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Celebrating the canine-human bond!
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This newsletter is brought to you by Arlington Dog Owners Group (A-DOG), a 501(c)(3) community organization promoting the rights and interests of responsible dog owners in Arlington, MA.
If you're not already a member, we hope you'll want to join A-DOG!
A-DOG logos designed by Lisa Berasi for Arlington Dog Owners Group, all rights reserved.
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Another Summer of Happy "Dog Days" Draws to a Close
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A-DOG members and their dogs enjoyed summer, away and at home!
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This August issue is shorter and later than usual, because we've all been busy enjoying the summer.
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Travel Notes
by Molly Flueckiger
 I love my copy of
Doggin' The Berkshires by Andrew Chesworth. The book describes various hikes in Western Massachusetts with a focus on hiking with a dog. There are 33 hikes, and the book gives you enough information about each location to decide if the hike is good for you and your dog. My copy was printed in 2007, but the information does not seem out of date.Searching for a similar book covering New Hampshire and Cape Cod I bought a copy of Dog-Friendly New England: A Traveler's Companion, Third Edition, by Trisha Blanchet and Ginger Warder. This edition was printed this year so the details are recent. I am disappointed with this book. The book's strength is a listing of dog-friendly accommodations. However, the locations profiled in the "Out and About" sections do not go into as much details as listings from "Doggin' The Berkshires". The entries for attractions and restaurants seem generic, and coverage of each geographic area does not seem complete.
We tested Dog Friendly New England on an overnight trip to the While Mountains last weekend. Unfortunately despite having a guide book I ended up spending time researching trails online. I will test this book again when we visit the Cape with Gus in August. But I am going to supplement Dog Friendly New England with Doggin' Massachusetts: The 100 Best Places to Hike with Your Dog in the Bay State by Doug Gelbert. The Doggin' books offer more detailed descriptions of recreational areas in a concise format that eliminates the need to weed through information online.
We stayed at the Hilltop Inn in Sugar Hill, NH. We had a nice stay at this dog friendly Inn. The extra $10 dog fee is cheaper than boarding the dog, and we enjoyed hiking with Gus. While Gus enjoyed the off-leash hike, I'm not sure he enjoyed the Hilltop Inn. Gus was a little nervous around the two live-in pooches, but he was pleased to be spoiled with treats from the Innkeepers. This Inn has a very relaxed atmosphere and the Innkeepers are very accommodating. While many places don't allow you to leave your dog for a few hours, the Hilltop Innkeepers were happy to allow Gus to have the run of the place while we left to have dinner at a local restaurant. Our bedroom had a sitting room with a twin bed. It was no problem to have the dog on the beds. Traveling with Gus was a pleasure.
I recommend the web site Hike With Your Dog s a good resource for dog friendly recreation activities. The site does not have the most intuitive navigation - you can find reviews of various Doggin' titles and other guidebooks under the link "Our Guide Books".
Happy Trails!
Photo shows Molly and Richard's dog, Gus, on a White Mountains vacation.
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And More Summer Fun for A-DOG Families
On the road....
Eileen's family forms a pyramid with happy pup Molly on top (you can see her peeping out)
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Remy, last month's Wags and Tags Arlington dog ("A-dog"), on vacation in Maine with Doug (shown) and Amy, enjoying his favorite water sport.
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Sue and John were relieved that their dogs Candace (shown) and Becker were able to relax during the family's first ever 1000 mile summer roadtrip
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And, right here at home....
Dogs and their people enjoy a beach day at the Arlington Reservoir Beach "Dog Days of Summer" event on Aug. 24! (Thanks to A-DOG member Pat, and his dog Leo, for the photos)
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Dogs and their humans enjoy their usual summer morning romp at Robbins Farm Park in Arlington, where they can play together each morning all year 'round! The popular morning off-leash hours have been in effect at several Arlington parks for nearly 4 years, thanks to a Town Meeting vote responding to the advocacy work of A-DOG, and successful implementation by the Parks and Recreation Commission and Arlington Recreation Department. (Thanks to A-DOG member Amy, and her dog Remy, for these photos.) |
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PAWS to Mark Your Calendar!
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Save the date for coming events
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THOUGH MAY WAS MEMBERSHIP MONTH, we still need you, if you haven't already, to join the A-DOG Pack. "NEW" OR "RENEW" IT IS EASY TO DO. Sign up today here.
