alligators, dolphins, horses, penguins, rats, seal pups, snakes, and tigers.

Here are some of the ways that young Somervudlians describe the dogs they love.

"My favorite animal is the dog. . . . Its fur feels nice and relaxing."  —Jamie K.

"Huskies are my favorite because they run fast."  —Johnny G.

"My dog is a Dalmatian. It has black and white spots. . . . I love my dog very much."  —Natalie G.

"A dog looks dappled like a dotted dress. . . . A dog is noisy like a crying baby. A dog is loud like my mom when she yells."  —Ryan C.

"My favorite animal is my dog, Bob. . . . Bob smells like his food."  —Sarah P.

"My favorite animal is a dog. . . . I like the pet because he's nice to people."  —Tanya S.

Bunnies and cats and tied for second with two essays each. Other favorites include alligators, dolphins, horses, penguins, rats, seal pups, snakes, and tigers.

Have a great summer, and best wishes for third grade!

Privatization of Public Open Space

I'm all for the involvement of private citizens in the stewardship of neighborhood parks. A park with an active "friends" group is a park that is safer and cleaner than a park in which neighbors do not take an active stewardship role. A fantastic local example is the Foss Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA), which has been actively working with both City and State representatives to improve (dog-friendly) Saxton J. Foss Park on Broadway and McGrath Highway. FPNA was featured last month in an article in the Somerville Journal, "Foss Park gaining popularity."

[T]he group has drawn the support of State Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Somerville, and of the staff of State Sen. Charlie Shannon, D-Winchester, who died in April, in getting the DCR to finally face Foss Park problems. More recently, State Sen. Jarrett Barrios, D-Cambridge, has also joined forces with the neighbors. . . .

The neighborhood association met last week with Patrick Flynn, director of Urban Parks and Recreation for the DCR, to share 24 issues they would like the state to address. . . .

Bill Roche, the Ward 1 alderman, said the neighborhood association is doing great work and should expect to see a safer, more beautiful space over time.

Another option for Friends groups frustrated by a lack of public resources and governmental support is to assume responsibility for neighborhood parks. The Boston Globe ran an article on June 17, "Neighbors go green, raising cash for parks," about parks friends groups in Boston, among them the Friends of Hayes Park:

Joe Park and his wife formed the Friends of Hayes Park, whose members devote 1,400 hours a year to mowing lawns, tending roses, and maintaining playground equipment by agreement with the city. . . .

[T]he Friends of Hayes Park raise $15,000 to $25,000 annually through fund-raisers and donations. They squirrel away whatever they can for an endowment fund.

"The theory was that one day, I would be able to retire from this fund-raising business and that the interest that we generated from these fund-raisers would in essence pay for the maintenance of the park," he said. "Well, that hasn't happened yet. What we're finding is obviously, as we get older, more things can go wrong, [or] just have to be maintained."

Both the Foss Park Neighborhood Association in Somerville and the Friends of Hayes Park in Boston are demonstrating great civic responsibility, but, as every good civics student knows, responsibilities do not guarantee rights. There is a reason that the government is responsible for the open spaces which are the citizens' right. Even communities that do not have private resources to retain a gardener for their neighborhood parks have a right to safe and well-maintained open spaces. I am deeply concerned about the attitude of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino that neighborhood organizations should take an increasing role in maintaining parks. It is reckless for the government to delegate back to the public the very responsibilities for which governments were created in the first place.

ArtBeat 2005

ArtBeat is "one of the area?s largest and most innovative arts festivals." Lots of events are scheduled at several locations in Davis Square.

This year will be the first year that a pet boutique will have Booth at ArtBeat! Fi-dough, which has a store on Beacon Street in Somerville, will have doggie treats and things for sale and a gift basket raffle!

Strummer is hoping lots of friends (old, new and to be) join her in the Mix/MashParade! tomorrow morning at 11:30... The parade begins at the Seven Hills Park stage (behind the Holland St T exit), proceeds along Elm and Holland streets and ends on Park stage.

Weigh in on dog license fees

As reported here, the City plans to raise the fees to license a dog by $4.00 in 2006.

MrGranby created a poll on the som|dog message board ("The first, albeit virtual, dog park in Somerville, MA!") for responses to the planned fee increase. Excellent points, pro and con, have been raised:

Examples:

pro

$10 for a spayed/neutered dog or $16 for an intact animal is not that much

con

A fee increase may cause the number of dog licenes issued to drop. On the contrary and due in part to outreach efforts of the Somerville Dog Owners Group—which do not cost the city a cent, the City's revenue from dog licenses has the potential to double in 2005: as of March 1, 2005, the City Clerk's Office had issued 462 dog licenses—more than double the number (222) issued in the same period in 2004.

Please vote in the poll, "Do you think the new dog registration fees are reasonable?" and share your comments.

If you have not already licensed your Somerville dog in 2005, do it today:

Download an application for a dog license (.pdf file)!

Greyhound Welfare Open House

Hang out with Greyhound Welfare ambassadog, Lotte, at Fi-Dough on Saturday, July 23 (11:00 am - 1:00 pm). Meet Greyhound Welfare volunteers, fosters, and ambassadogs and learn about these gentle dogs and how you can adopt or volunteer. Bring your questions. All are welcome.

Event information (from Greyhound Welfare).

National Night Out

Remember last year, when, in response to a post about National Night Out, Peter Ungar, Chairman of the Foss Park Neighborhood Association wrote here that "There is no signage that excludes dogs from Foss Park"?

Well, this Somerville dog owner is not going to miss National Night Out this year. I'm looking foward to participating with Strummer in Somerville's Night Out against Crime, Tuesday, August 2, in Foss Park. We're especially looking forward to seeing officers from the Massachussetts State Police K-9 Unit, who will be in Foss Park from 4:00 to 8:00 and will be offering a Police K-9 demonstration!

