som|dog

Nunziato Field Hosts OpenAir Circus: 7/30-8/1

2010-07-29T15:04:22Z

Dear Somerville Dog Owners and Friends of Somerville Dogs,

This message is for all the good folks who plan to enjoy the off-leash recreation area (OLRA) at Nunziato Field with your dogs this weekend: As always please be courteous to our guests!

The OpenAir Circus returns for its annual performances at Nunziato Field Friday, July 30, at 7pm; Saturday, July 31, at 2pm and 7pm; and Sunday, August 1, at 2pm.

Be attentive to visitors who may not know that they cannot get to the main area of the field from the OLRA.
Be extra vigilant in helping to keep our dogs safe: Visitors may enter the OLRA "airlocks" without understanding how the double gates function to protect our pets from escaping from the park.
Make people feel welcome while helping them make their way to the big top!

Lets all cooperate to make Nunziato Field a park that everyone can enjoy with our pets!

Cheers,
Michele
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA

Sign the Fells Petition

2010-06-15T19:23:41Z

Okay. There are over 600 people subscribed to this list. We need everyone to sign the petition for off-leash recreation at the Fells (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/legal-off-leash-dogs-in-the-Middlesex-Fells). Sign before Saturday if at all possible.

Even if you don't visit the Fells with your dog, a victory for off-leash recreation at the Fells will be a victory for everyone who enjoys off-leash recreation in Massachusetts.

If you want me to wax on about why this matters, send me an e-mail.

Cheers,
Michele
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA

Petition for off-leash recreation at the Middlesex Fells

2010-06-10T06:53:11Z

Dear Somerville Dog Owners and Friends of Somerville Dogs,

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

We need legal options for off-leash recreation at Middlesex Fells Reservation sooner rather than later! Our goal is to get 1000 signatures on the petition by June 20.

The petition, sponsored by the Middlesex Fells Dog Owner Group (FellsDOG), could also help salvage the Middlesex Fells Trails System Plan. Details are available on the som|dog website.

After you've signed the petition, please share the link with your friends and family members who support the recreational needs of all at the Middlesex Fells: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/legal-off-leash-dogs-in-the-Middlesex-Fells.

Thank you for your support!

Cheers,
Michèle
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Memorial Day Parade

2010-05-24T05:45:10Z

Dear Friends and Somerville Dog Owners,

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!

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).

We especially want to have a big group behind our banner when we pass the grandstand at the end of the parade route at Veterans' Memorial Cemetery on Clarendon Hill where Grand Marshal is World War II veteran, John W. Mattuchio, will be watching the procession along with 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 (http://twitter.com/somdog) or send us your cell phone number and we will text you up-to-the-minute information about our location on Parade Day!

Cheers,
Michele

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA

2010 Memorial Day Parade

2010-05-18T21:30:32Z

Dear Somerville Dog Owners and Friends of Somerville Dogs,

The City of Somerville's 2010 Memorial Day Parade is on Sunday, May 30. Walk with the Somerville Dog Owners Group! Everyone is welcome to walk with us whether you will be walking a dog or not. This will be our sixth year walking in the Memorial Day Parade!

The parade begins at 1:00 p.m. at City Hall and ends at the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Clarendon Hill on Broadway. You can start the parade with us at City Hall or file in with us along the route. Please contact me (michelebiscoe - AT - somervilledog.com) for details and to sign up to walk with som|dog in the Memorial Day Parade.

Cheers,
Michele
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA

Groundbreaking at 0 New Washington Street and more in May

2010-05-05T21:28:07Z

Dear Somerville Dog Owners and Friends of Somerville Dogs,

With great joy I share the news from Carlene Campbell, Director of Community Outreach and the City's Liaison to the Dog Owners Task Force, that on Monday afternoon, May 17th at 4:00, the the City will hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the Zero New Washington Community Park and Off-Leash Recreational Area at the park site. Bring your dogs to say "goodbye" to an overgrown, unused lot, and to offer a playbow to what will be a awesome park for the community to enjoy with our dogs!

Other upcoming events in May:

Saturday, May 8 - Citywide Spring Clean Up

For the past five years the Somerville Dog Owners Group has participated in Spring Clean Up Day. This year we are again encouraging dog owners to go out to your neighborhood clean-up headquarters, meet your neighbors, check in with your neighborhood captains (aldermen and school committee members), and help make Somerville a great place where we can all live with our dogs. Dog owners are especially encouraged to bring supplies (e.g. gardening spades, plastic bags) for cleaning up those pesky piles that have been left behind. After a morning of community service, volunteers are invited to a community barbecue at noon next door to the OLRA at Nunziato Field.

