som|dog

Help som|dog WIN and Help Animals in Need!

Canis Major — 2010-08-31T07:41:52-05:00

Do you want to help support the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals? Do you like to bowl? Join the Somerville Dog Owners Group Team in the MSPCA Walk for Animals and we could win a bowling party!

The Walk for Animals is a leisurely stroll around Boston Common on Sunday, September 12, featuring contests, freebies and demonstrations from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. There will be a Team tent at the Walk for Animals, where we will meet and get our team picture taken. Leashed dogs that enjoy the company of other dogs are very welcome!

To join our team, go to our team page, and click on "Join Team" right above the list of names of the people already on our team. Registration is $25, which helps animals in need and gets you a free t-shirt at the event.

Last year som|dog raised over $2700 for MSPCA-Angell in the Walk for Animals and was the top fundraiser of all the dog-owner groups that participated. This year, if five dog-owner groups participate in the Walk, MSPCA will offer a prize to the dog-owner group that raises the most funds: a bowling party at Lucky Strike on Ipswich for 16 people (2 hours of free bowling for 16 people w/complimentary shoe rental and free chips and salsa).*

* Must be 21+; for use Mon - Thurs 6-8 pm. Not valid when sox are @ home game.

So far two other Massachusetts Dog Owner Groups in addition to som|dog have accepted the Challenge: the Arlington Dog Owners Group (A-DOG), and the MSPCA Dog Recreation Space.

Everyone who helps animals in need is a winner. Furthermore som|dog can win the MSPCA's challenge to dog-owner groups! Be a part of our winning team!

Shop, Groom, Train & Play Local!

Canis Major — 2010-08-13T09:04:38-05:00

Somerville dog owners, Maggie and Louis, have a post on the Somerville Local First blog this week about how "Summer in Somerville is a great time to have a dog".

Panda, the bloggers' German Shorthaired Pointer mix, knows about all the coolest things for dogs to do in town. She enjoys training classes at City Dog Training and doggie day care at RiverDog.

som|dog extends special thanks to Maggie and Louis and Somerville Local First for supporting Somerville's off-leash recreational areas and open space for all in Somerville!

The Circus is Coming

Canis Major — 2010-07-28T21:11:24-05:00

The OpenAir Circus returns for its annual performances at Nunziato Field this weekend: Friday, July 30, at 7pm; Saturday, July 31, at 2pm and 7pm; and Sunday, August 1, at 2pm. The OpenAir Circus offers instruction in circus arts—including juggling, miming, stilting, tumbling, unicycling and more—to children in Somerville. The kids and their instructors show off what they've been practicing all summer at the performances in Nunziato Field.

Park users at the off-leash recreational area (OLRA) at Nunziato Field are reminded that there will be a lot of people visiting our park this weekend. Many folks will not know that you cannot get to the main area of the field from the OLRA. There may be occasions when visitors to the Circus enter the OLRA "airlocks" without understanding how the double gates protect our pets from escaping from the park.

Please be courteous to our guests at Nunziato Field this weekend as always! Make people feel welcome while helping them make their way to the big top, and please be extra vigilant in helping to keep our dogs safe.

SomerStreets Open Street Celebration - July 25

Canis Major — 2010-07-22T16:49:55-05:00

The third 2010 SomerStreets event presented by the City of Somerville, East Somerville Main Streets and FossFest. Broadway will be blocked off from Sullivan Square to Temple Street (Star Market) to make room for dancing, cycling, skating and fun!

Somerville Dog Festival - September 19, 2010

Canis Major — 2010-07-20T09:54:14-05:00

Mark your calendars!

Porter Square Veterinarian is hosting the Somerville Dog Festival to benefit Northeast Animal Shelter Sunday, September 19, 2010, 10am-3pm at Conway Park.

It is sure to be a day of fun for your whole family, including your dog! Exciting demonstrations, educational opportunities and lots of fun are all here, rain or shine. Well-mannered dogs, current on vaccinations and on-leash, are welcome.

Admission is free!

Helping to Keep Off-Leash Recreation Successful in Somerville

Canis Major — 2010-07-18T09:40:46-05:00

The Somerville Dog Owners Group is committed to helping the City maintain successful off-leash recreational areas, not only at Nunziato Field, but also at the Ed Leathers Community Park and at the new park, currently under construction in East Somerville, at Zero New Washington Street. In order for our off-leash areas to be successful and to accommodate everyone who enjoys off-leash recreation together with their dogs in Somerville, we all have to cooperate.