The festivities in Foss Park include a bring-your-own family picnic from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join me and Strummer for a som|dog potluck picnic!

via the Somerville Journal:

Plan a Night Out with the family
Thursday, July 28, 2005

Fight crime, play Wiffle ball and see a police dog in action.

These are just some of the activities scheduled for the 22nd Annual National Night Out event that will be celebrated locally at Foss Park next Tuesday, Aug. 2.

As many as 300 people are expected to attend the festivities, as the National Night Out continues to grow in Somerville, said Vicente Sanabria, director of Somerville Cares About Prevention. Last year, the local event drew 200 people to Foss Park.

"It will be fun for the kids," said Michele Biscoe, a member of the Somerville Dog Owners group, who helped bring in a State Police Canine Unit for a demonstration at the event.

National Night Out is a crime and drug prevention event sponsored by Somerville Cares About Prevention and the National Association of Town Watch.

Other local groups and city departments are also pitching in this year to provide obstacle courses for kids to run from 4-6 p.m.; a family movie at the park from 8-10 p.m.; a bring-your-own family picnic from 6:30-7:30 p.m.; and a performance by the Sunsetters and the Christian Community Church's Youth Program from 6-8 p.m.

Face painting will also be available, and the Foss Park pool will also be open as part of the Night Out.

For more information, contact Stephanie Almeida at 617-828-9184 or Vicente Sanabria at 617-625-6600, ext. 4319, in Somerville Cares About Prevention office.

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.

Yard Sale Sunday for off-leash recreation

Come do your back-to-school shopping at the som|dog yard sale on Sunday, August, 28, at 38 Hanson Street (map), from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Friends of Somerville dogs have donated lots of great stuff to outfit a new apartment. We're even selling a printer! Or, if you're on the solar calendar and will be enjoying summer until the the autumnal equinox, you may be interested in the hammock we have for sale. And, of course, we'll have great stuff for dogs, too!

Bring your dog! Early shoppers will receive a free bag of dog treats (while supplies last)!

All proceeds will be donated to Somerville Unleashed, the City's fund for off-leash recreational areas for dogs!

Paws to Vote August 30, 2005

Today is the special state primary election for the 2nd Middlesex District senate seat. Voters in Ward One Precinct One and Ward Two Precinct One are not in this district and will not be voting. Polls are open 7am to 8pm.

The City of Somerville Election Department allows voters to bring our dogs with us to the polls: dogs must be on leash, remain close to their companions at all times and must not bother other people.

Somerville Recreation Survey

Tell the City that families with dogs need parks, too!

The Somerville Recreation Department wants to know what would you like to see changed about playgrounds or parks in your neighborhood. It's the seventh question on their online survey. Tell them that Somerville needs both open spaces where dogs are not allowed for activities that do not include dogs, and open spaces where families can enjoy safe and legal off-leash recreation. Tell them that Somerville's dogs will be better behaved, and Somerville's dog owners will be more responsible, when we have safe and legal off-leash recreational areas in our neighborhoods. A tired dog is a good dog!

Tell them that the "No Dogs Allowed" signs at every park in the City are not very neighborly. Responsible dog owners appreciate that children's play areas should be off-limits to dogs, but most parks in the City can accommodate families with leashed dogs.

Tell them that you would like to see the Recreation Department offer dog recreation, responsible dog owner training and dog safety programs. Suggest that the Somerville Dog Owners Group could help to establish and administer such programs.

If you don't have children, you can complete the Somerville Recreation Survey in less than two minutes!

Paws to Vote - September 13, 2005

Today is the preliminary municipal election for Ward 3 Alderman. Only voters in Ward Three are voting. Polls are open 7am to 8pm.

The City of Somerville Election Department allows voters to bring our dogs with us to the polls: dogs must be on leash, remain close to their companions at all times and must not bother other people.

Visit the Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog) website for information about the candidates.

Golf, anyone?

The Somerville Youth Soccer League is practicing in Nunziato Field, Tuesdays through Fridays between 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. The season continues through October (and into November if it is necessary to reschedule games due to weather).

I enjoy seeing the kids practicing in Numziato Field, as Strummer and I walk by on our way home from work. I've been wondering, however, why they are always practicing on the sloped Putnam Street side of the field rather than on the relatively level area on the Vinal Street side of the field.

Now I know. There's a huge hole in ground in the area in front of the football goal post.

Holes are dangerous. When you're running after a ball or running after your playmates, you could seriously hurt yourself by tripping in a hole.

Brand Recognition

I spoke with a Somerville resident at National Night Out, who, when she saw the dog bone in the Somerville Dog Owners Group's logo, said, "Oh! I've seen that!"

"Great!" I thought. "We're achieving 'brand recognition!'"

"Great!" I said.

"Yeah," she said, "I've seen it spray-painted on the sidewalk in Union Square."

The intrepid som|dog photographer documented bone graffiti in three locations, two on Webster Avenue in Somerville and one on Prospect Street in Cambridge.

som|dog is not responsible for this graffiti. But it is kinda cute.

Paws to Vote August 30, 2005

Today is the Special State Election for the 2nd Middlesex District senate seat. Voters in Ward One Precinct One and Ward Two Precinct One are not in this district and will not be voting. Polls are open 7am to 8pm.

The City of Somerville Election Department allows voters to bring our dogs with us to the polls: dogs must be on leash, remain close to their companions at all times and must not bother others.

Voter registration deadline October 19

Please check out the information on the som|dog website about the candidates in the 2005 Municipal Elections!

"Cos" wrote, in the Davis Square Community on Live Journal:

To vote for Somerville Board of Aldermen this November 8th, if you're not already registered to vote in Somerville, you need to register by Wednesday at 8pm. You can register in person at the Somerville Elections Department, downstairs in city hall at the corner of Highland and School Street. They're open 8:30-4:30 today and tomorrow, and staying open until 8pm on Wednesday.