Volunteers should meet a ward captain at 10:00 A.M. at the following locations throughout Somerville:

Ward 1: Cross Street Senior Center, 165 Broadway; AND Capuano School
Ward 2: Union Square Parking Lot at SCAT Building
Ward 3: City Hall Concourse, 93 Highland Ave.
Ward 4: Blessing of the Bay Boat House, Shore Drive
Ward 5: Community Path at Cedar Street
Ward 6: Davis Square, Statue Park
Ward 7: Teele Square Fire Station

Saturday, May 22 - Mayor's Fitness Challenge Open Street Celebration

At the culmination of the two-month Mayor's Fitness Challenge, the City will close Shore Drive in Ten Hills to motor-vehicle traffic and open the street to community recreation--just like Memorial Drive in Cambridge in the Summer on Sundays. Dogs that are leashed (no retractible leads, please) and licensed and who enjoy the company of people and other dogs are welcome. We are looking forward to seeing a lot of Somerville dogs at the Open Street Celebration!

Sunday, May 30 - Memorial Day Parade

Help som|dog have our biggest and best group in the Memorial Day Parade this year! You can walk with your dog or without your dog. In fact we need people without dogs to help lead us in the parade by carrying our banner and to help pull the Waggin' Wagon with extra water and water bowls for the dogs. Our parade group is forming now! Please contact me (michelebiscoe@somervilledog.com) for more information if you are interested in walking (your dog) with the Somerville Dog Owners Group in the Memorial Day Parade.

Thank you for marking your calendar,

Cheers,
Michele
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA

Free Dog Training: Sunday at 1:00

2010-04-29T07:01:42Z

If you haven't yet taken advantage of City Dog Training's Free Recall Clinics, or, if you have and you want a refresher on how to play the "Get It!" game to train your dog to come every time, please come to Ed Leathers Community Park, Sunday, May 2, from 1:00 to 2:00. Leathers Park is on Walnut Street between Pearl Street and Medford Street. Dogs that are leashed (no retractable leads please) and licensed and that enjoy the company of other dogs are welcome!

It's supposed to be 80 degrees on Sunday so bring water for your dog, and, please, leave no pile behind!

Note: Leathers Park is also the home of Somerville's second off-leash recreational area!

Check the City Dog website for weather cancellation: www.citydogtraining.com

Cheers,
Michele
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Help Propose Off-Leash Hours at Sheepfold and the Fells

2010-04-25T21:23:32Z

Dear Somerville Dog Owners and Friends of Somerville Dogs!

The Fells Dog Owner Group has created a survey for people to provide information about when they like to visit the Middlesex Fells Reservation with their dogs.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FellsDOG

Based on the feedback we collect from this survey, we will propose to the DCR times during the week and/or on weekends for an off-leash pilot program in the Fells, including both Sheepfold and the trails.

Depending on your usage of the Fells with your dog, the survey can take anywhere from less than five minutes to no more than fifteen minutes. If you visit the Fells with your dog both off leash and on leash and you use Sheepfold and the trails, then you'll answer every question; otherwise you can skip the parts of the survey that are not relevant to you.

Currently, it is illegal for us to have our dogs off-leash in the Fells. Help us work with the DCR for legal off-leash hours!

Thank you!

With a playbow to your dogs from Strummer (standard poodle),

Cheers,
Michele

Dilboy Field Clean Up Saturday

2010-04-21T19:39:40Z

Dear Somerville Dog Owners and Friends of Somerville Dogs,

The Clean Up at Dilboy Field will be a great opportunity to see the area adjacent to the stadium that is under consideration for an off-leash recreational area by the Board of Aldermen Parks and Open Space Committee.

When: Saturday, April 24, 10:00 am - 1:00 p.m.
Where: Dilboy Field (meet in the parking lot adjacent to the stadium on Alewife Brook Parkway)

Come see the proposed site for an OLRA in West Somerville!
Stay to pick up trash, sweep and rake last year's leaves!
Reward yourself for your community service with a snack compliments of the Somerville Dog Owners Group and our friends at True Grounds Coffee, who are donating coffee for volunteers!

This is a Mayor's Fitness Challenge event! Participants in the Fitness Challenge can earn an extra point for their themselves and for their team by volunteering at the clean-up!

The park clean up on the Alewife Brook Reservation at Dilboy Field in Somerville is a part of Park Serve Day, organized by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Cheers,
Michèle
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA

West Somerville OLRA Update, Mystic River Walk, Free Dog Training and More!

2010-04-16T14:21:59Z

Dear Friends of Somerville Dogs,

I am pleased to report a happy development with regard to an off-leash recreational area in West Somerville. The site at Dilboy Field is eligible for full funding under the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program! An off-leash recreational area at Dilboy Field, however, would first have to be approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). For further details, please see the minutes from the Board of Alderman Parks and Open Space Committee meeting on April 5.

Come see the proposed site on Saturday, April 24, when the Somerville Dog Owners Group will be hosting a park clean up at Dilboy Field! Details below. We have lots of exciting ways for you to get out and get active in the community, including another Free Recall Clinic. Join us!

Mystic River Community Walk (dog-friendly!)

On Sunday morning, April 18, at 10:00 join friends, neighbors and members of the greater Somerville community in a 2.25-mile walk along the Medford and Somerville banks of the Mystic River that begins and ends at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse, 32 Shore Drive. Dogs that are leashed (no retractable leads, please), licensed and who enjoy the company of people and other dogs are welcome.