It is important, for example, if some people are violating the three-dog rule or otherwise interfering with others' enjoyment of off-leash recreation at Nunziato Field, that we report these violations.

The Animal Control Officer, April Terrio, can respond directly to violations of the posted rules at the off-leash recreational area: contact April at vog.amellivremos@oirreta or 617-625-6600 x2190.
Issues can also be reported to the City's Liaison to the Dog Owners Task Force, Carlene Campbell, Director of Community Outreach at vog.amellivremos@llebpmacc or 617-625-6600 x2615.

If you believe that your dog has gotten sick at the dog park, please have your dog checked by your veterinarian. If your veterinarian believes that your dog contracted an illness or parasite at the dog park, please contact Carlene Campbell vog.amellivremos@llebpmacc or 617-625-6600 x2615. If there is a health risk to dogs at the dog park, there are relatively simple and inexpensive measures that the City can take to disinfect the surface. Moreover, the more people who bring a matter to the attention of the City, the higher that matter will rise on the City's priority list.

To help som|dog work with the City to keep our parks clean and fun, we encourage you to cc us (moc.godellivremos@godmos) on e-mails to City employees about the dog park.

Petition for Off-Leash Recreation at Sheepfold and the Middlesex Fells

Canis Major — 2010-06-09T16:49:42-05:00

Sign the petition for legal options for off-leash recreation at the Sheepfold and on the trails of the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

Legal options for off-leash recreation at Middlesex Fells Reservation are needed sooner rather than later!

The petition sponsored by the Middlesex Fells Dog Owner Group (FellsDOG) could also help salvage the Middlesex Fells Trails System Plan.

The public process for the Middlesex Fells Trails System Plan has been ongoing since September 2009. Hundreds of people have already participated in the planning process by writing letters to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and/or by attending a public meeting and workshop in February 2010. Environmental groups, led by the Friends of the Fells, are now asking the DCR to ignore the input volunteered by Massachusetts residents, voters and taxpayers and to suspend the Middlesex Fells Trails System Plan.

It is true that dog owners were not happy with a preliminary draft of the Plan which did not address our comments, but dog-owner groups including the Arlington Dog Owners Group (A-DOG), FellsDOG, the Melrose Dog Society (MDS) and the Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog), have been communicating with representatives of the DCR and are confident that, when it is eventually released to the public, the Plan will include legal options for off-leash recreation. After all, in its own survey, the DCR found that the largest user group at the Fells is dogs! Thirty-one percent (31%) of users they counted were dogs; the next largest group, human walkers and hikers, accounted for only twenty-eight percent (28%) of Fells users.

To suggest suspending the trail planning process now is a demonstration of disrespect toward the families who enjoy the Middlesex Fells Reservation together with our dogs.

The Greater Boston Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association supports the Middlesex Fells Trails System Plan and is encouraging people to contact the DCR Commissioner, Rick Sullivan, and ask him to move forward with the Plan. Mountain bikers account for sixteen percent (16%) of all Fells users, according to the DCR.

som|dog Honors our Heros

Canis Major — 2010-05-31T15:45:16-05:00

The Somerville Dog Owners Group is proud to have marched yesterday in the City of Somerville's annual Memorial Day Parade to honor the men and women who have served and are serving our country.

Thanks to all the Somerville dogs and their owners who marched with us! On behalf of the fourteen people who marched with us, the Someville Dog Owners Group has made a $70 donation to the City of Somerville Parade Fund.

Khalid and Marshall carried our banner and led our group in the parade. Starting the parade with us were Maribeth and Khalid with Apple, their wheaten terrier; Jean who left Victor, her greyhound, and Neru, her Japanese Chin, home; Ivona with Aninka, her miniature schnauzer; Jennifer with Cash and Max, her pugs; and Marshall, Michele and Kate, whose standard poodle, Strummer, also stayed home.

Thanks, too, to our sponsor for the Memorial Day Parade, Riverdog, the new pet supply store, day-care, groomer and do-it-yourself dog wash in Union Square. Owners Priscilla and Peter walked the whole route with us handing out goodie bags—including som|dog buttons—to spectators. Their dog, Rastah, a toy poodle, stayed home.