You can also pick up a form at any city hall in Massachusetts and mail it to Somerville, just make sure it's postmarked by Wednesday. If you fill out the form on your own, make sure to:

- check both boxes in part 1 (you're a citizen; you're gonna be over 18 on election day)
- include your identification number, which is either your drivers license number or the last four digits of your social security number (not the whole thing)
- pick a party affiliation - or "no party (unenrolled)"

Those are the three things people miss most often, and if you miss any of them, they'll ask you to register again, and you'll miss the deadline. Also, if you get your mail at some address other than your actual residence (like some dorms, for example), pay attention to the two address lines, one for where you actually reside, the other for where you get mail.

snip

Dogs Dress Up For Donations

Dogs helping dogs

Your dog can help the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina. Donations are still needed!

Pet Spa, 669 Somerville Avenue, Somerville MA is sponsoring a Doggie Costume Contest to benefit Noah?s Wish, Saturday afternoon, October 29th at 1:00.

A minimum donation of $10 is suggested to enter your dog in the contest.

More pictures from Pet Spa's 2004 Costume Contest (Right click and select "View Image" to see larger pictures):

Alderman at Large Denise Provost wants to hear from you

Alderman at Large, Denise Provost, has a piece in the October 12, 2005 issue of her e.newsletter, "Somerville At Large," asking for input regarding the proposal for a fenced-in off-leash recreational area in Nunziato Field from "those involved in Youth Soccer, and other users of the playing field." I'm sure she means that she wants to hear from all residents who enjoy the park:

4) "OFF-LEASH" PROPOSAL FOR NUNZIATO - AND SOME QUESTIONS

Last Thursday's Community Meeting on the city's plans to create an off-leash dog area ("dog run") in part of Nunziato Field revealed important design details. The off-leash area is proposed to be located on the west (Putnam Street) side of the playing field, with an entrance there, and another on Summer Street. The plan is to enclose a mostly rectangular 9,000 square feet of Nunziato Field's 42,000 square feet of land - I will attempt to obtain an image of the design and post it on my website.

I would be interested in hearing from those involved in Youth Soccer, and other users of the playing field, as to whether they have had input into this plan so far. I will be proposing that the city mark the proposed boundary of the off-leash area in a visible way, post the plan on the site, and invite comment. Since this would be the city's only off-leash area, it occurs to me that it could become fairly crowded at times - has anyone any thoughts on what would be a reasonable maximum capacity for the proposed off-leash area?

copyright 2005 Denise Provost

If you have not already contacted Alderman Provost to tell her that a fenced-in off-leash recreational area is a much needed amenity in Nunziato Field and, indeed, in each of Somerville's seven wards, please do so today:

Denise Provost
20 Albion Street
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 628-1130
denise at provost-citywide.org

Second Annual som|dog Park Clean-Up

The Friends of the Community Path and the Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog) are co-sponsoring a park clean-up on the Community Path, Saturday, November 5, 2005, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Clean-up headquarters are on the Path outside Lexington Park. Please join us!

In addition to cleaning up the Path, volunteers will also be replanting the mums outside Lexington Park. Thank you to Ricky's Flower Market, in Union Square, for donating the mums!

Refreshments will be provided! Thank you to True Grounds, in Ball Square, and a generous Somerville dog owner for donating coffee!

Thank you, too, to the Department of Public Works, for supplying tools for the clean-up. Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves, rakes, brooms, and flat-head shovels/dust pans.

(Note: Please make other arrangements for your canine companions: Dogs are not allowed on the Community Path.)

For more information, e-mail somdog at somervilledog.com.

Warning: armed suspect at large

According to today's Journal, a man with a gun is still at large after threatening David Renna, the City's Animal Control Officer, with a gun in Nunziato Field last week. The article does not include a description of the suspect, other than that he was accompanied by a dog. I have left messages with David Renna and Police Lieutenant Paul Upton as well as the journalist, Brock Parker, requesting a description of the suspect.

via the Somerville Journal

Dog owner acts like animal when asked to leash pet

Thursday, November 3, 2005

Enforcing Somerville's leash law is getting dangerous.

Police said a dangerous dog owner flashed a gun at the city's unarmed animal control officer at Nunziato Field last week, because the animal cop warned the man for letting his dog roam free with out a leash.

"He pulled up his shirt [revealed he had a handgun], and said he wasn't afraid of police," said Police Lt. Paul Upton of the pet-owner.

The confrontation between the dog walker and Animal Control Officer Dave Renna was shortly before noon last Thursday at the park near Union Square at the corner of Summer Street and Vinal Avenue.

Renna, police said, witnessed a dog running without a leash in the field and approached the owner about the violation of a city ordinance banning any dogs from running outside without a leash. Violations of the local law are punishable with $25 fine.

But the dog owner argued with Renna about the leash law until the animal cop said he would call police if the pet wasn't put back on a leash.

When the dog owner flashed his gun, Renna called the cops anyway.

Upton said police have a suspect for the pet pow-wow, but no arrests have been made.

Aldermen are currently considering a measure which would allow dogs to run unleashed at Nunziato Field within a fenced-in area known as a dog run. However, the new dog park hasn't been approved, yet.

- Brock Parker

Paws to Vote - November 8, 2005

Today is Election Day! Somerville residents are voting in Municipal Elections for Mayor, Aldermen and School Committee members.

Visit the Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog) website for information about the candidates.

The City of Somerville Election Department allows voters to bring our dogs with us to the polls: dogs must be on leash, remain close to their companions at all times and must not bother other people.

Polls are open 7am to 8pm.

Paws for Parks Fundraiser

The Somerville Dog Owners Group is sponsoring the Paws for Parks Fundraiser to benefit Somerville Unleashed, the City of Somerville's fund for Off-leash Recreational Areas, Saturday, November 19, 2005, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. at Tir na nÓg in Union Square (366a Somerville Avenue).

