Friends of somerville dog
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Every year since 2005, Somerville dog owners have walked our dogs in the City's Memorial Day Parade to honor our veterans.
The weather was perfect last year! Finn's owner, Leah, took pictures of the dogs while we were waiting in the queue to start the parade at City Hall. Finn is enjoying the breeze!
Last year was the first year that som|dog organized a group of people to wait with their dogs in Davis Square and file in to the Parade so that there would be fresh dogs to walk in the second half of the parade.
The previous year had been so hot! Even though we had extra water in the "waggin' wagon", by the time we got to Davis Square, the dogs were too tired to go on. Three Somerville dog owners remained in the parade (without their dogs) and carried the som|dog banner to Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Here's Dunkin with his owner, Haley, waiting in the Parade queue before getting under way in 2006.
2005 was the first year that Somerville Dog Owners walked in the parade. That was before we had the waggin' wagon and before we had the idea to arrange for reinforcements to join us in Davis Square. Fortunately, we had a beautiful day, as you can see in this picture taken by Jessica, who owns the Lotte, a greyhound (not pictured).
The Somerville Dog Owners Group welcomes all dogs that enjoy the company of other dogs, that are licensed and up-to-date on vaccinations, that walk well on a loose leash and that are in good physical condition to walk in the Memorial Day Parade this year. You can start the parade with us at City Hall or you can join us when we get to Davis Square.
For more information and to walk your dog in the Memorial Day Parade with the Somerville Dog Owners Group, please contact Michele at somdog * AT * somervilledog.com; 617-290-9107.
On a recent Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to attend an in-home behavior training with Marjie Alonso of Somerville-based City Dog Training and Vera Wilkinson of The Pet Needs Company.
A young couple had recently adopted a young female Jack Russell Terrier and had contacted City Dog Training, because they were concerned that their dog's barking was disturbing their neighbors in their building.
"Bianca" (not her real name) barked at us and was in constant motion from the moment we entered the condo. She kept her distance from the three strangers (Alonso, Wilkinson, and me) and she kept her eye on all five of the humans in her space.
Alonso gave me a handful of bits of Redbarn Premium Food Food for dogs, and instructed me to toss bits of food, one by one, on the floor for Bianca. She and Wilkinson did the same so that, immediately after we arrived, all three strangers were tossing bits of food on the floor, while Alonso spoke with the couple about their daily routine with Bianca. Alonso was seated, Wilkinson and I and Bianca's owners were all standing.
After about five minutes there was a noticable difference in Bianca's barking behavior. She was no longer barking only to express the stress of having strangers in her home; she was also barking sometimes when there was a lull in the rain of treats hitting the floor.
The purpose of the rain of treats was not to get Bianca to stop barking, it was rather to communicate to Bianca that the strangers in her home were not (entirely) a bad thing. In that first five minutes, Alonso had already learned a couple of things about Bianca:
Bianca's discomfort with strangers in her home is not debilitating (a dog can be so frightened or stressed that it cannot eat; this was not the case with Bianca)
Bianca is food-motivated
Bianca had also offered a training opportunity: She was sometimes barking not because there were strangers in her home but because we weren't treating her fast enough; That meant that sometimes she wasn't barking. Alonso, Wilkinson and I took advantage of those moments when Bianca was not barking to toss treats on the floor, and we were less likely to toss a treat when she was barking.
At one moment, I shifted my weight, and my movement caused Bianca to startle and back away. Since the dog had already demonstrated that she could learn to face her fears in the presence of food, Alonso instructed us to move one foot slightly while tossing treats on the floor. Soon Bianca was comfortable with our moving--slowly and deliberately--in the room.
This whole process of making the dog comfortable with our presence is called "desensitization." Bianca was overly sensitive to the presence of strangers in her home, we had to desensitize her, first to our presence, then to our movements.
At this point Alonso introduced the first training exercise. She gave Bianca's owners handfuls of treats and instructed them to call her name and feed her a treat from their hands when she came to them.
It was fascinating for many reasons to watch her new owners interact with Bianca. At first, Bianca was more interested in the strangers in her home than her owners. Alonso explained that we had built up an expectation of treats, and that it was understandable that Bianca would not want to turn her back to strangers as well as to people who had been giving away free food for the past ten minutes.
Also, it was really hard for her owners to follow Alonso's instruction say her name only once. This is common training advice: In many cases, it's best to give the command only once. The reason is that you want to train the dog, in this case, that her name is "Bianca", not "Bianca. Bianca! Bi-aahhhn-ka! Here girl! Come here, Bianca!"
