If your dog ordinarily comes enthusiastically on command, but on a hot summer day stands or lies down where s/he is and stares at you, don't get mad, get your dog out of the sun and get water.

Somerville dog blogger MuttStuff recently posted about heatstroke. Sadly at least one dog has died this summer because of heat exposure. Melissa C. McCue, Certified Pet Dog Trainer [CPDT] compiles a lot of important information about heat stroke: signs of; what to do if your dog is a victim of, and how to prevent.

Remember that your parked car—even with the windows cracked—is not a safe place for your pet in the summer. If you see an unattended animal (or a child for that matter) in a car, please notify the authorities: the Somerville police (911), Somerville Animal Control (311), even a local business owner.

Strummer participated in two experiments, one studying whether dogs are reading the intentions of a human pointing, and another exploring whether dogs have a sense of fairness. Of course, because of her training and good manners, Strummer, again, didn't get past the warm-up exercises.

I would have been really interested to see Strummer performing in the experiment on fairness. When I give another dog a treat in Strummer's presence, my sense of equity prompts me to offer her a treat, too. If Strummer has a sense of equity, however, I don't think it's as simple as if-another-dog-gets-a-treat-it's-only-fair-that-I-get-one-too. For one thing, she doesn't necessarily accept a treat that is offered just because I offered one to another dog. On the other hand, when we are visiting my parents, if my father gives his younger, larger male German Shepherd Dog, Shadow, a treat, Strummer will cock her head and raise her ears. But then my dad is a pez dispenser, so it may not be so much that Strummer thinks it's fair that he give her a treat, too; she may have been trained to expect one.

I wonder if Strummer would feel that a young male didn't deserve the food as much as she deserved it. Would she use access to food to demonstrate her seniority to another female? I expect that she would probably defer to another dog if she felt the food were his—just as she always defers to other dogs when chasing balls or sticks: When she's playing it doesn't matter who gets the toy as long as everyone gets to keep playing.

But, alas, Strummer is not the dog that will reveal the secrets of canine cognition in a controlled experiment.

I did appreciate learning that one of the papers that the Lab is trying to get published is about dogs' behavior during the warm-up exercises as a predictor for their behavior in the experiments. I'm sure that Strummer's work is central to that study!

Also, when I told Dan that I would be posting (and had posted before) about the Canine Cognition Lab on the somerville dog weblog, he mentioned that a lot of Somerville dogs participate in the studies! Somerville dogs are contributing to science!

In an e-mail to members of the public yesterday morning, Tom Keppeler, Associate Director of Public Relations for the School, outlined the plan for public access to the field going forward: all people who wish to visit the field for recreational purposes will need to register; people with dogs will be issued an identification tag that their pets will be required to wear in the field; "the agricultural portion of the field will be strictly on-leash only." In addition to these new policies and enforcement, the School will be convening an advisory body "to discuss issues at the field."

People with whom I've spoken who attended the meeting were pleased with the outcome and were especially appreciative of Dean Kochevar's emphasis on the importance of educating the public about responsible dog handling.

Kochevar's comments on identifying problematic behavior in dogs are quoted in the Daily Schrewsbury article:

"As an educational institution, we feel it's important to help you evaluate whether your pet should be on a public field," said Kochevar. "If you know your pet has been aggressive before, dog on dog, dog on person, you probably shouldn't be in that public venue."

Kochevar owns a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

I followed up this morning with Keppeler to find out more about the provisions for responsible dog owner education in the School's plans for the off-leash recreation area. Keppeler explained that, in her comments, Kochevar went on to discuss the opportunity that the mandatory behavior evaluations will afford the School to direct members of the community to resources, including the Behavior Clinic at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals, for addressing behavioral problems so that they can enjoy the benefits of socializing and exercising their dogs off-leash in public open space. When dogs are well-socialized with other dogs and with people, we can all better enjoy living with them in our communities.

By providing an area for off-leash recreation, the School is providing a real service the towns of Grafton and Westborough: When people have safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, in other parks and open spaces there are fewer violations of the leash law.

When the Tufts School of Arts and Sciences is ready to follow the example of the Cummings School and provide a fenced-in area for off-leash recreation at its Somerville campus, the Somerville Dog Owners Group will be pleased to work with the Administration!

On Saturday, June 26, participants in the Powder House Camera Project had their portraits taken by (not next to, but by means of) the powder house.

Smidt had covered all openings through which light could enter with the exception of a "pinhole" (about one-inch square) in the window of the powder house door. Through the pinhole the scene outside was projected on a screen inside.

Inside the powder house, as our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we could see the scene outside projected (upside down and backwards) on the screen. First the dark trees against the bright sky, then the park sloping down to College Avenue where, occasionally, cars would pass by. Finally the eerie figures of people outside the powder house appeared, their voices, muffled by the stone walls, moving in the opposite direction of their bodies.

Jake, an Irish Setter who lives in Ten Hills, had his photo taken with his people Alan and Elaine. Inside the powder house Smidt took digital photos of the image on the screen. Each photo had a six-second exposure.

Annie's photos—the ones she took using the Powder House Camera—will be available soon on the Powder House Project website.

Other free-standing camera obcuras include Foredown Tower in in Portslade, England; the Giant Camera of San Francisco at Ocean Beach, and the camera obscura at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Please help this dog get home! He was found in Foss Park this morning with no collar. A caring Somerville Dog Owner has taken him home. Contact me if you know whom he belongs to!

Fast forward to 2010. About two weeks ago brand new blue signs were posted at all the entrances to Norton’s Woods listing prohibited activities. The first item on the new signs is “No Pets.”