A suggested donation of $20 (Winners Dog), $50 (Best of Breed) or $100 (Best of Group) is requested. All guests will be eligible to win door prizes.

Many fabulous prizes have been donated for a silent auction. Guests will have an opportunity to bid on pet-friendly luxury hotel accommodations, fine dining, original artwork (like the bone painting shown here), and first-row balcony seats at the Celtics game on Monday, November 28, against the Orlando Magic!

If the weather is nice (and it's supposed to be mostly sunny, with a high around 47), guests will able to enter their dogs in contests for Best Ears, Best Wag, Best Vocalist, Best Trick, Longest Stay, Dog-Owner Look-Alike and, at the discretion of the judge(s), Best Kisser.

Meet the Candidates

Voters in the Twenty-seventh Middlesex District, consisting of precinct 3 of ward 2, all precincts of ward 3, precinct 3 of ward 4, and all precincts of wards 5 and 6, of the city of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex, will be electing a new State Representative to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative Patricia D. Jehlen, who was elected to the State Senate for the Second Middlesex District consisting of Medford, Somerville, ward 1, precincts 2 and 3, ward 2, precincts 2 and 3, and wards 3 to 7, inclusive, Woburn, ward 2, and Winchester.

Want to know the position of at least some of the candidates on open spaces that serve the many and diverse needs of all residents?

In the davis_square community on LiveJournal, Cos wrote:

The Progressive Democrats of Somerville are having an endorsement meeting next Tuesday, November 29th. I believe that both Denise Provost and Elizabeth Maroney are seeking the PDS endorsement, so they will both be at the meeting. They will each give a short speech and then take questions from the audience. Although only PDS members will be allowed to vote, everyone is welcome to come meet the candidates and ask them questions. The meeting will be held in the basement function room of the College Ave Methodist Church (the stone church on College Ave near Davis Square) on Tuesday, Nov 29, 7-9pm.

Cos also notes

The election date got set earlier this month: A primary on January 10th and a general election on February 7th. As is the case with most districts in Massachusetts, and especially here in Somerville, the Democratic nominee is expected to win. That means the January 10th Democratic primary is the bigger contest.

See the calendar for the Special State Election - 27th Middlesex Representative District

Swindled

Last night around 11:30 p.m. our doorbell rang. My spouse answered the door, and it was a young woman—"freaked out"—who had locked herself out of her apartment. She asked for $20 so that she could pay the locksmith and said that, as soon as she had paid the locksmith, she would go an ATM machine and return the $20.

Needless to say, she never came back.

I called the Somerville Police Department this morning to report the incident and was treated with condescension by the officer who took the call. I was told that this is an ongoing scam and that, unless vicitms report the crime immediately, there is nothing the Police can do.

I told the officer that, while I could appreciate his frustration that citizens are not reporting the incidents in a timely manner, I did not appreciate his condescension. Furthermore, I noted that there has been no public information about this scam. If the City and/or the Police Department had notified the public about the scam, citizens like me could recognize it and report it while it is in progress. The officer replied that there was nothing he could do about the lack of public information.

So I called Thomas Champion, Director of the Executive [i.e. Mayor's] Office of Communications. Champion told me all about the City's new 311 non-emergency service system, which is accessible to Verizon phone customers. (I am an RCN phone customer.) When customers (i.e. citizens) call 311 they will receive a tracking number so that they can track the status of their customer service order on the internet. This part of the system has not yet been implemented.

Champion said that my call was the first call had received about the grift. The Director of the Executive Office of Communications did not state that the City would notify the public about the I'm-locked-out grift.

The swindler:
white, female, late 20s
reddish hair, shoulder length, pale skin and dark eyes
thin build, thin face
clear local accent, though not a really hard Somerville one
wearing black, knee length, quilted parka, no hat, no gloves
called herself "Jen"

Update 23 December 2005: In addition to postting information about the "I'm locked out" scam here on the somerville dog weblog, I also posted to the "davis_square" community on LiveJournal, and to the "unionsquare" on Yahoo! Groups. Members of each group have posted that they have recently been victimized by the same person:

In the davis_square group, a user who goes by the name "mrmiasma" wrote:

I was a victim of this as well last night. She came around my way about 9PM. She gave me the same story, but mentioned that she needed $65 for the locksmith (she even quoted me a locksmith name) and that she only had $45 thus far. She said she was actually one of my neighbors a named a number and street of the apartment which was right around the block from me. At first I asked if I could ask a rude question, which was for her to show me the $45 first. She said she left it at her girlfriend's place on Summer St which is where she called the locksmith from. She said she'd go and run back to her girlfriends place to show me the money before I gave the $20 to her. I figured this was enough legitimacy and figured I'd just give her the $20. . . .

A member of the unionsquare group wrote:

I have also had the same experience with the same woman. It seems she is asking for a lot more money now.

Saturday night (12/17/05), she came by at around 11:30pm asking for $10 for a locksmith explaining that she lived down the street at 125 School Street (by City Hall) and that her name was Jen. Though suspicious, I figured what the heck, it's the holidays...if she's actually locked out, it would be nice to help her out. She also looked teary-eyed. I asked her for her last name (Massey) and gave her the 10 bucks. . . .

The unionsquare group member cc'd the Mayor. I directed both reports to the Director of the Executive Office of Communications. Champion has followed up with the police, raising both the issue of how my call was handled and whether the City should be issuing community advisories through the media or via the web.

Update 6 January 2006: To give credit where credit is due, I recieved a much-appreciated e-mail from Tom Champion today, apprising me of the outcomes of his follow-up with the Police Department.

My report as well as the reports that were posted to the Davis Square and Union Square groups were reviewed by a detective who was also assigned to keep an eye out for additional cases.

