somerville dog: a weblog

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!

Posted by Michèle at 6:29 PM
Categories: Somerville
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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).

Posted by Michèle at 8:59 AM
Categories: Somerville
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Peaches was cloned last year from a cat named Mango, owned by Leslie Ungerer, who oversees most of the feline projects at Genetic Savings and Clone in Sausalito, CA.

"They are fast friends," she said of mother and clone, who spend part of their time at the lab and part at her home. ("Hello Kitty, Hello Clone," By Anne Eisenberg, New York Times, May, 28, 2005)

I wonder what Strummer would do if I brought her home in puppy form to meet herself. But I don't really want to know. There has never been and will never be another Strummer.

Posted by Michèle at 7:39 AM
Categories: Dogs and Culture, Strummer
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On January 5, 2005, Mayor Menino signed the City of Boston's Dog Recreation Spaces Ordinance, which provides for community groups to apply for a designated dog recreation space (see City of Boston Municipal Code 11-10.2 Dog Recreation Spaces).

If the Ringer Playground Dog Owners Group plans to submit an application, they must work closely with Friends of Ringer Park and reach out to different members of Ringer Park community.

via e-mail

Posted by Michèle at 7:14 AM
Categories: Massachusetts
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Today the Lincoln Journal is running a story about the third public hearing regarding the new regulations regarding dogs at Mount Misery in Lincoln that was held on May 18.

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

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 Additional materials from the Journal have been archived on the Mt.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

From the Lincoln Journal

Consensus on dog regs
By Cheryl Lecesse/ Staff Writer
Thursday, May 26, 2005

Designated on-leash and off-leash trails, and a three-dog limit per handler are two of several draft regulations the Conservation Commission has planned to control dog use at Mt. Misery.

Commissioners put together a draft list of regulations May 18, following its third public hearing on the issue. Before closing the public hearing, residents and Mount Misery users in attendance gave their opinions on previously suggested ideas for regulations, and suggested new ideas.

Draft regulations include requiring people to pick up dog feces in the agricultural fields, on and near trails and within the first 500 feet of the entrance. Two barrels will be placed, as well as a holder for recycled bags, in case people forget their own.

According to the draft regulations, dogs would be required to be on leash near the parking lot, to help with feces removal, and on the main trail.

Dogs would not be allowed to swim in the kettle hole or vernal pools, but would be allowed at one section of the larger pond near the entrance.

Commissioners also plan to place a limit of three dogs per person. Richard Lyman of Chestnut Circle said he and others feel they have noticed an increase of the number of professional dog walkers using Mt. Misery, some with six to eight dogs.

"I myself have been on the wrong end of a whole group of these dogs," he said, saying the commission should put a limit on the number of dogs per handler.

"There's no way that someone could control a large number, say five to six dogs at a time," said commissioner Jim Meadors, saying he knows other places have successfully instituted a limit as well.

At the start of the hearing commission Chairman Mary Lincoln said the impacts of dogs on then ecology at Mount Misery and the ability of other users who do not have dogs to use Mt. Misery without fear has been on the commissioners' minds for some time.

"They're decidedly not intended to ban dogs for the area," Lincoln said.

Lincoln said the regulations need to be easy to enforce, and need to be something users feel comfortable with, so they can help to self-police the area, especially since two rangers patrol the land's trails.

During the hearing, users were allowed to give their final suggestions and voice their concerns.

"I have such good friends, dogs and people, at Mt. Misery," said Barbara Peskin of South Great Road. "There really is such a good group here now that wants to do all they can to be there."

Penny Billings of Lincoln Road, a former selectmen, said that she has heard a lot from residents concerned about small children being frightened or inadvertently hurt by dogs at Mt. Misery.

"I think I appreciate the Conservation Commission looking at this issue," she said.

Billings said she and others have noticed the trails do not look like they used to.

"They're very worn," she said. "I personally got a lot of calls and comments on the condition of the trails."

"In my professional opinion there is not environmental damage to this land," said Nancy Bryant of Lexington, a biologist. "The greenery is diverse and the plant life is diverse, and the biological life is diverse."

Bryant said, as a biologist, she looks for evidence and data proving any ecological impacts.

