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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!
Wags and Tags editorial team: Joan Black, Jen Burns, Sue Doctrow, Ellen Leigh, Judy Weinberg, Janice Zazinski
A-DOG logos designed by Lisa Berasi for Arlington Dog Owners Group, all rights reserved
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On some computers, you might have to click twice to reach the article. We've found, too that these links do not work on all devices.
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April is Membership Month
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Join or renew -- it's easy to do!
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April is official A-DOG Membership Month. Please show support and join or renew. A-DOG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Membership dues are tax deductible to extent allowable by law.
NEW OR RENEW IS EASY TO DO!
In May 2008, A-DOG was established with the mission that included promoting responsible dog ownership and advocating for the rights and interests of Arlington dog owners.
Our accomplishments include:
- Successful advocacy leading to off-leash recreational activities for dogs in Arlington. When we were founded, there were NO legal off-leash options. A-DOG's advocacy resulted in a new bylaw allowing off-leash morning hours in many Arlington parks and in the fenced dog park at Thorndike Field.
- Educational programs on topics including: therapy & service dogs, canine first aid/CPR, dog training and behavior such as "Understanding Canine Body Language," coexisting with wildlife such as "Living With Coyotes" and new this year plans for a holistic health fair
- Social events such as our annual "Whine and Wine" wine tasting party at Menotomy Beer, Wine & Spirits, "Paint Your Pet Night" at Art Lounge and, new this year, an idea for "movie night" at the Capitol.
- Opportunities for members to participate in fun community events including: A-DOG's Town Day booth, annual march, with our dogs, in the Arlington Patriots Day Parade, BARK for Life, and, new this year, providing support to "Chairful Where You Sit."
- An informative, quality monthly email newsletter, Wags and Tags, which encourages contributions from all our members and supporters! Stay informed and connected with WAGS & TAGS.
- Friends of A-DOG businesses that offer discounts and promotions to our FULL members. The list of business supporters continues to grow.
IT IS TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP OR BECOME A NEW MEMBER!
We need your support to continue offering exciting educational and social activities. We work closely with our Animal Control Officer, Katie Kozikowski and other groups to bring new programs to Arlington dog owners and their families and friends. Many community members would like a second fenced dog park in Arlington as Thorndike has been so popular. A-DOG is committed to working in behalf of a second dog park option. Unfortunately, there may always be pressure from some to return to restrictive leash laws. We must continue our strong advocacy and education regarding responsible dog ownership.
With your involvement and support, A-DOG can continue to carry out our mission, to keep Arlington a wonderful place for all of us, including our canine family members!
YOUR MEMBERSHIP IS CRUCIAL............PLEASE JOIN! APRIL IS MEMBERSHIP MONTH
A-DOG's Annual Whine & Wine Tasting Membership Celebration with canine companions is scheduled for June 8 at Menotomy Beer, Wine & Spirits. Save the date! Details TBA.
Thank you in advance for your support,
A-DOG Membership Committee
Joan Black is an A-DOG board member and officer. (photo) Poster by A-DOG board member Jen Burns.
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Join or support the A-DOG team!
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ASPCA Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and Pawsitive Award for March
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by Katie Kozikowski
 APRIL is ASPCA's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month! Help CELEBRATE by volunteering, donating, fostering or adopting.
I'd love to give a little background as to how I came to share my heart and home with my little beloved pooch Winnie! Before I become Arlington's ACO, I worked for the MSPCA.
Winnie was picked up by Animal Control running loose in the city of Brockton. The Brockton Animal Control Officer held her for the required 7 day period to search for her owner with no luck. After the week passed, the director at the MSPCA swooped her up as quickly as possible. He thought she and I as her foster would be a match!
When Winnie was with Animal Control, she was so frightened nobody could get near her. She would cower in her kennel and not touch her food if any people were in sight. It was well known that my favorite dogs to foster and work with are the the frightened ones. It is incredible for me to help a dog change from being frozen with fear into the most lovable fuzzball imagined! Winnie was the perfect dog for me to take home as a foster as that is exactly what could happen for her.