The detective found one prior report that might have been related, but in which the suspect's modus was significantly different in several respects. In the days since your report, the police didn't receive any additional reports of this type of crime in the area....

Had they found further evidence of activity on her part, they agree that some sort of community alert would have been appropriate....

Also, Champion confirmed that the tape of my call to the police has been reviewed by senior officers and assured me that the Somerville Police have taken my concerns very seriously: they did not try to excuse or explain away the officer's conduct. Rather the officer who took my call has received counseling and will receive additional training in dealing with the public.

The moral of the story has nothing to do with whether or not the victims of grifters are "marks" or whether or not philanthropists are suckers. It is rather that the right and the responsabilility for public safety are the right and responsability of the citizens. The police work for us.

Happy New Year!

It's time to renew your dog license(s)!

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 2005. 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 will be opening 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.
6. I support the Somerville Dog Owners Group's campaign to double the number of dogs licensed in the City by June 30, 2006.
7. The fee to license a dog in Somerville is $12.00, or $6.00 if the dog has been spayed or neutered. On July 1, 2006, the fee will rise to $16.00, or $10.00 if the dog has been spayed or neutered.

Did you Know...

• ...in 2005 licensed dog owners received a mailing notifying them of a community meeting to discuss options for off-leash recreation
• ...licensed dog owners were mailed invitations to the Paws for Parks Fundraiser

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 $12.00 for a dog license, or $6.00 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.

Campaign Promises

"A properly raised dog is ?man?s best friend? and should be treated as such." —William Roche (Alderman, Ward 1)

"Let?s get the off leash space developed in 2006." —Walter Pero (Alderman, Ward 4)

"My goal is to have a dog run in walking distance to every resident." —Dennis Sullivan (Alderman at Large)

I'm looking forward to many dog-friendly developments in local politics in 2006. For the Municipal Elections in 2005, the Somerville Dog Owners Group sent a questionnaire about dogs and open space to the candidates running for Alderman. Here are some of the things that the then candidates told us we could anticipate if they were elected...

Alderman at Large Bruce M. Desmond
220A Summer Street
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 666-1757
BruceMDesmond at yahoo.com

with "Samantha" (Lhasa Apso)

no response

Alderman at Large Denise Provost
20 Albion Street
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 628-1130
denise at provost-citywide.org

"It is a matter of public record that I submitted to the Somerville BOA the Brookline 'Green Dog' Bylaw and pilot program, first on March 13, 2003, then on April 28, 2005. During that time, I also had many conversations with Sherri Geldersma, and others in OHCD (now SPCD) regarding funding for the development of off-leash areas, and suitable locations for them. I consider adequate, diverse open space resources to be a need and a right of all of Somerville?s residents."

Alderman Provost's vision for 2006:

• dog 'socials' and special events could be excellent venues for promoting responsible dog ownership, and
• the Dog Officer could pay friendly, informational visits to parks, even give little 'rewards' to people who are bagging dog feces;

Alderman at Large Dennis M. Sullivan
8 Florence Street
Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 628-1857
AldermanSullivan at aol.com

"Teddy," R.I.P. (collie mix)

"My goal is to have a dog run in walking distance to every resident. I look forward to working with som|dog to make this happen. som|dog has been one of the most enjoyable groups that I have had the pleasure to work with."

Alderman Sullivan sees the City's responsability as two-fold: information must support and be supported by enforcement:

• We have to communicate our expectations of what it means to be a responsible dog owner, and
• the City has to do a better job of [enforcement].

Alderman at Large William A. White Jr.
6 Browning Road
Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 625-9110
william.a.white at verizon.net

with "Buzzie" (Golden Retreiver)

"Since my election in 1997, I have championed the creation of open, usuable space in connection with development proposals in the City. I have also worked with numerous neighborhood groups in planning the renovations of existing parks and the creation of new parks. Since my first year on the Board of Aldermen, I sponsored and supported numerous orders for the creation of "dog parks" and will continue working on that issue."

Alderman White would also like to see

• the placement of plastic bags and containers in problem areas, and
• a more active animal control office where residents can contact the animal control officer about problem owners and the officer would work with that problem owner to try to remedy problems such as roaming off-leash dogs or the failure of the owner to clean up waste.
• the inclusion of dog ownership in city events, such as a dog/owner parade
• the City's Council On Aging considering a program in which dogs would visit senior centers so seniors could 'adopt' a dog and have that particular dog visit on a frequent basis.

Ward 1 - Wiliam M. Roche
17 MacArthur Street
Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 623-6661
aldermanroche at comcast.net

In 2006, Alderman Roche plans to "continue to support initiatives such as those put forth by som|dog."

As to the role of dogs in our families and in our community, Roche's answer addresses goals to which we may all aspire as individuals and as a society:

"A properly raised dog is ?man?s best friend? and should be treated as such."

Ward 2 - Maryann M. Heuston
115 Beacon Street
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 492-5331
mheuston at hotmail.com

no response

Ward 3 - Thomas F. Taylor
32 Vinal Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 776-1618
TFTAld32 at aol.com

with "Frisky" and "Abby"

no response

Ward 4 - Walter F. Pero

with ?Harry? (cavalier king charles spaniel/poodle mix)

"As an active member of som|dog I have attended meetings and supported and voted for open space friendly legislation before the Board of Aldermen. I have also worked with DCR to improve open space at Foss Park and Shore Drive."

Alderman Pero's goals for 2006 are to

• Place baggy stations and barrels at strategic locations in the City, and
• get off leash areas developed

Ward 5 - Sean T. O'Donovan
31 Rogers Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 776-6456
sean at odonovanlaw.com

"Rocky," 1980-1993 (Chinese miniature pug)

Dog ownership, in the estimation of Alderman O'Donovan is A "necessity: all families must experience it especially those w/ children."