Saturday, Aug 30 (9am) Fundraiser and Meet and Greet for CAPAMA. Rowley, MA, Village Pancake House. CAPA is working for legislative changes in MA to protect animals in shelters from euthanasia as much as possible. Donation $10, RSVP required to Ro at 978-270 6086 or [email protected].
Saturday, Sept 6 (7-11 pm) Moonlight Beach Party. (Note new date!) The Arlington Reservoir Beach will be transformed into a paradise under the stars! Join together as a community to celebrate, and raise funds and awareness for Arlington's parks all while enjoying an adult evening filled with music, dancing, on site grilled dinner provided by Blue Ribbon BBQ, live auction and raffles . Tickets are $65 each or $120 per couple. Tickets must be purchased prior to the event. Organize a group of friends or the parents from an A-Town team and reserve your table now! For more information about the Arlington Parks Alliance (APA) and to purchase tickets, click here.
Friday, Sept. 12 (6 - 7pm, register 5:30 pm) Dog Show with Glen Doyle at Arlington Town Night! This fun, popular dog show is a favorite part of the annual Town Night festivities. Be aware that there will be fireworks later in the evening, so you should take your dog away from the area in time if she might have a fearful reaction.
Saturday, Sept. 13 (10 am - 3pm) Town Day in Arlington! Come visit us at the A-DOG Town Day booth, where we will have a gift drawing, membership information and sign-ups, dog-friendly games for kids, and more! (If you are available to volunteer at the booth, please contact us at [email protected].) Bring your dog for a complimentary canine massage, offered by Janice Zazinski of Beloved Companion Animal Massage! (appointments at our Town Day booth, on a first-come, first-served basis).
Tuesday, Sept. 23 (7-9 pm) A-DOG Monthly Meeting, Jefferson Cutter House Community Room, Arlington Center.
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Photo shows A-DOG's Molly Flueckiger at last year's Town Day booth. Molly is petting A-DOG's toy lab "mascot" whom, in a name-the-lab contest last year, was named "Arli". Join us all, including Arli, at the booth this year..it's lots of fun!
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Help Wanted: Your Dog's Face Here?
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Wags and Tags Welcomes Your Contributions
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 A-DOG Members and supporters, Wags and Tags is YOUR monthly newsletter! If you have suggestions for an article, including one you'd like to write, for a future issue, please contact us ([email protected]) with "Newsletter" in the subject line.
Maybe you'd like your dog to be one of our "
Arlington dogs, or A-dogs", like Annabel (March), Molly (June), and Remy (July). You don't have to live in Arlington, but can be a neighbor who enjoys Arlington's dog recreation benefits, or otherwise supports our mission. You can also suggest a special Rainbow Bridge memorial tribute to a beloved canine family member you've lost, like the beautiful tributes to Isabel in March and Raleigh in May.
Or, maybe you're a Friend of A-DOG Business and want to describe how you help A-DOG and what you offer to our community of dog owners and dog-friendly people. Your business, too, can be featured like Bette Yip's Picture Perfect Pets (November), BlueSkyDogs (January), GoPlay! (February), or Your Wonderful Dog (June). Suggested article length for the newsletter is 500 words or fewer but this is only a guideline. We will also need at least one photo, preferably a jpg or gif format, compressed to a size of less than 1 MB. Depending on the topic, you might want to write a longer version for our website, with a link in the Wags and Tags article.
The Irish Setter on the computer photo is reprinted from a website called "iget2work". |
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A-DOG's monthly meetings are scheduled for each 4th Tuesday evening. Come join us on Sept 23, at 7:00 - 9:00 pm at the Community Room of the Jefferson Cutter House, 611 Mass Ave (at Mystic, in Arlington Center). The Community Room is accessible via the rear entrance at the municipal parking lot.
A-DOG 2014 Membership Drive Is Still On!
A-DOG's membership year runs from April 1 through March 31, so some full memberships are up for renewal. If your membership has expired, you should have received a reminder letter and there is 2014 Membership Drive information on our website. As an A-DOG Full Member, you are entitled to discounts and benefits from our Friends of A-DOG businesses. And, your dues and donations to A-DOG are tax deductible, to the full extent allowed by law.
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A-DOG members, Business Friends of A-DOG and other subscribers receive Wags and Tags each month. If this issue was forwarded to you and you'd like to subscribe to Wags and Tags without joining A-DOG, click here or click the green sign-up button on the front page of our website.
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