A shepherd mix with fluffy fur around the head was seen this morning in the Middlesex Fells near the Long Pond parking lot on the cranberry pond path.

Hi all, I came across a lost dog this morning on the cranberry pond path, near Long Pond Parking lot. It looked to be a shepherd mix. He/she was about the size of a shepherd but extremely skinny. I could see the ribs and pelvic bone clearly. He/she had tags I could hear clinking but couldn't get close enough to read them. Wouldn't even come close for a treat. Seemed to like my dog though. It could've been an older dog but the fluffy fur around the head made it seem younger. Other than the skinnyness seemed to have good energy as he darted one way for a while then came back and proceeded down the trail. I tried to report it to the Winchester animal control thinking someone would've called there first but they were closed until Monday. I saw this dog @9:30 on Sunday Jan 4th. I figured one of you may know the dog or the owner. He/she is still out there in the Fells. Thanks.

Tractor, a very shy neutered black and tan German Shepherd Dog, has been missing since Christmas Eve. He was seen on December 26 on Rte. 2 in Lexington at Arlington Heights.

Tractor lives in New Hampshire but was visiting a home in Arlington on Christmas Eve when he went missing. Please contact the dog's owner in New Hampshire with any information at 603-726-8876 (home) or 603 738-7445 (cell). You can also try calling the Arlington home from which he went missing: 781-641-1371.

The following ad was posted online on December 27:

We are still looking for our lost German Shepherd, Tractor, who went missing from 12 Puritan Rd. in Arlington Heights, Arlington, MA on the evening of 12/24/08. HE WAS LAST SEEN on Route 2 in Lexington at Exit 51 and then again on Route 2 in Arlington at about 7:45am yesterday, 12/26/08. Mass State police responded and saw Tractor, but he got scared and disappeared into the woods. He is a rescue dog, and very shy and scared with men (though he is very gentle); call his name and try to get him to come to you if you see him. He is a neutered male, black & tan shepherd with a pink collar and ID tag with our NH contact information. He also has a microchip. Contact 603-726-8876 (owners home) or 781-641-1371 (home in Arlington where he was lost from) or 603-738-7445 (owners cell) with any info at all. THANK YOU! Please let your patrol officers knowwe want our special boy home safe and sound!

Stop by Boston Dog between 3pm and 8pm to visit with Santa and get your pet’s picture taken!

Photos are FREE and will be sent to you via email the following day!

Sittings with Santa are limited and will be made on a first come first serve basis – so make an appointment today by either contacting the store, or via the store's website.

Call or stop by Boston Dog for details:
Boston Dog
70 Beacon Street, Somerville MA
(617) 661-3436

This week at least three women have been mugged on Somerville streets. On Washington Street near the Charlestown line, a woman was stabbed with a screwdriver and robbed at 10:15 Monday night while walking home from Sullivan Square Station ("Police are searching for a suspect who robbed and stabbed a woman on Monday" by Auditi Guha, Somerville Journal).

The same evening at around 6:00, a woman was robbed as she walked on Bow Street near Union Square, and on Wednesday a third incident occurred near Beacon Street ("Somerville Police say robber may be targeting women after dark" by Maria Cramer, Boston Globe).

Somerville Deputy Chief Paul Upton encourages people to be be vigilant and to call 911 "if they see something that doesn't look right."

UPDATE 14 December 2008: The police have arrested the guy responsible for the stabbing.

Opening reception Sunday, December 7, 4 to 6 pm, Brickbottom Gallery (1 Fitchburg Street).

This is a great exhibition: Eleven artists represent their much loved dogs! The show runs from December 4, 2008 to January 10, 2009.

The approval of the trial period for off-leash recreation at Cold Spring Park was reported Wednesday in the Daily News Tribune.

PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY: Potentially Toxic Cyanobacteria Found in the Mystic River in Medford & Somerville: During routine water quality monitoring of the Mystic River in Medford and Somerville on November 13th, 2008, Mystic River Watershed Association staff and volunteers observed widespread cyanobacteria blooms ranging from Medford Center to the Blessing of the Bay boathouse. Certain types of cyanobacteria can be toxic and may pose a potential health risk to humans that come in contact with the water. The cyanobacteria can also be harmful to dogs that ingest the water.

The Board of Aldermen approved a K-9 Officer in the FY09 Budget.