Here's what's on the blackboard for 2006:

• the Commissioner is ordering new signs [regarding the ordinances regulating dogs in open space]

O'Donovan would also like

• to require developers to enhance and create additional open space, especially along the undeveloped Community Path from Cedar St. eastward, and
• to create a dog owner?s task force like the Somerville Bicycle Committee.

Ward 6 - Rebekah L. Gewirtz
85 Lowden Avenue #1
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 718-0792
rebekah at RCN.com

"Marty" R.I.P. (West Highland Terrier)

"Somerville must become more accommodating to dog owners?it?s a quality of life issue.

"I will work with the Somerville Dog Owners Group to create an area where dog owners can go with their dogs without fear of breaking the law."

Alderman Gewirtz identified an opprtunity for the City to partner with an institutional neighbor—Tufts University—to address open space needs:

"There used to be an area by the Tufts field where people could bring their dogs. I would talk with Tufts administration to see if there was a way to reopen the area."

Gewirtz also identified a benefit that pet dogs offer to our often anonymous and isolated urban lives: "Dogs bring people together walking down the streets."

Ward 7 - Robert C. Trane
70 Hooker Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 623-5767
RobertTrane at aol.com

with "Jasper" (Weimaraner)

"It is my hope that we can establish off leash areas in parks in various areas across the city. I have been a supporter of your group?s efforts and I will continue to support those efforts. As a dog owner I see the need for areas where dogs can get off leash and socialize with other dogs and their owners can also enjoy our city parks. One often-overlooked aspect of dog ownership is the chance it provides to meet other dog owners and form friendships. I have made many friends over the last few years and the main reason we met was because we met on a dog walk."

For Alderman Trane, the obligations of the community are not limited only to those dogs who are fortunate enough to have happy family relationships but extend also to our homeless dogs:

"I have one major concern that I believe really needs to be addressed. The condition of the so-called kennel area that is located in the DPW garage is inadequate to say the least. This area is in need of a major rehab or replacement."

The Board of Aldermen meets on the second and fourth Thursday each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chamber in City Hall. Meetings are open to the public and are televised live on City Cable. City Cable re-broadcasts the meeting the following Sunday evening at 8:20.

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.

Paws to Vote - Febraury 7, 2005

Special State Election

Residents of the Twenty-Seventh Middlesex Representative District vote today to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative Patricia D. Jehlen.

The Twenty-Seventh Middlesex Representative District includes the following Somerville precincts:

• Ward 2, precinct3
• Ward 3 (all precincts)
• Ward 4, precinct 3
• Ward 5 (all precincts)
• Ward 6 (all precincts)

The City of Somerville Election Department allows voters to bring our dogs with us to the polls: dogs must be on leash, remain close to their companions at all times and must not bother other people.

Polls are open 7am to 8pm.

Employment Opportunity

The City of Somerville is hiring an Animal Control Officer. The application deadline is March 17, 2006.

Title: Animal Control Officer

Apply Dates:
02/27/2006 - 03/17/2006

Department:
Police Department

Description/Duties:
CITY OF SOMERVILLE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER The Animal Control Officer reports to the Police Department and is responsible for: investigating complaints and enforcing state and municipal laws; acting as liaison between the City and K-9 academy; and keeping department records. The Animal Control Officer serves as a clearinghouse for related questions, problems, etc. Somerville residents encouraged to apply.

Requirements:
Minimum qualifications: knowledge of laws relative to animal control/treatment; ability to communicate clearly and concisely.

Salary:
$30,500 - $32,400

Hours per Week:
40 hours per week

Job Location:
Somerville MA 02143

Application Procedure:
Submit cover letter and resume by Friday, March 17, 2006, to:
Personnel Department
City Hall
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
Fax: 617-666-4426
EOE/AA/M/F/D/V

Does Ward Two want a school?

On Tuesday, March 14, Ward Two School Committee Member told the Finance Committee, "there is no school now and there needs to be one. ... I know I didn’t have to bring parents here to explain it to you." Cardosa was quoted in a story in the Somerville Journal about the construction of a new school on the site of the former Lincoln Park Community School.

Somerville's School Department has seven elementary schools: Brown School (Ward 6), Cummings School (Ward 3), East Somerville Community School (Ward 1), Healey School (Ward 4), Kennedy School (Ward 5), West Somerville Neighborhood School (Ward 7), and Winter Hill Community School (Ward 4). With the demolition of the Lincoln Park Community School there is no elementary school in Ward Two. There are schools just over the border in Ward Three (the Cummings School on Prescott Street) and Ward Five (the Kennedy School on Cherry Street), but there are no public elementary schools in Ward Two.

According to a press release from Anthony Pierantozzi, Superintendent of Schools,

Currently the students of the former Lincoln Park Community School are attending school at (a) Lincoln Park at Thurston Street, formerly the St. Anne’s School adjacent to the Winter [Hill] Community School [Ward 4] and (b) the Lincoln Park at Edgerly, located in the Edgerly Education Center at the intersection of Cross Street and Bonair Street [Ward 1].

Construction of the proposed Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park will not proceed until the Board of Aldermen approves a bond for an additional $14.5 million. For reasons of lack of information and lack of public input, the Finance Committee—comprising Alderman at Large William White, Ward Seven Alderman Robert Trane, Alderman at Large Denise Provost, Ward Two Alderman Maryann Heuston, and Alderman at Large Dennis Sullivan—voted on Tuesday to postpone discussion. The Journal quotes the reasons Finance Committee Chair, William Roche, gave for not being ready to vote on whether or not to approve the $14.5 million debt needed to construct the new school:

"I’m not ready to vote for this tomorrow night, I’ll tell you that. I’m really disappointed with the amount of information."

"I look around and see one or two parents in the room. This place should be jam-packed. There should be 300 parents here. I don’t know if the people of Ward 2 want this project."