On warm days like yesterday, it is hard for the dogs to walk in the parade: The asphalt gets very hot in the sun (the dogs walk barefoot), and with the sun high in the sky there is little shade in the street where we walk. We always instruct people with us to remove their dogs from the parade if they get too hot or tired. When Aninka had had enough, she lay down in the shade; Ivona took her away to rest and cool off. Cash and Max made a beeline for the shady sidewalk when they were done, pulling Jennifer along with them.

Despite the hot weather, however, there were dogs walking with us for the entire route! Susan and Walter joined us at Benton Road with their miniature poodle, Benny. Kate helped Benny stay in the parade all the way to Teele Square by letting him ride in her stroller! Justin and Lisa joined us in Davis Square with their husky, Circe, and husky mix, Prospero; Lisa and Prospero finished the parade with us.

Special thanks to the "reinforcements" who joined us en route so that we were a strong group when we greeted the Grand Marshal, World War II veteran John W. Mattuchio and special guests at the end of the parade!

One dog made it the whole way from City Hall to Veteran's Memorial Cemetery on Clarendon Hill. According to Maribeth, Apple "paced herself." Her wheaten terrier led her from shady patch to shady patch along the parade route and took several breaks. They'd pull out of the parade and, a little while later, would catch up with us and file in behind our banner. Thanks Apple! You were the parade MVP (most valuable pet)!

Dog found at Foss Park!

Canis Major — 2010-05-28T07:53:56-05:00

UPDATE 28 May 2010: Raleigh was reunited with his person this morning.

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!

[cross-posted from somervilledog: a weblog]

Follow somdog on Twitter, then Join Us in the Parade!

Canis Major — 2010-05-27T18:53:00-05:00

For the sixth year in a row the Somerville Dog Owners Group will be marching in the City's Memorial Day Parade! This is a lot of fun for both the people and the dogs that march with us. Please walk with som|dog behind our banner on Sunday, May 30!

Lavender Marsh and Scott Ananian carry the som|dog banner in the 2008 Memorial Day Parade (photo by editrix).

Dogs that are leashed (no retractible leads please) and licensed and that enjoy the company of other dogs are welcome. Dogs are encouraged to wear patriotic colors!

The parade sets off from City Hall at 1:00. The parade route is 2.25 miles along Highland Avenue to Davis Square; Holland Street, to Teele Square and Broadway to Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

To begin the parade with us, please meet us at 1:20 Sunday afternoon, May 30, at the bottom of Putnam Street (across the street from the Nunziato OLRA).

When we pass the grandstand at the end of the parade, we especially want to have a big group behind our banner to wave to Grand Marshal John W. Mattuchio, Mayor Joe and other Somerville officials. To ensure that we have a large group marching with us at the end of the parade, we encourage Somerville dog owners to file in with us behind our banner as we proceed along the parade route.

NOTE: Walkers are responsible for their own transportation to and from the parade. There is parking at the end of the parade route at Dilboy Stadium. There will be NO PARKING at City Hall on the day of the parade.

Follow us on Twitter or send us your cell phone number and we will text you up-to-the-minute information about our location on Parade Day!

Somerville and "The Evolution of the American Dog Park"

Canis Major — 2010-05-18T19:08:34-05:00

The mushrooming of recreational areas for families with dogs in the past thirty years is featured in the May issue of Tails Magazine, and, at the heart of the story, are Somerville's dog parks and dog owners!

The author, Melissa Wiley, contacted me by e-mail back in February, and I did my best to tell her about all the special features that, together, have made off-leash recreation successful in Somerville despite our relatively scarce open space. Somerville is truly a special place: Cities with much more open space than we have have not made off-leash recreation work. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, alas, can't seem to accomplish what we have.

Engaged and responsible dog owners are what makes Somerville so special, along with our progressive Mayor and the many members of the Board of Aldermen who are working with constituents, who often have different—sometimes opposed—perspectives, to make our city a great place to live, work and play.

Civic cooperation between [the Somerville Dog Owners Group] and city officials soon yielded tangible off-leash results, with the establishment of two off-leash recreational areas (OLRAs) by 2008. Not stopping there, the group has continued to advocate for further OLRAs amid increasingly scarce public space. A third OLRA is also in the works for canine residents of East Somerville, funded through federal community development block grants, according to Biscoe.