The Mystic River Community Walk is a Mayor's Fitness Challenge Event (http://www.somervillema.gov/challenge): Participants in the Fitness Challenge can earn a point for themselves and for their team by doing the walk. The walk is sponsored by the Somerville Dog Owners Group's two teams in the Challenge: Team Bad to the Bone and Team SomFit.

Dilboy Field Clean-Up

On Saturday, April 24, from 10:00 to 1:00, help clean up the Alewife Brook Reservation at Dilboy Field. True Grounds Coffee, 717 Broadway, Ball Square, has donated free coffee for volunteers!

In conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation's Fourth Annual Park Serve Day, the Somerville Dog Owners Group is organizing the park clean up at Dilboy Field. From 10:00 a.m. to noon we'll be picking up trash, raking and sweeping; Then at noon we'll break for light refreshments and conviviality. We are seeking additional donations of refreshments from local businesses.

2nd Annual Shape Up Somerville Road Race

Shape Up Somerville is hosting three races on Sunday, May 2: a children's race for youth ages 12 and younger at 10:00 am, a 2.7 mile walk beginning at 10:45 am, and a 2.7 mile run beginning at 11:00 am. All events begin at the Somerville High School Gym, 81 Highland Avenue. $5 for youth; $20 for adults (proceeds to Somerville Youth & Recreation Foundation). Registration deadline: April 29. Flyer and Registration Form attached.

The SUS Road Race is a Mayor's Fitness Challenge Event: Participants in the Fitness Challenge can earn a point for themselves and for their team in the SUS Road Race.

Free Recall Clinic (dog-friendly!)

City Dog Training is offering a free recall clinic to train your dog to come when called every time Sunday afternoon, May 2, from 1:00 to 2:00 at Ed Leathers Community Park on Walnut Street between Pearl Street and Medford Street. The clinic is cosponsored by the Somerville Dog Owners Group and the Somerville Recreation and Youth Commission. Dogs that are leashed (no retractable leads, please), licensed and who enjoy the company of people and other dogs are welcome.

As always, let me know if you have any questions, and I appreciate it if you can let me know in advance if you plan to come to any of our events--but mostly I just hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Michèle
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA.

$10 Rabies Shots, Dog-Walking Groups and Off-Leash Recreation in West Somerville

2010-03-30T06:27:51Z

Dear Somerville Dog Owners and Friends of Somerville Dogs,

We're looking forward to great weather for an event-full Spring! Here's what's coming up in just the next few weeks:

+ $10 Rabies Shots

Bring your cats (in carriers, please) and dogs (on leash, please) to the Somerville Department of Public Works Highway Garage (1 Franey Road), for rabies shots for only $10, Saturday morning, April 3, 2010. Dog licences will also be available: the cost of a 2010 dog license is $12 for animals that have been spayed or neutered (bring proof of spay/neuter); $20 for intact animals. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires that all cats and dogs six months old and older to be vaccinated against rabies. Dogs six months old and older must be licensed

+ Dog-Walking Groups

Two propsective dog-walking groups are forming: One on the Community Path and the other at Torbert MacDonald Park, located just across the Mystic River at the state police barracks at the intersection of Route 28 (Fellsway) and Route 16 (Mystic Valley Parkway). There is a parking lot is accessible from Mystic Valley Parkway. See below for more information and to join these groups.

For group dog walking your dog should be leashed (no retractable leads) and licensed and should enjoy the company of other dogs. Please be respectful of other people using sidewalks and parks and allow clearance for others to pass and Leave No Pile Behind ()!

If you are interested in group dog walking please contact me this week and provide the following information:

your dog's name (or dogs' names) and breed/s
your preferred day and time to walk your dog(s)
* where you would like to meet others for a dog walk (e.g. Community Path, Torbert MacDonald Park, or another location of your choice. Please include details about the proposed meet-up location such as street address or intersection.)

+ Off-Leash Recreation in West Somerville

Please mark you calendar for the next Parks and Open Space meeting on April 5 at 7:00 at City Hall on the second floor.

On March 22, the Board of Aldermen Parks and Open Space Committee approved Chairwoman Gewirtz's motion that the Office For Strategic Planing and and Community Development prepare a cost estimate for creating a dog park at Dilboy Field and report on same at the next meeting of the committee, which is scheduled for April 5 at 7:00 PM. The Committee also approved a motion by Alderman Heuston that the Administration research federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) eligible areas in West Somerville, in the vicinity of the North Street housing complex adjacent to Dilboy Stadium. The minutes from the Parks and Open Space Meeting on March 22 are available online from the City of Somerville (http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/minutes/Committee%20Report%20-%20Parks%20-%203-22-10.pdf).

Cheers,
Michele
with Strummer (standard poodle)

Michele Biscoe
Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog)
www.somdog.org

The Somerville Dog Owners Group promotes responsible dog ownership, safe and legal options for off-leash recreation, and open space for all in Somerville, MA