City Dog Training, LLC is celebrating its opening and collaboration with the most experienced area trainers with an open house on Saturday, October 18th from 2-4 pm.

Located in the basement of the Anthony's building at 156 Highland Ave, (enter from rear parking lot, off Central Street), City Dog Training offers specialized floor matting for safe jumping and running, a members-only retail area for treats and training needs, and a separate behavior consultation office for dogs and owners in need of extra help.

City Dog Training is owned and operated by Marjie Alonso, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Certified Pet Dog Trainer. Marjie has been training and working in behavior for many years, and is now realizing one of her dreams - to open a community dog training and education facility welcoming neighborhood dogs and their humans to classes, seminars, play groups and behavior consultations.

In addition to classes, City Dog Training will be providing indoor limited-admission play groups year-round for heated or air-conditioned play regardless of the weather! Books of 3-time and 6-time admission tickets will be available for purchase at the open house and at the space during business hours.

The open house will offer games, Rally card lessons, a mini-tricks workshop and snacks for humans and dogs. We won't be having play time at the open house, but visitors to the open house may enter a drawing to win one of 10 free play date admission cards.

City Dog Training is delighted to welcome BARK, Boston Agility Racing K-9s, Boston's only in-town agility club, to the space. Bark will be hosting some agility demo days and lessons at City Dog throughout the winter, and a "come and try agility" afternoon at Nunziato Field in the spring. BARK will hold weekly club training on Sunday nights.

City Dog Training is also honored to have as resident visiting trainers:

Donna Culbert of Donna's Do Right Dogs, head Puppy-K instructor for the New England Dog Training Club. Donna will be holding puppy and manners classes throughout the year.

Vera Wilkinson, CDBC, CPDT, of The Cooperative Dog, who will be holding Saturday morning agility classes starting on October.

Liz Shaw of Magical Mutt, who will be holding manners classes on Tuesday evenings starting in October.

Marjie and Vera will be teaching a Rowdy Rover reactive dog class on Saturday afternoons, starting in November.

In addition to all this, City Dog Training will be hosting seminars in Canine Body Language, Dogs & Storks for parents and babies, herbal remedies and education, and classes in clicker tricks, Rally O, stays and recalls and loose leash walking. Individual private ring rental is also available.

We are delighted to be a part of the dog community, and look forward to meeting you all!

For further information, check out www.citydogtraining.com or call 617-501-8383.

The developers are to be commended for improving public open space in the neighborhood. Strummer checked out the park on Labor Day, and, we found some problems that will have to be addressed for the park to succeed. I made a little video documenting the problems.

I learned about the park from friends who live in East Somerville with two small dogs. When they told me about the park, they raised concerns for the safety of their dogs: There are gaps in the park's fencing through which a small dog could easily escape to the heavy traffic of Broadway.

About one-quarter to one-third of the off-leash recreational area is landscaped with low plantings and small trees. The landscaping limits the space that can be used for off-leash recreation; Moreover, the grasses, shrubs and flowers will not withstand the use of the area by dogs, and will become an eyesore.

Auffrey's own mixed-breed dog, Max, was one of three mutts featured in an article on breed-identification DNA testing online on the Dog Channel.

Max had two DNA tests: The Canine Heritage XL Breed Test, which which detects 108 breeds and is conducted by a painless cheek swab, and the Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed Analysis test, which detects 134 breeds and requires a simple blood test by a participating vet.

What breeds are in Max?
a) Samoyed, Alaskan Malamute, Greyhound
b) Pomeranian, Keeshond, Poodle
c) Dachshund, Miniature Schnauzer
d) English Bulldog, German Pinscher, Harrier

Answer.

I spoke with a mom from West Somerville who was at Conway Park with her dog, a broken coated Jack Russell Terrier, appropriately named "Ollie," cheering on her three sons. Her oldest, who is a junior at Somerville High School this year, helped start the petition. Her youngest let my daughter ride his skateboard!

We spent about an hour-and-a-half at the street-hockey rink and watched kids from age five to twenty-five doing tricks on home-made ramps, platforms and rails. Though it looked like a free-for-all, with people approaching the platforms and the jumps from different directions, it was clear that an etiquette was being observed. I didn't see any collisions; Several times I watched guys approach a platform and skate away to let someone else do a stunt.