Once Bianca was convinced that her owners were (almost) as reliable a source of treats as her new (relatively safe) friends, Alonso had us stand around the room and alternate calling her and rewarding her with a treat when she came to us. We were coached so that we would not distress Bianca inadvertently with our body language. We turned our bodies slightly away from her, so that she could approach us from the side (not head on); We were crouching so that we didn't seem to loom over her; we delivered the treats from below her nose-level so that she did not see hands coming down at her head. We were also instructed to simply say her name and give her a treat. No petting or even saying "good dog" yet.
Bianca's owners were encouraged to invite friends over to play this game with them and the dog. This is a good way to help make a dog comfortable with different people, and, if you want your friends and family to visit you, it really helps to have a dog who is comfortable around a lot of different people!
Sounds like a lot of food, doesn't it? Alonso explained that during her training (which would probably take several weeks) Bianca would get most of her nutrition from "treats"--the rewards she gets during training sessions. She suggested that they reduce the amount of food they give her at meal time to about 1/4 of her regular serving size depending upon how much training the owners were doing.
You can also use your regular dog food for training treats (Wilkinson spoke to the owners about the importance of dog-food with high nutritional quality. In particular, she advised them to avoid foods in which the primary ingredient--the first ingredient on the ingredients list--is corn.)
Most dogs, however, will not work for kibble. Treats should be of high value to the dog, but also healthy. (Trying to train a dog with pupperoni, is like trying to train for a marathon and eating only McDonalds.)
I've heard some trainers say that during periods of rigorous training the dog should not get a single bite of food for "free". Meal-time is training time. Alonso demonstrated a nice training exercise for Bianca's mealtimes:
Alonso let Bianca sniff the contents of the food bowl, which for the purpose of the demonstration, was stocked with assortment of high-value treats. She then positioned Bianca on her left side while holding the food bowl in the air above her own head in her right hand (on the side opposite from the dog). She slowly lowered the bowl toward the floor until Bianca--who's only canine, after all--moved toward the bowl. The instant that Bianca moved, Alonso quietly said "eh-eh" and raised the bowl above her head again. When Bianca, by not moving, allowed Alonso place the bowl on the floor, Alonso praised her and let her eat the entire contents of the bowl.
It took only about forty seconds for Bianca to allow Alonso to place the bowl the the floor without moving toward it. Alonso explained that, at least at first, it would take longer for her owners to be able to place the bowl on the floor, especially if the bowl were filled only with kibble, because the dog already has expectations about what happens at mealtime and it would take some time to break her of those expectations.
The benefit of this training with the food bowl is that it starts to establish some self-control in the dog as well as developing a gentle command, "eh-eh," that her owners can use when they need Bianca to stop doing whatever she's doing and look at them. This training is will come in handy, if say, your dog is pursuing a skunk and you want her to stop RIGHT NOW.
So, what about Bianca's barking, which is the reason her owners called City Dog Training in the first place? By helping Bianca to be more comfortable in her new home and more comfortable around different people, by helping her learn to pay attention to her owners, these training techniques will help Bianca be less nervous and less stressed and more calm and relaxed. When she is calm and relaxed, as we saw, Bianca doesn't bark!
At the 2008 Annual Town Meeting this evening, the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea voted to continue to allow families with dogs to enjoy Singing Beach from October 1 through April 30. A motion seeking to ban dogs year round was defeated as were two secondary amendments, one that would have extended the current five-month prohibition of dogs on Singing Beach by two months and another that would have given families with dogs two more weeks to enjoy Singing Beach together. Ain't democracy grand?!
My favorite part of the discussion was when a representative from the Board of Health told the Meeting that the Board of Health cannot recommend that dogs should be disqualified from beaches any more than they are from streets and parks! Feces in sand, he explained, poses no greater public health risk than feces on asphalt, concrete or dirt!
Early in the proceedings of the Town Meeting, a voter introduced a motion to take up Article 30 out of order.
Being a nonresident with no stake in the other articles on the Town Warrant, I wasn't paying close attention. I think the motion to take up article 30 was introduced after article 3. The motion was seconded and prevailed with more than two thirds of the meeting voting for it.
Patricia Morely who petitioned to put the year-round dog ban on the Town Warrant introduced a motion to amend Article X Section 28 (c) 3 of the General By-Laws of the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea to prohibit dogs on Singing Beach throughout the year
Ms. Morley's motion was seconded, but in the course of her comments on the necessity of banning people with dogs from Singing Beach, she asked if the matter could be placed on the ballot for the Town Election in May. On the advice of the Town Moderator Morley withdraw her original motion and introduced a new motion.
