The concert at St. John's on October 25 benefited NEADS, which trains dogs for the deaf and disabled and kids with special needs. Two NEADS Weekend Puppy Raisers brought dogs to the concert for a presentation and Q&A beforehand and at intermission. It was a great chance to see these canine heroes and find out more about the difference they make in peoples' lives.

Lori Diamond and Charlotte Pierce of St. John's Coffeehouse produced the concert; Lori's daughter is in line to get a dog to assist her with daily routines; Lori and her partner Fred Abatelli play again at St. John's on March 14, 2015.

The following performers donated their time to the cause:

Chris & Meredith Thompson - Powerful performers using flute, guitar, percussion and vocal harmony to celebrate common experience through song!

Stuart Ferguson  - Ellis Paul says: "Stuart Ferguson writes songs that capture your imagination, and sings them in a voice that is addictive to the ears."

Lori Diamond & Fred Abatelli - A gentle but passionate exploration of Folk, Soul, Blues, Jazz and Pop with a spiritual sensibility.

Chris Nauman - Drawing inspiration from Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger, among many others, Nauman channels his mid Western sensibilities into a spirited blend of folk rock.

Michael Gray of American Beauties - Masterfully blending thoughtful singer/songwriter composition with an Americana-styled sensibility.

This article and photographs contributed by Charlotte Pierce.  

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For further information about NEADS and how you can help, click here.  And, please read the wonderful story by Ellen, an A-DOG member, about how much her service dog Ricky means to her.  For future updates on St. John's Coffeehouse concerts, check the St. John's website or the Coffeehouse Facebook Page.  The next one, Nov 8, features Stefilia's Little Stones, whose music is kid-friendly.

Last spring, Arlington Town Meeting voted to put the Community Preservation Act (CPA) before the voters.  On Election Day, you will be able to vote on whether Arlington should adopt this program.  Other Massachusetts communities have used the CPA to help fund certain recreational and other resources (Randolph's CPA-funded dog park is shown above).  We have invited two A-DOG members to contribute letters representing their opinions for and against, respectively, this proposal.  The letters represent the views of their authors, not an official position by A-DOG.  (We conducted a drawing to determine the order of printing.)  We urge our readers to consider both views, following up with the authors if you have questions, to help you make an informed decision on Question 5.  

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For a Yes Vote on Question 5:

by Pam Hallett

Many Arlington elected officials, town boards and organizations, and individuals support Question 5.  These include Sen. Ken Donnelly and Reps. Dave Rogers and Sean Garballey, 3 Selectmen, 6 out of 7 School Committee members, the Redevelopment Board, Robbins Library Board of Trustees and 10 other town boards, and the Arlington League of Women Voters and 10 other town organizations, all listed at this link. 

Already adopted by 155 cities and towns in the state, CPA is a program that allows communities to establish a dedicated fund for outdoor recreational facilities, historic preservation, and affordable housing.  If approved, the average household would see a new CPA surcharge line item on their yearly tax bill in the amount of approximately $86. Low-income households and low- and moderate-income households owned and occupied by individuals aged 60 or more are completely exempt from the surcharge.  We can calculate our surcharge at this link.  

The state will partially match the local funds raised - last year it was 52%.  The state match comes from recording fees at the registry of deeds.  Arlington has contributed those recording fees since the law started in 2001, but has never gotten any of that back.  If Arlington had had CPA last year, it would have gotten about $500,000 from the state.    

CPA could fund new dog parks and improve many of our existing parks.  CPA-supported dog parks are in process in Agawam (adopted CPA in 2001) and already established in Randolph (adopted CPA in 2005).  For a list of CPA towns, see this link. 

For a list of CPA projects around the state, see this link.  

Those who urge a No vote say CPA will jeopardize our big projects coming in the near future.  That is just not going to happen.  The small CPA surcharge is not going to sway votes either way, especially when voters have seen what CPA has done in town that the town could not afford before - with state money that we never got before.  In fact, CPA can fund projects already in the town's long-term capital plan, meaning that the town can use more of its regular budget for core services.

I believe it is time for Arlington to join our neighbors who have CPA - Belmont, Lexington, Cambridge, Somerville and Waltham - who benefit from state matching funds for great quality of life projects, money that Arlington has never seen.  Let's vote YES on 5 and claim our fair share of state funds and get more projects built to make our community even more vibrant and livable.

I hope that A-DOG members will vote YES on Question 5, adoption of the Community Preservation Act.

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For a No Vote on Question 5

We're repeating this notice, first published last month, to make sure that everybody is aware of this wonderful, free opportunity to learn First Aid for your pets.  Hope to see you there!

Pet First Aid and CPR Basics Workshop

Cost: Free.  Optional donations to dog-related charities will be accepted.

Taught by Amy Breton, CVT, VTS (ECC) of Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners

1:00 to 4:00 pm

Saturday November 15

Community Room, Arlington Police Department, 112 Mystic Street, Arlington, MA

Preventative care through your primary veterinarian is the best tool for identifying potential ailments, but accidents and acute illness can pop up at any time! This fully interactive session is designed to teach you--the pet  owner--the basics behind the most common pet emergencies.  Awareness of hazards and recognition of distress signals in your  pet can be critical in stabilizing an emergency.

In this workshop, you will learn the following:

*Find a pulse and count a heartbeat

*Check the gums and identify signs of emergency

*Perform hands-on CPR

*Bandage a wound

*Respond to choking

*Set up a first aid kit

The instructor will be demonstrating techniques on her own pet dog.  Please leave your pet dog at home.

About the instructor:

Amy Breton, CVT, VTS (ECC) is a veterinary technician who is board-certified in emergency critical care.  She has been teaching classes throughout the state for 8 years and at one time was an instructor for MEMA who went around to local fire departments and police stations to teach them how to handle pet emergencies.  She has also taught classes at Logan International airport for their first responders in case there was a pet emergency there.  

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Event is being organized by A-DOG board member Mary McCartney.  Our thanks to Amanda Kennedy, Arlington Animal Control Officer, for helping with arrangements particularly the APD Community Room venue.