Since then Strummer and I have been stopped by Harvard police officers twice and told that dogs are no longer allowed in Norton's Woods.

To ban pets from open space is to ban people with pets from open space. There is nothing prima facie unreasonable about access to and use of open space by families with pets.

Since I adopted Strummer in the spring of 2004, we have been walking through Norton's Woods on our way to and from my office every day. The Woods have always had blue signs posted at all of the entrances listing prohibited activities. The first item on the old signs used to be “No Dogs,” but, shortly after we started visiting Norton's Woods, "No Dogs" was painted over.

The community of people who enjoy Norton’s Woods together with their dogs already won the battle five years ago to get the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to allow families with dogs access to and use of Norton’s Woods. So, what's with the new signs?

Yesterday the Cambridge City Council heard two hours of public comment, about half of which was dedicated to new restrictions on public access to Norton's Woods, according to an article today in Cambridge Day, "Restrictions anger neighbors used to walking academy’s woods," by Marc Levy. City Councillor Marjorie Decker had a Policy Order on the City Council Agenda:

That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the property known as the Norton Woods that has been reopened after being closed due to flooding with a newly instituted no dogs policy.

Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Kelley, Mayor Maher, Councillor Reeves, Councillor Seidel, Councillor Simmons and Councillor Toomey also signed the order.

In Arlington, dog owners are celebrating a bylaw change, which will allow for early morning off-leash hours at certain, as yet undetermined, parks.

And in Newton, there will be a public hearing on June 14 where residents will have a chance to comment on a proposal for off-leash recreational areas at three parks, in addition to the existing OLRA at Old Cold Spring Park:

• Claflin Playground
• Currently used by dog owners as an off leash recreation area
• Fence already in place
• McGrath Park
• Almost fully enclosed
• Area between Washington Street and the west side tennis courts (other areas for limited hours)
• Norumbega
• Heavily used by dog owners as an off leash recreation area
• Almost fully enclosed

Being a dog owner in greater Boston keeps getting better and better!

A Ronan Park dog owner made a video showing the transformation of the an underused area of Ronan Park into a beautiful space for people and pets:

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The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) joins many domestic violence organizations in supporting this legislation. As an alternative to contacting Representatives Provost and Sciortino directly, you can take action by entering your contact information in the MSPCA'a web-based form which will automatically send a letter of support to your legislator. If you prefer to contact your Representative directly, you can find out who your legislators are by entering your address at wheredoivotema.com: Contact your "Rep in General Court."

According to the MSPCA

This bill would specifically allow judges to include pets in temporary restraining orders (issued pursuant to Chapter 209A). If a judge finds reason to include a companion animal in the order of protection, the petitioner is given exclusive custody, care and control over the animal.

When Dogs Snowboard from Mountain High Resort on Vimeo.

How can you tell if the person with an off-leash dog is an irresponsible dog owner who will not prevent her pet from jumping on you, or if she is a responsible dog owner who, without a leash, can prevent her pet from approaching you?

1. If the person with the dogs says, "Don't worry! He's friendly!" you can expect with high certainty that the dog will jump on you.


2. If the person with the dog is not paying attention to her dog, you can expect that the dog will approach you.


3. If the person with the dog is paying attention to her dog and makes eye contact with you and greets you, you can expect with high certainty that the dog will not approach you unless you have asked the owner for permission to greet her dog.

A responsible dog owner will never let her pet greet a person unless the person has asked to meet her pet. Many of us need a leash to be responsible.`

The DCR expects to complete a draft trails plan by April 2010, according to a press release.

The Fells Dog Owner Group has been leading efforts to get families who enjoy Sheepfold and the trails of the Middlesex Fells with their dogs to come to the meeting to support safe and legal options for off-leash recreation at the Fells. The Somerville Dog Owners Group is among the dog-owner groups that are supporting the efforts of FellsDOG. At least ten Somerville dog owners have already submitted written comments to the DCR for the Plan, and the Somerville Board of Aldermen passed a resolution "that this Board supports off leash dog areas in the Middlesex Fells and requests that DCR designate such areas."

The Greater Boston Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA) has also been involved in the trail-planning process. In the interest of "all muscle-powered trail users" Greater Boston NEMBA has posted on their website "An Open Letter from the New England Mountain Bike Association Regarding the Middlesex Fells Trails Evaluation."

With more people and more different groups than ever before participating in the public process for public open space at the Middlesex Fells, it is curious that Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the Friends of Middlesex Fells, feels that there is "insufficient information" to proceed with the Plan. Globe Correspondent, Alix Roy, spoke with Ryan for an article that ran in the Sunday Globe: "State seeking opinions on future of the Fells."

According to NEMBA, "for the past twenty years, many of the trail use policies at the Fells have been heavily influenced by a single user group, the Friends of the Fells." NEMBA accuses the Friends not only of "publicly misrepresenting" NEMBA but also of "derailing" projects that would preserve the natural resources of the Fells while enabling the trails to better accommodate a more diverse group of park users.

I join the Greater Boston NEMBA in encouraging all true friends of the Middlesex Fells, including dog owners and mountain bikers, to come to the public meeting tonight to work together for ways that everyone can enjoy public open space in the Middlesex Fells.

Excerpts from the letters were published online by the Lexington Minuteman: "Residents sound off over dog leash proposal."

The Lexington Conservation Commission is considering enacting "new regulations that could limit off-leash areas at Willards Woods or ban the practice altogether," according to an article in in the Boston Globe today ("Lexington considers curbs on dog owners" by Brock Parker).

According to the Lexington Code § 9-2A, dogs must be "in the immediate restraint and control of some person by means of a leash or by effective command".