The Finance Committee and the Board of Aldermen will meet in City Hall, Tuesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. to discuss funding for and possible alternatives to the Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park. The public is welcome to attend.

While you were out

Bacon's person has posted (on flickr) what may be the first photograph of legal off-leash recreation in Somerville, MA.

I was in Florence the day the fence for Somerville's first off-leash recreational area (OLRA) was installed in Nunziato Field and the "No-Dogs-Allowed-Yadda-Yadda-Yadda" sign was removed from the Putman Street entrance to the OLRA.

The Grand Opening of the OLRA at Nunziato Field (on Summer Street at Putnam Street) will be Sunday, April 9, 2006, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Room for Open Space at Assembly Square

According to an article in today's Globe, "Land swap could pave way for Somerville Ikea," by Kristen Green, Assembly Square property owners are negotiating a "land swap."

"The proposed swap calls for [Swedish retailer] Ikea to give its 16 acres on the river to Federal Realty Investment Trust. Federal, in turn, would give the furniture company 11 acres behind Home Depot, closer to the highway. . . .

"Federal Realty said the trade would allow it to build 1,300 more condos and apartments than it had planned, for a total of 2,646. Federal also would build 15,000 square feet of office space. The plan also calls for a 200-room hotel and 230,000 square feet of ground-level retail space, including a supermarket."

Based on national averages, more than one-third of the households in Assembly Square will include dogs.

Of course, for the livability of the mixed-use development at Assembly Square, adequate open space must be planned for residents, visitors and commuters. For the safety and enjoyment of all, open space in Assembly Square should be planned to address the needs of dog owners with an adequate area for off-leash recreation, facilities for waste removal, and signage advising people that they must leash and clean up after their dogs in areas that are not deisgnated for off-leash recreation.

UPDATE 12:49 p.m. The City's press release, "Mayor Praises Agreement Between Federal Reality Investment Trust and IKEA On Assembly Square Plans," highlights the opportunity, provided by the proposed swap, for "public-access parkland."

Rabies Vaccination Clinic and Dog Licensing

The City Clerk's Office will be issuing dog licenses at Somerville's Sixth Annual Rabies Vaccination Clinic on Saturday morning, June 3, 2006, from 10:00 to 12:00, at the Animal Control Office in the Public Works complex on Franey Road, across from Trum Field.

The fee is $12.00 for a dog license, or $6.00 if the dog has been spayed or neutered. The cost for the vaccine service is $5.00. No prior record is needed, but vaccines will be for one year only unless a current rabies certificate is supplied. All dogs must be leashed and cats must be in carriers.

The Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog) is working to improve the rate at which Somerville residents license our dogs with the City. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that dogs over the age of six months be licensed annually in their city or town. Through dog licensing, municipalities ensure that dogs in the community are properly vaccinated against rabies.

While owners are required by law to license our dogs, there are many other good reasons for Somerville dog owners to get our 2006 dog licenses now:

1. If your dog gets lost, a license tag on your dog's collar is the fastest way for local authorities to return him to you.
2. Your dog's license tag tells people in the community that you are a responsible dog owner: your dog is properly vaccinated against rabies.
3. A current dog license is required if you want to bring your dog to an Off-Leash Recreational Area in Somerville.
4. On July 1, 2006 the fee for a Somerville Dog License will increase to $16.00 (or $12.00 for spayed/neutered dogs)

Dog Licenses are issued at the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143, Monday-Wednesday, 8:30AM-4:00PM, Thursday 8:30AM-7:00PM, and Friday 8:30AM-12:00 Noon. Requests are also accepted by mail.

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 all requests, please include the following information:
- 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.

It's Municipal Budget time!

via e-mail

N O T I C E: AMENDED

May 30, 2006

Under Section 24 of the City Charter, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has called for a Special Meeting of the Board of Aldermen, to be held as follows:

TIME: Thursday, June 1, 2006, at 5:55 PM.

LOCATION: Aldermanic Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall.

AGENDA: The meeting has been called to submit the FY07 Budget, and for the acceptance of the Milk Row Cemetery grant in the amount of $15,205.

John J. Long, City Clerk

Proposed Municipal Budget for Fiscal Year 2007

The Mayor submitted the proposed FY 2007 Municipal Budget to the Board of Aldermen (BOA), Thursday, June 1, 2006. Some items of interest:

• The proposed budget projects a 160% increase in revenue from dog licenses (p. 6).

  The cost of a dog license will increase by 66.6% for spayed and neutered dogs (from $6 in FY '06 to $10 in FY '07) and by 33.3% for sexually intact animals (from $12 in FY '06 to $16 in FY '07).

• The proposed budget projects a 4900% increase in revenue from the sale of land (p. 8). Whereas the budget shows $10,000 in revenue on the FY '06, $500,000 in revenue is projected from sale of land in FY '07.

  On March 23, the Mayor requested that city-owned property at 0 New Washington Street, consisting of approximately 146,013 square feet of vacant land, be declared available for disposition pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, c. 30B, § 16 (file #180747). Somerville dog owners will recall that the Dog Owners Task Force has been discussing this land behind the Holiday in in Cobble Hill and how to turn it into useable open space since November of 2005. As recently as March 9, 2006, the City's liaison to the Task Force told residents that an Off-Leash Recreational Area (OLRA) on New Washington Street was on schedule to open this Spring at the same time as the Nunziato OLRA.

• Again in FY '07, no funds have been proposed for off-leash recreational areas.

  This is disappointing, though not surprising. The Mayor has explained that, in our current fiscal situation, the budget cannot accommodate residents' need for open spaces where we may safely and legally socialize and exercise our dogs off-leash. The Board, too, supports fiscally responsible appropriations for OLRAs. On April 14, 2005, Alderman Taylor and the entire Board resolved that the Administration appropriate seed money to establish Off-Leash Dog Runs (file #178465).