Susan Thorne, Chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, then introduced a motion to amend the By-Laws to prohibit people from bringing dogs on Singing Beach from April 1 through November 1.
Another resident by the name of Brown introduced another motion to amend the By-Laws to prohibit people from bringing dogs on Singing Beach from May 1 through September 15.
There was relatively little discussion, largely because a motion to end the debate on the matter was carried by a necessary two-thirds vote.
Mr. Brown's amendment, which would have allowed us to enjoy Singing Beach with our dogs from September 16 through April 30 did not prevail.
Ms. Thorne's amendment, which would have abbreviated the time when dogs are allowed on Singing Beach by two months—from November 1 through March 30—did not prevail.
And Ms. Morley's motion did not prevail.
Thank you, Manchester-by-the-Sea, for welcoming people with dogs on Singing Beach.
- Dogs are permitted to be on Singing Beach from October 1st - April 30th.
- Dog owners must always clean up after their dog - No excuses!
- Dog owners must maintain effective verbal control of their dogs and always be able to see their dogs~~~~when they are off-leash.
- Dogs must wear a collar with identification at all times, be licensed and vaccinated.
- An owner is personally liable for any damage or injury his dog inflicts or sustains.
- Each person is limited to two dogs.
- Violators of these rules are subject to removal from the beach and a $10 fine for the first offense and a $25 fine for each subsequent offense.
UPDATE 8 April 2008: Patrick Anderson, reporter for the Gloucester Daily Times, got the vote tallies on the three amendments. For details see "Town Meeting backs keeping dogs on Singing Beach".
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 Somerville 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:
- It's the law.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
In an article that ran in the Brookline Tab on November 30, 2006, Correspondent Lara Farrar contributed a story about off-leash hours at Winthrop Park, in which she spoke with people from neighboring communities about successful off-leash recreation programs.
Ward Three Alderman, Thomas Taylor, commented very graciously about the partnership of the City of Somerville and the Somerville Dog Owners Group.
Thomas Taylor is an alderman in Somerville who advocated for the city's first dog park. He said what has made a big difference is the Somerville Dog Owners Group, an independent group that has rallied for off-leash spaces, even raising money to fund the projects.
"If you can create a group, that could make a big difference," he said.
Thanks, Alderman Taylor. Somerville's Ward Three, the only Ward with an Off-Leash Recreational Area, gets my vote as the Best Ward in the City!
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.
Continue reading "Park Users Thank the Somerville Department of Public Works" »
I recieved an e-mail from State Representative Denise Provost (Twenty-seventh Middlesex) about a dog-friendly event at the State House on the occasion of the proclamation of September 2006 as Responsible Dog Owner's Month in Massachusetts:
Today, September 21st, please join Representative Jennifer M. Callahan (Eighteenth Worcester), the MSPCA, AKC Chapter Members, responsible dog owners and their dogs as we proclaim September to be:
"Responsible Dog Owner's Month"
If you have a dog that is friendly and can handle the excitement of a press event with other dogs, you are both welcome to join us!
Thursday, September 21
1PM
State House steps (Beacon Street)
In honor of Governor Mitt Romney declaring September 2006 "Responsible Dog Owner's Month, " Representative Jennifer Callahan will be presenting the Governor's proclamation. Dozens of dogs and their owners will be gathered for the event. The MSPCA will be highlighting dogs that are available for adoption. Nationwide, throughout the month of September, the AKC holds events to educate the public on how to responsibly care for their dog. This is the first time the State of Massachusetts has declared "Responsible Dog Owner's Month."
Any questions, please contact Colleen in Representative Callahan's Office at 617-722-2130 or Rep.JenniferCallahan (at) hou.state.ma.us.
Massachusetts dog owner groups have been holding special events in celebration of Responsible Dog Ownership all month. The New England Dog Training Club is holding a "Meet-the-Breeds" event Saturday afternoon, September 30, 2006, from 2:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m. at the Cambridge Armory, 450 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138.
To all the reponsible dog owners in Somerville and all of Massachusetts, thank you, and have a happy Responsible Dog Owner's Month in September 2006!
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!
I received an e-mail from Ward Seven Alderman and Somerville dog owner, Robert Trane, about Deramaxx, a pain reliever which veterinarians continue to prescribe for dogs even though a similar human painkiller, Vioxx, was taken off the market in 2004 in response to reports of illness and death linked to the drug.