Speaking of Somerville's third OLRA, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the dog owners, city officials and local business people who came to the groundbreaking for the new community park and off-leash recreational area at Zero New Washington Street yesterday. Thank you!

Michele Biscoe with Strummer talks to Joe Constantine for City Cable against a backdrop of city officials: Dana Spang, Intern; Ellen Schneider, Landscape Project Manager; William Roche, Ward One Alderman; Arn Franzen, Director of Parks and Open Space; Michael Lambert, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure; and Mayor Joe Curtatone.

Above: Frank Cresta with his German Short-haired Pointer, Kirk; Jim Harvey, General Manager, Holiday Inn - Somerville; and Julie Roix talk about the future community park and off-leash recreational area at the groundbreaking at 0 New Washington Street.

Left: Carlene Campbell, Community Outreach Director for the City of Somerville and Liaison to the Dog Onwers Task Force, and Lora Valante ponder the future possibilities for Clara at Somerville's next off-leash recreational area, scheduled to open this fall.

Photos by Marshall Wallace.

SomerStreets Open Street Celebration - May 22

Canis Major — 2010-05-16T11:24:25-05:00

The City of Somerville is planning to open different streets in the City for recreation (and close them to motor-vehicle traffic) four time this summer—just like Memorial Drive in Cambridge on Sundays in the summer.

On Saturday, May 22, the Blueback Herring River Route will be showcased as the first SomerStreets venue. Streets from Foss Park to the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse will be closed to vehicular traffic and open for walking, running, skating and biking from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Bring your family, friends (even the four-legged ones) for activities along Shore Drive including: Canoeing, dancing, hopscotch, hula-hooping, jumping rope, paddle boating and more. Details, including street closures are available online from the City of Someville.

The schedule for the SomerStreets is:

Saturday, May 22, 2010 Time: 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Saturday, June 25, 2010 Time: Noon - 5:00 P.M.

Sunday, July 25, 2010 Time: 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Sunday, August: TBA

Come Give a Playbow to Our Next Off-Leash Recreation Area!

Canis Major — 2010-05-13T17:45:19-05:00

On Monday afternoon, May 17, come say "goodbye" to an overgrown, unused lot, and offer a playbow to what will be an awesome new park for the community to enjoy with our dogs!

The the City of Somerville will hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the Zero New Washington Community Park and Off-Leash Recreational Area at the park site at 4:00 p.m.

Leashed dogs (no retractable leads, please) that are licensed and that enjoy the company of other dogs are welcome.

Please note that there is no access to New Washington Street from the Cobble Hill Apartments. Please access New Washington Street from Washington Street or from Inner Belt Road.

Come When Called Training at Leather's Park

Canis Major — 2010-05-08T22:21:06-05:00

Ballo, Bella, Clio, Kola, Luna and Pilot are the stars of this video from the free Recall Clinic with City Dog Training on Sunday afternoon, May 2, at the Ed Leathers Community Park.

In canine obedience training the ability to call your dog and get an immediate response at all times is known as "recall". A reliable recall could save your dog's life and, as demonstrated here, helps to protect other people, including small children.

Every six weeks or so, City Dog Training has been offering free instruction to teach dog owners how to train their dogs to come when called in parks around the City including Nunziato Field, Perry Park and Powder House Park. The clinics are co-sponsored by the City of Somerville and the Somerville Youth and Recreation Commission.

Free Recall Clinic at Leathers Park - May 2

Canis Major — 2010-04-28T21:56:39-05:00

City Dog Training is offering a free clinic to teach your dog to come when called, Sunday afternoon, May 2, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Leathers Park on Walnut Street between Pearl Street and Medford Street. Dogs that are leashed (no retractable leads, please) licensed and who enjoy the company of other dogs are welcome.

In canine obedience training the ability to call your dog and get an immediate response at all times is known as "recall". At City Dog Training's recall clinics, dog owners learn to play the "Get it!" Game with their pets to teach them to in a fun and positive way to come when called.

A young Somerville dog owner with her Labrador Retreiver, Chester, her mom, Gail Merriam, and trainer Justin Aucoin at the Free Recall Clinic with City Dog Training in Perry Park in March.

This will be the fourth free Recall clinic offered by City Dog Training. The clinics are co-sponsored by the Somerville Dog Owner Group and the Somerville Recreation and Youth Department.

Please check citydogtraining.com for cancellation information in case of inclement weather.