When I first observed Winnie at the MSPCA, she was in her kennel, cowering in the back corner under her blankets. By her side was a big bowl of untouched food. She was frozen like a popsicle without moving a muscle. However, her eyes watched my every move intensely. I wondered what was going through her mind. I just knew I had to take Winnie quickly to avoid her falling into a deeper state of depression and fear. Luckily, thanks to the MSPCA's wonderful foster care program, that was a possibility. I swept her up and popped her into my car immediately!
Winnie was not pleased with me at first and wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. She was so scared, and who could blame her. However, once home at my house, Winnie became a completely different dog. Upon arrival she did happy, puppy sprints from one end of the living room to the kitchen rolling over for belly rubs. Winnie even snuggled with me in bed that very first night. It was so amazing to see such a scared little creature turn into an amazing love bug just by changing her environment.
It took a while for her to become fully adjusted to everyone and life outside of the shelter. Now Winnie is the mascot of my softball team, my trusty Animal Control partner and my #1 bud. As you probably have guessed, she was a "foster failure" and is now a part of my family forever. I can not imagine my life without her.
Without the support of the MSPCA, there is a good chance Winnie would have not have been able to find her home because of her fear. Winnie's story is not to present shelters as a terrible, scary place. Dogs react differently in particular environments just as people do. Some dogs do well and adjust to the shelter and others do not. A foster program is one of the most important tools a shelter can utilize. Fostering give animals the valuable experience of living in a home in preparation for adoption. It can literally save an animal's life - as it did for Winnie.
I will be forever grateful for everyone's helping hands along the way which gave Winnie the fighting chance to find the "forever" home she deserved. Here is a BIG "thank you" to the Brockton Animal Control Officer for saving her and to the MSPCA for arranging and allowing me to foster her.
If you have any questions about adoption or fostering, you can find info on the MSPCA's website at or you can call me, 781-645-8014.
*****Watch for Katie & Winnie:
Saturday May 7, BARK for Life (Relay for Life with canine companions) held at the Arlington Reservoir from 10-noon.
Sunday May 22 ,The Fast And Furriest 5K: Run, Walk, Wag for MSPCA Angell held at DCR Baxter Park, Assembly Row in Somerville.
ACO Katie's Corner present updates from Arlington Animal Control Officer (ACO) Katie Kozikowski.
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Around the Doggone Web - April Edition
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Useful online information
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by Janice Zazinski
In an Internet of inanity and misinformation, it can be hard to discern truly helpful Web sites. A-DOG is here to help! Check out the ones below and feel free to send us your favorites.
- Debbie Jacobs' web site, fearfuldogs.com, gave us tremendous hope as well as solid techniques to use with our fearful rescue puppy, Daisy. It's a great resource for dogs with any kind of reactivity or fear-based behaviors. Her motto is about learning to change a dog's fear-based behaviors by changing the way we think about the dog.
- Victoria Sitwell's web site, also had excellent information on the behavior of fearful dogs and debunks other dog behavior myths, such as the now-debunked "pack" behavior theory.
- Help scientists "follow the pawprints of evolution" by signing up to help with the canine research of Darwin's Dogs, which seeks to understand how dog DNA changed as dogs went from living in the wild to being part of our families. Based at UMass Medical School and led by Assistant Professor Elinor Karlsson, Darwin's Dogs has brief behavior questionnaires for human participants to complete. Doggie DNA kits are coming soon! Sign up for free at darwinsdogs.org. Any dog can participate.
- The print magazine Modern Dog calls itself "the best dog magazine ever" and perhaps it's because -- unlike many print magazines -- there is lots of great free content online, all of which are written with insight, compassion, and humor. There is, of course, a companion for our feline friends, Modern Cat. "Ten Things Humans Do That Annoy Dogs" had me going "yep ... oh, yes ... uh oh, I do that." There's even a section called "Surf - Top Dog Web Sites" ... great minds thinking alike.