According to an article that ran yesterday the Washington Post, "Vioxx Debate Echoed in Battle Over Dog Drugs," by Marc Kaufman, "more than 350 reports of deaths linked to Deramaxx have come into the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine." Deramaxx is the brand name of Deracoxib, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).
David Stansfield, director of professional relations for Novartis Animal Health, the maker of Deramaxx, says that the company advises "veterinarians not only to inform pet owners of possible side effects . . . but also to conduct blood and sometimes urine tests before the drug is prescribed. Those tests can be expensive, however, and are not routinely done."
The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes efforts to require vets to give out the drugmakers' information because "it's just not the be-all and end-all of the communication that's needed," according to Elizabeth Curry-Galvin, interim director of the AVMA scientific activities division, quoted in the Post.
A miracle drug for one individual may be dangerous or deadly for another. Ask your veterinarian for the consumer information provided by the drug manufacturer and to discuss with you the risks an benefits of the treatment prescribed for your pet.
UPDATE 14 May 2006: In the som|dog "Dog Talk" forum, a member shared another article about Deramaxx that ran a little over a year ago in USA Today, "Even painkillers for dogs have serious risks," by Julie Schmit.
In her journal entry for November 23, the day after the Board of Aldermen approved, by unanimous vote, Somerville's first off-leash recreational area in Nunziato Field, Somerville dog, Lotte, penned what may be the Somerville off-leash recreation theme song.
I disapprove of internet hoaxes just as much, if not more, than the next guy, so when a former Somerville dog owner sent me an email asking me to help save NPR and PBS, the first thing I did was check my trusty source for internet hoaxes, the Urban Legends Reference Pages. It turns out that this time our representatives to the US Congress really are voting on whether to slash funding for NPR and PBS.
According to the Washington Post, the House Appropriations Committee voted on Thursday, June 9, "to sharply reduce the federal government's financial support for public broadcasting." The Associated Press (via CNN.com) reported last week that "Public television stations and National Public Radio would lose 25 percent of their federal funding next year under a bill cleared by a House committee Thursday night . . . ," i.e. June 16.
June 9 or June 16, no matter. Yesterday in front of the Capitol dome MoveOn.org, a 501(c)(4) organization that "primarily focuses on education and advocacy on important national issues," presented one million signatures to save public broadcasting.
What does this have to do with the human and canine residents of Somerville?
Clifford, the Big Red Dog
Dogs and More Dogs
Extraordinary Dogs
Sled Dogs: An Alaskan Epic
WOOF! It's a Dog's Life
Public broadcasting is an outlet for alternative programing that does not have the commercial appeal to survive on network television.
Continue reading "Clifford: Honorary Somerville Dog" »
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
Eight Somerville Dogs walked with twenty-two human companions comprising team somervilledog.com in the twenty-fourth annual MSPCA-Angell Walk for Animals on a chilly but sunny Sunday morning, October 17, in Boston Common. Somervilledog.com thanks the people and dogs that walked on our team, everyone who bought team T-shirts, our top (and only) corporate sponsor, Pet Spa, and our co-workers, friends and families for their generous contributions to support MSPCA-Angell!
As Yukon's human companion explained, when I apologized for the team's getting separated when the Walk began at 10:00, "once the walk started, we just started walking. That's what he likes to do and it was his day!"
Team somervilledog.com (from left to right) Shannon with Cinder (a Lab/Pointer mix), Peter (from Blue Hill, ME), Genevieve, Stuart with King (a Greyhound), Adrienne, and Michele with Strummer (a Standard Poodle). Not pictured are Deborah and Rob and their two children with their dog Anna (a Husky/Shepherd mix); David and Nora with Austin (a Pomeranian); Janice with her dog Patsy (a Shepherd mix) and her nieces with their Corgi, Winnie (from Lexington); and Michael with Yukon. The following Somerville dogs had to stay home but were with us in spirit: three-legged Dash, Stu's second Greyhound, who is recovering from chemotherapy; Rosie, Genevieve's Pit Bull, whom she adopted last month from a shelter in Rhode Island and who is still getting used to being a beloved pet; and Willy, a Miniature Poodle whom Adrienne adopted last year and who was recently treated at Angell for heart problems.
Yukon (Siberian Husky) and teammates meet and greet.
Strummer: "I thought this was supposed to be a Walk for Animals."
A team member checks out some early Halloween costumes.
UPDATE 31 October 2004: Added the Team somervilledog.com picture.
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.
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!
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.