"If dog poop matters, horse poop matters," she said, saying duck weed, which grows when phosphorus levels in the ground are high, are growing near wetlands not far from the agricultural fields. Bryant said application of fertilizer and any manure piles can create high levels of phosphorus, carried downstream to the wetlands.

Ari Kurtz of Old Concord Road, who farms on part of the agricultural fields at Mt. Misery, said one manure pile belongs to his farm, Linden Tree Farm, a certified organic farm inspected by the USDA. The other belongs to Codman Farm, and has always been stored close to the woodlands.

Bryant said there is a "tremendous" siltation problem at the parking lot, where sand is draining into the brook - a problem that was visible in the winter but was not addressed.

Bryant passed in a petition, signed by 96 users at Mt. Misery. She said she obtained signatures during weekdays only, and said one person refused to sign.

"I obtained on average two people per walk," she said, using this point to show there is not an overuse problem at the conservation land.

Commissioner Peter von Mertens said he has been to Mt. Misery more often since the commission's hearings on the regulations, and at least five times dogs have jumped up on him.

"I'm concerned about the philosophy of any kind of leash law," said Annie Knowlton of Stonehedge, who used to be a professional dog walker.

"It's a very different experience to go off leash and on leash for me as a person," said Peskin.

"There is a tremendous difference between walking a dog off leash and on leash," said Alexandra Guldberg of Old Concord Road. "There's just nothing like being able to watch your dog run."

Guldberg said she never knew about Bryant's petition because she never saw her at Mt. Misery

"We live in a different time," said Edward Schwartz of Todd Pond Road. "Terrorism is making our life less free every day."

Schwartz said dogs contribute to the psychological health of their owners.

"A lot of people enjoy life because they have a dog and I'm one of these," he said.

"The dog walkers and dogs are better behaved because they're aware of the situation now," said Jim Sweeney of Waltham.

Letter: Ready for a leash resolution
Thursday, May 19, 2005

We have been following, with interest, the discussion of the new regulations relating to dogs at Mount Misery. In our communities, families with dogs have few opportunities to enjoy off-leash recreation. We have formed dog owner groups to work with our local governments to provide open space options to serve the recreational needs of all citizens. We appreciate the opportunities for off-leash recreation that already exist in the Commonwealth. We hope, that by providing local dog recreation space, the demand on places such as Mount Misery will lessen.

We agree with laws requiring people to clean up after their dogs and support tough fines for those who do not. Dog feces are unsightly, damage the habitat and pose a threat to the health of our rivers and oceans. We strongly encourage the stewards of public lands to provide biodegradable bags and trash barrels as an added incentive for people to clean up after their pets.

As responsible dog owners, we also appreciate leash laws. They protect us and they protect our dogs. A leashed dog can be restrained from over-enthusiastically greeting a passerby, another dog, or charging after a squirrel into traffic. Experience tells us that an encounter between an unleashed and a leashed dog is more likely to result in an attack than an encounter between two leashed or two unleashed dogs.

We believe it is in the best interest of all communities to provide options for off-leash recreation. Dogs need to socialize with other dogs and with people. A properly socialized dog does not bark or lunge at other dogs. Moreover, a properly socialized dog can easily be trained to walk appropriately on a leash. And, a tired dog is a well-behaved dog.

We are delighted that the Lincoln Conservation Commission is giving further consideration to the regulations that were approved in March. We look forward to a solution that, invoking the words of the commission chairman, will protect the land and the ecosystem it supports and ensure that Mount Misery continues to serve the many and diverse needs of all persons in the Commonwealth for passive recreation.

Michele Biscoe
Somerville Dog Owners Group

Penny Cherubino
Boston Dogs

Posted by Michèle at 9:18 AM
Categories: Massachusetts
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via Boston Dogs

I recently learned of a yahoo discussion group for the issue of agressive behavior in dogs. The aptly named "Aggressive Behaviors in Dogs" group (agbeh) includes over 300 experienced dog trainers from around the world, who discuss with pet owners

how to modify the behavior of dogs which sometimes exhibit aggressive behaviors toward dogs and/or toward people.

Posted by Michèle at 9:49 AM
Categories: DogNet, Training
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via Boston Dogs

DogFriendly.com has published its 3rd Annual list of Top 10 Dog-Friendly Cities To Visit in North America.