It is clear that there is a need for a skate park in Somerville. I don't think that there is any other recreational activity (with the exception of off-leash recreation, of course) that five-year-olds can enjoy with twenty-five-year-olds. They can't play basket ball together, they can't play soccer together, they can't play street hockey together, but at Conway Park on Saturday afternoon, they were playing together, learning how to do amazing things with their bodies and learning the rules of the street (if not the rules of the road).

One suggestion I have for building support for a skate park more broadly in the community: helmets. When I bring my daughter to see the "big kids" who fascinate her, I'd prefer her to see her role models wearing helmets!

The skate demo (also billed as the the somer session) was sponsored by Save Our Somerville.

Charlestown's Bunker Hill Day Parade will begin Sunday at 12:30 PM on Chelsea Street, between Medford and Fifth Streets.

For more information including the parade route, see:

• The City of Boston's Arts, Tourism & Special Events Calendar


• Traffic Advisory from the City of Boston Transportation Department

There will be a public hearing concerning House Bill 4753, An Act Prohibiting the Renting of Pets, Thursday, June 5, 11 to 1, in Room A-1, at the State House.

Hello Canine Companions and Compadres!

Don't sit on the sidelines.
Don't be an armchair quarterback.
Don't be a backseat driver.

We've worked hard--now it's our time to be heard (and seen) on behalf of dogs and cats. Please make every effort to attend and bring other animal lovers: Those opposing our bill will be there! You can help ban pet rentals.

Thursday, June 5, 11 to 1
Room A-1
State House

FlexPetz is a business that rents dogs--by the hour or day--to people who want the fun of a pet without commitment. FlexPetz calls it "flexible ownership." But callousness by any name still hurts. If we open the door in Massachusetts, other dog and cat rental businesses will follow.

Why It's Bad for Pets
- Dogs and cats need stability and consistency. Rental pets are handed off to a succession of people, spending a few hours with one, a day or two with another--subjected to renters' different personalities, environments, routines and rules, which is confusing and stressful. They spend the rest of their time in animal day care.
- "I see a lot of dogs who have severe behavioral issues resulting from inconsistency. It is nearly impossible for people to be consistent with rented pets," according to Certified Dog Behavior Consultant Jo Jacques, CDBC, CPDT, CPCT.
- Constantly breaking a dog's bonds with humans is cruel, says Ray McSoley, who founded the Animal Behavior Clinic at Boston's acclaimed Angell Memorial Veterinary Hospital.
- And it could ruin their chance for a "forever home" when the business is done with them. "These animals will become distrustful of humans. They will withdraw," says Jo Jacques. If they're not adopted or it fails as a result? Off to a shelter, but older, more confused--and more likely to be euthanized or spend the rest of their lives in cages.
- Even well-mannered pets are more apt to bite when stressed. And constant change is very stressful, the experts say. What happens to the pet who bites after being passed from renter to renter?
- What about the rental pet who becomes chronically ill? No business can hold inventory
that costs instead of pays. And who will adopt a sick or unbalanced animal?
- Pet rental PR suggests this business model is beneficial for shelter animals. Not so. Obviously, the most rentable pets are the most adoptable. Do you think a rental business will take timid, old or scruffy pets who won't command its hefty fee? Or friendly, adorable young animals it can readily rent--who otherwise would have had the best chance for adoption? Instead of getting a "forever home," they become profit centers.
- Renting encourages us to think of all pets--rented, adopted or purchased--as "things" we enjoy till they're no longer cute, fun or convenient, then return, like DVDs or cars.
- "Disposable pet syndrome" encourages animal abandonment and abuse.
- Pet rentals and dog fighting are on the same continuum: They trade on desensitization of humans, commoditization of animals. One business conditions us to tolerate the other.

Why It's Bad for Humans
Consumers may not appreciate the risk of injury and litigation to which renting a pet exposes them. If your stressed rental pet sends just you to the ER, you're lucky. If it's your child, not so much. And if he bites or otherwise injures a stranger, consider this: Personal injury lawyers cast a wide net. While the rental business may be insured, what homeowner's policy covers "rental pet attacks"?

Why It's Bad for Massachusetts
The "disposable pet" mindset pet rental businesses promote may ultimately strain public and private resources. It is akin to the dumbing down of America--except it's our perception of and responsibility to companion animals that will erode. That can only lead to increased pet abandonment, adoption returns and abuse. And that hurts all of us, including taxpayers who don't have an affinity for animals.

Brian Henderson
Editor, DogBoston

See also:
Dog Boston's dog blog
MSPCA-Angell