The BOA Committee on Finance is scheduled to meet as a COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE seven times in June for the purpose of discussing the FY 2007 Budget and any and all business. According to the City's online calendar for the month of June 2006, the Committee on Finance will meet as a COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE in City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor, at the following times:

Tuesday, June 6, at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 7, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, June 12, at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 13, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, June 19, at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 20, at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 21, at 6:00 p.m.

The Board of Aldermen will also meet regularly on the second and fourth Thursday of the month on June 8 and June 22.

Budget Hearings in June

UPDATE 8 June 2006: The Mayor's budget presentation to the Board of Aldermen is now online (.pdf file).

For Public input on the proposed FY 2007 budget, Alderman William A. White Jr., chairman of the Committee on Finance has ordered a public hearing before the Board of Aldermen, Tuesday, June 20, at 7 p.m. in the committee room on the second floor of City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue.

In addition to the proposed municipal budget for the 2007 fiscal year, the budgetary hearing schedule, from the City Finance Department, is now online.

Alderman at Large, Bill White, in an e-mail correspondence, provided this thumbnail summary of the municipal budget process.

The City's fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, so that the proposed budget that has been submitted would run from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. With regard to the proposed budget, the Board of Aldermen only has power to cut from various line items, the Board cannot add or switch money around. As part of the budget process, when the Mayor submits the budget, the Mayor demonstrates where the revenue is to come to fund the budget. A city must have a balanced budget and cannot run a deficit, unlike the federal government. Basically, the revenues that you see in the proposed budget are estimates. Usually in December, the Mayor submits the items to the Board of Aldermen that are necessary to set the property tax rate. Once set, this tax rate cannot be changed. If revenues do not come in as anticipated during the year, the City either must lay off workers to reduce expenditures or transfer funds from free cash, which is basically a reserve.

The Mayor's budget presentation to the Board of Aldermen is this evening.

East Somerville Neighborhood Walking Route

A neighborhood walk is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, June 13, in East Somerville. According to Amber Espar of Groundwork Somerville, the walk will begin at 5:00 at the East Somerville Health Center, 42 Cross Street. The route of the walk is stenciled in 2,000 yellow footprints and passes by the Youth and Senior Center (165 Broadway), the East Somerville Community School (115 Pearl Street), Glen Park (150 Glen Street) and Grace Baptist Church (59 Gross Street).

Later that evening there is a community meeting to discuss the challenge to pedestrians crossing McGrath-O'Brien Highway. The meeting, at 7:00 in the East Somerville Community School cafeteria, is sponsored by East Somerville Neighbors for Change with the Somerville Community Corporation.

The East Somerville Neighborhood Walking Route was described in an article about AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps volunteers who worked on projects in Somerville for two and a half weeks this spring.

UPDATE 12 June 2006: Download the East Somerville Neighborhood Walking Route flyer (.doc file).

Nunziato OLRA closed tomorrow - June 22, 2006

cross-posted on www.somdog.org, the website of the Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)

The Nunziato OLRA will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, June 22, so that the fencing contractor can install the double gate at the Putnam Street entrance and reconfigure the entrance to the OLRA at the tree well on Summer Street. For more information, please contact Carlene Campbell, Community Outreach Director, Office for Strategic Planning and Community Development, City of Somerville: 617-625-6600, ext. 2500; ccampbell at ci.somerville.ma.us.

We will all enjoy safer access at the Putnam Street gate and better access at the tree well when the OLRA reopens on Friday, June 23!

Somerville (and) dogs in the news

A follow up story in the Somerville Journal today, about Sister Stephen Marie and her dog, Lori, is the impetus for some catch-up blogging on Somerville dogs who have made the news recently.

Sister Stephen Marie is moving to a a nun's retirement home in Framingham after living at St. Benedict's convent in East Somerville since 1968. Last week, Journal readers learned that Lori, her six-year-old adopted dog and constant companion, is not welcome at the retirement home. According to the article, Sister Stephen Marie has no living family members. She has made arrangements for Lori to live with her groomer.

Another Somerville dog that has been featured in the Journal is Jake, the house mascot of the Somerville Home, a residential care facility that has served the community for more than 100 years. Recently, the Somerville Home celebrated Jake's fifteenth birthday—that's 105 in dog years! The golden retriever has been the resident pet therapist at the Somerville Home since an administrator rescued him from the pound 2-1/2 years ago.

Pet-assisted therapy is not the only way that Somerville dogs contribute in society: Molly walked in the AIDS Walk with her companion, Tom Santaniello: The team has raised $3,050 to help the AIDS Action Committee stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic through prevention, education and direct services to people living with HIV.

The Massachusetts State Police K-9 Unit has also made the local news a couple of times recently. On Memorial Day State Police used a canine unit to check the Cummings School for explosives: No bombs were found.

After a wild car chase through Somerville, police dogs were sent in to a swampy area next to train tracks in Everett after a suspect. "'Once the dogs went in, the guy was located in about 30 seconds,' said one officer involved in the chase."

Once the dogs located [the suspect], he was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, failure to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop at a stop sign, operating a vehicle with a revoked license and walking on railroad tracks.

Somerville Attraction

Check it out. On ExploreNewEngland.com, our off-leash recreational area at Nunziato Field is the feature attraction for Somerville!

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!

Paws to Vote - September 19, 2006

Today is Primary Day! Somerville residents are voting in statewide and federal primary elections today. If you are registered as a member of a political party, at the polls you will only receive a ballot for that party. Unenrolled ("independent") voters may request any ballot in a primary election.

The City of Somerville Election Department allows voters to bring our dogs with us to the polls: dogs must be on leash, remain close to their companions at all times and must not bother other people.

Polls are open 7am to 8pm.

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.

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.