Boston residents, who, because of its dearth of safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, consider Boston one of the least dog-friendly major cities in the U.S. in which to live, will be surprised to learn that of the top ten dog-friendly cities to visit in the U.S. Boston is number three.

Families with dogs who are planning to visit Boston should be advised that some of the dog-friendly attractions listed for Boston are not quite as attractive as DogFriendly.com makes them out to be. For example, do not book a hotel on the basis of its proximity to the Charlesgate Dog Run. See for yourself: the "dog run" is not used and not usable by families with dogs.

Posted by Michèle at 10:54 AM
Categories: Destinations, DogNet, Off-Leash Recreational Areas—i.e. "Dog Parks", Traveling with Dogs, United States
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Jonathan Ralton is a responsible dog owner and lives in Brighton. In June 2003 he set up a yahoo group for neighborhood dog owners. Today the Ringer Playground Dog Owners Group includes ninety-two members who have posted over 600 messages.

Ralton and other members of the Ringer Playground Dog Owners Group are active members of the Ringer Playground Crime Watch Group,¹ which, in February of this year, was featured in an article in the Boston Globe, "Dogs add bite to crime watch."

¹Additional information about the activities of the Ringer Park Crime Watch Group is available on the website of Emerald Necklace Budo Martial Arts.

The efforts of Ralton and the Ringer Playground Dog Owners Group, both behind the scenes and on the front line, to make their neighborhood and their neighborhood park a better place are worthy of both praise and support. Instead of praise, however, the community newspaper blames the group for the tension between dog owners and other members of the community who enjoy the 12.38 acre park:

Noreen Kennedy is shocked that dog owners are allowing their pooches to dig holes in the softball field, where she practices with the Allston-Brighton Women's Softball League.

"When these dogs are off leash, they're out of control of these people," said Noreen Kennedy. "Their attitude is if anyone is bothered by it, all they have to do it ask me."

But Kennedy, who owns two shiatsus [sic] herself, said that unfairly puts the responsibility on parents and other park users.

. . .

Kennedy blames the problem on a local dog owner Web site started in 2003.

Kennedy probably owns a pair of Shih Tzus, not a pair of massage therapists, and she has a point: It is the responsibility of everyone who owns a dog to ensure that her or his dog never greets a person without that person's explicit consent. What is so insidious about the Allston-Brighton TAB's reporting, however, is that it implies that Ralton disagrees with her.

On the contrary, it is because of the passion of Ralton and the Ringer Park Dog Owners Group that more and more dog owners in Allston/Brighton understand the responsabilities of dog owners both to their dogs and to their community.

Want better-behaved dogs in your community? Support your local dog owners group!

Posted by Michèle at 12:00 PM
Categories: D.O.G.s (Dog Owner Groups), Massachusetts
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I just learned about dog-trainer Nancy Freedman-Smith's blog, "A Dog's Life." The Canine University e-mail newsletter refered to Freedman-Smith's recent post, "No vaccines for us this year." Friedman-Smith advises pet owners to request that our veterinarians, before administering annual vaccinations, perform a titer to determine if our pet already has adequate levels of antibodies in her blood to protect her from disease. Good advice.

Friedman-Smith also discusses the advocacy work of Kris Christine to pass legislation requiring more detailed disclosure on animal vaccinations in Maine.

You can learn more about pet vaccine legislation tonight on the 11:00 news. In an e-mail printed in the CU newsletter I received this morning, Christine writes,

News about the pet vaccine issue is spreading rapidly and getting more national coverage. NBC's Boston station, WHDH-7 News, sent journalist Christina Mattingly and her cameraman to Alna to interview us as part of a pet vaccine story they are running Wednesday night at 11:00 p.m., May 18th.

Posted by Michèle at 6:51 AM
Categories: DogNet, Your Dog's Health
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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.

Posted by Michèle at 6:37 AM
Categories: Somerville
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Baby Go is being fostered right here in Somerville! You can see her on dogster (the picture her is from her dogster page). She is one of the greyhounds available from Greyhound Welfare, a greyhound rescue and placement group that has recently opened a chapter in New England. Learn how to adopt Baby Go!

UPDATE 31 May 2005: This is too cool. Check out the live "babycam"! Via Baby's dogster page.

Posted by Michèle at 8:39 AM
Categories: Somerville Rescues
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In the past year that Strummer has been a member of my family I've taken her to a lot of places I'd never before been: The Middlesex Fells, Fresh Pond Reservation, the Arnold Arboretum, Cat Rock, Wingaersheek Beach, Singing Beach. We visit new (to us) dog-friendly places as I learn of them and return to our favorites regularly.

Though it gets "three paws up" from the Dog Lover's Companion to Boston, we have never been to Mount Misery. I hope we haven't missed our chance.

This spring new regulations were approved relating to dogs at Mount Misery: "effective Monday, April 4, all dogs at Mt. Misery and the neighboring fields will be required to be on a leash at all times. In addition, dog walkers will be required to remove all feces deposited by their dogs in this area" ("New regs proposed for Mount Misery," the Lincoln Journal, March 10, 2005, via the Mt. Misery Organization website).

Note: The majority of the articles and letters that have been printed in the Lincoln Journal with regard to these regulations are no longer available on the Journal's website, but they have been archived by Lincoln dog owner, Dick McWalter on the Mt. Misery Organization's news page. In addition to the Mt. Misery Organization another group, Friends of Mt. Misery, has also formed to faciltate communication between people who enjoy Mount Misery and the stewards appointed by the Town.

Mount Misery comprises "more than 200 acres of woods, trails and agricultural fields bounded by Route 117, Route 126 and the Sudbury River in Lincoln" ("New dog regs at Mt. Misery," March 24, 2005).

Mary Lincoln, Chairperson of the Lincoln Conservation Commission, explains:

the Mt. Misery lands were purchased with state and federal funds as well as local funds. Lands purchased with public funds must be open to all persons in the Commonwealth for passive recreation. However, the commission is still the entity responsible for the stewardship of these lands and as such may limit use or limit access as necessary to protect the land and the ecosystem it supports, so long as we do not discriminate or give priority to our own residents ("Commentary: Can co-existence be achieved?," April 21, 2005).

In response to the organization of a local dog owners, the Commission postponed the implemation of the regulations until after a public hearing could be held to discuss them ("Leash rule postponed," April 7, 2005).

"More than 100 residents of Lincoln and of surrounding towns filled the Hartwell multipurpose room April 27 for the hearing. . . . A follow-up meeting, at which commissioners are scheduled to make a decision on the regulations, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18" ("Dog regs disputed," May 5, 2005).

I am very encouraged that the townspeople of Lincoln and the Lincoln Conservation Commission are cooperating to find a solution that "will protect the land and the ecosystem it supports" and ensure that Mount Misery continues to serve the many and diverse needs of "all persons in the Commonwealth for passive recreation."

Responsible dog owners have ten good reasons to clean up after our dogs every time. We appreciate the courtesy of mutt mitts afforded at some dog-friendly places, and we find the amenity of adequate trash receptacles preferable to "carry away" policies.

We also support leash laws. In a perfect society we would be able to allow our dogs off-leash: Responsible dog owners understand that, even off-leash, dogs have no more right to "run free" than people do. After all, people stay to the right when we walk on sidewalks, we look both ways before crossing the street, and we do not walk in our neighbors' flowerbeds. Even if I could keep Strummer in a perfect heel every day when we walk along Somerville's streets, leash laws protect us from the owners of other dogs who cannot.

Like our dogs, society is not perfect. We need leash laws, and that is why we also need options for off-leash recreation. (Analogously, we seem to need laws against playing ball on streets [City Ordinance 12-13], which is why we also need ball parks.) Our dogs need to socialize with other dogs and with people. A properly socialized dog does not bark or lunge at other dogs. Moreover, a properly socialized dog can easily be trained to walk appropriately on a leash. And, a tired dog is a good dog. Local options for off-leash recreation benefit every community in the Commonwealth.

Posted by Michèle at 9:35 PM
Categories: D.O.G.s (Dog Owner Groups), Destinations, Massachusetts, Off-Leash Recreational Areas—i.e. "Dog Parks"
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The town of Belmont, MA gets it: A city is comprised of the citizens, and city administrations are established to serve the citizens.

Check out the official website for Belmont. Their Animal Control Department (part of the Health Department) has a page where lost and missing pets can be listed and a page of pets available for adoption. It also has a page for the Belmont Dog Owners Group.

Posted by Michèle at 7:09 AM
Categories: D.O.G.s (Dog Owner Groups), Massachusetts
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via e-mail, Boston Pooch*

There is quite a bit of discussion about the accuracy of an e-mail from Dakin Animal Shelter in Leverett, MA, which I received yesterday. For example, according to Greyhound Dad's Greyhound Tails weblog, the state of Connecticut has laws preventing the euthanasia of healthy greyhounds. Greyhound Dad is posting updates about the closing of Plainfield Greyhound Park. In an April 28 update, he posted a list of adoption groups that are confirmed to have offered to help.

The New York Times ran a story yesterday about the Plainfield track closing. Many of the dogs that have raced at the Plainfield facility will continue their careers at other tracks:

[Max] Friedman, who owns 45 dogs that race at the track, said he quickly arranged for 25 of his dogs to race at Shoreline Star Greyhound Park in Bridgeport. He found room for 15 more at Hinsdale Greyhound Park in New Hampshire.

Yet while Mr. Friedman was personally relieved that he would have only five dogs left to "pet out," the phrase used by greyhound owners to offer dogs for adoption as pets, his success addresses just a fraction of the problem: There are about 1,000 dogs that need to be moved to new locations ("As Racing Ends, What About the Dogs?" by William Yardley).

According to an article by Dave Goldberg (Connecticut Post),

the New England Raceway developer Gene Arganese, of Trumbull, who obtained an option to purchase the dog track last year, has said he halted greyhound racing to begin construction on a new facility. He plans to apply for a transfer of the park's dog track license next year ("Track close leaves dogs homeless").

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

Posted by Michèle at 6:50 AM
Categories: Somerville Rescues
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via e-mail

From its website, you would never know that the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) maintains a dog run. And, indeed they do not maintain it.

DogFriendly.com includes the Charlesgate Dog Run (at the Southwest corner of the Harvard--a.k.a. Mass. Ave--Bridge) in their City Guide for Boston, Massachusetts.

Here's a recent picture, taken by a local resident:

The photographer has contacted the DCR and has sent the photo to the Boston Globe's Photo Desk. He observes that the park, has "become a dump and has been like this for months. It is an ugly contrast with Storrow Drive, The Bridge and the Esplanade and hardly enhances the new banners put up for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater."

"This is an example of a dog run designed to fail," says Penny Cherubino, a back bay resident and dog owner. "The run is too small, has no group to support or maintain it and was designed without a plan for trash removal. What you are seeing in that photo is from the homeless people who drove the dog owners out of there. The waste is human waste. There is a homeless community under the nearby bridge and they use the park as their bathroom and trash bin."

The stated mission of the Department of Conservation and Recreation is "to protect, promote and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well being of all." Judging by the recent photo of the Charlesgate Dog Run, I would say that, in this case, the DCR is not fulfilling its mission.

Can the Charlesgate Dog Run be saved? Certainly: with creative and combined efforts of not only the DCR and local dog owners but also, perhaps, other organizations that share an interest in issue, for example, the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.

Posted by Michèle at 8:39 AM
Categories: Massachusetts, Off-Leash Recreational Areas—i.e. "Dog Parks"
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Fifteen-year-old, "Sarah" is a member of 4-H. "The first thing they teach you is dog responsibility" her mother says. "Members know they don't leave the house without some plastic bags in their pockets."

Animal Control officers, Health Departments and other city officials in Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Marshfield, Middleborough, Pembroke and Plymouth discuss enforcement of pooper-scooper laws in a Boston Globe article, "Region's pet waste laws have bark, but little bite."

Posted by Michèle at 6:21 AM
Categories: Massachusetts, Shooting the S--t
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via BostonPooch*

Understanding Dog Behavior in Dog Parks

This seminar will help you understand the difference between good play and bad play; how to read dog body language to figure out if a dog is aggressive, stressed, or fearful; how to determine when enough is enough; good and bad greeting behavior; and what to do if a fight breaks out.

The cost is $20. Pre-registration required.

Tuesday, May 10, 7 pm
Especially For Pets (EFP)
81 Union Avenue
Sudbury, MA 01776
For more information: (978) 443-7682

Also offered Sunday, May 15, 11:00am, at EFP in Newton
1223 Chestnut Street
Newton Upper Falls, MA 02464
(617) 964-7387

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

Posted by Michèle at 3:25 PM
Categories: Training
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