********
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Highlights of March A-DOG Meeting
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SOUPER Soup, Salad and Snacks Social and Members Meeting
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Facilitator: Joan Black
Highlights & Minutes: Judy Weinberg & Joan Black
Approved minutes from January 26 meeting.
Old Business:
Discussed reports from liaisons of board members with other town entities.
Art Lounge FUNdraiser was very successful and FUN with 24 participants benefiting $360, Emily Mayne donated $67.00 proceeds from jewelry sales. Total was $427. New "SURVEY" developed by Joan & Jen with "Drawing" prizes provided valuable information. For example: people learned of event primarily from Wags & Tags, A-DOG sites or family and friends Seven different communities were represented with half from Arlington. Ten people signed up to receive W&T. Prizes were donated from Menotomy Beer Wine & Spirits, A-DOG including a membership & Art Lounge. Event was organized by Jen Burns
March 10 "Understanding Canine Body Language" multi media event hosted by ACO and sponsored by A-DOG. Calendar of upcoming A-DOG EVENTS developed by Joan was distributed along with SURVEY. Fifty+ people attended which included 10 A-DOG Board members. Twenty people returned SURVEY for "Drawing" providing information and a dozen sign ups for W&T. Audience came from several communities: Medford, Woburn, Somerville, Stoneham, Melrose and included people without dogs. Great feedback for an excellent program which included a DEMO dog. Prizes donated by A-DOG included an A-DOG membership and Lakota Bakery. & Katie awarded a "ticket" drawing training book prize. A-DOG provided much appreciated refreshments. Event organized by Joan Black & Katie Kozikowski.
Ellen Leigh, liaison for Robbins Library, obtained a table display for The Dog Days of Summer in August. Display will be organized by Ellen with committee.
Saturday April 30 "Weekends With Daisy" author presentation will have light refreshments provided by A-DOG. Books will be available for purchase which benefit NEADS. A-DOG will donate copy to Library and offer one as SURVEY "Drawing" prize and A-DOG membership. Event is organized by Ellen Leigh.
Saturday May 14th "Doggie Investigation Gang" author program for children/families. Books will be available to purchase which benefit Paws NEW ENGLAND. Author Shara Katsos will donate copies to Library and provide "DIG" Door prizes. Event organized by Joan Black.
Chairful Where You Sit. A-DOG will provide credit card service & prize for pet/animal-themed chair, up to $100 gift certificate to restaurant. Event organized by Chairful committee with Sue Doctrow taking the lead on A-DOG's assistance.
Katie has been giving PAWSITIVE AWARDS for monthly ticket drawings since November 2015. Winners & prizes are featured in KATIE'S CORNER W&T. Joan Black, representing A-DOG, has requested all the donations for program from local businesses. Gift certificates or prizes should be about $20 value. March & April A-DOG memberships will be awarded as APRIL is MEMBERSHIP Month. Ideas or donations would be appreciated from the board.
New Business
Three new businesses recently became Friends of A-DOG: Emily Mayne, jeweler (donation), Pet Republic in Cambridge (offering discount for classes & training demonstrations for programs), Leah Nolan (discount on pet portraits). Thank you to Janice Zazinski for identifying Leah and Pet Republic. Since January we have also added The Clip Joint, Art Lounge, & Magic Bites as business friends.
Review of scheduled upcoming events: March 26: Thorndike clean-up organized by K9 Rec: Postponed; April 9: Walks of Nature at Arlington Great Meadows organized by K9 Rec. Date misrepresented on Recreation site as April 11. Correct date has now been listed in Calendar of W&T. Details have not been announced.; April 17, 2:00 PM Arlington Patriots Day Parade, A-DOG donated $100 and hopes to be marching with banner and dogs if enough members volunteer. Letter to membership will be sent. Event organized by Ann & Roslyn Smith with support from Joan Black; May 7, Bark For Life 10-noon at Arlington Reservoir A-DOG Team is seeking walkers. Event is organized by Joan Black; June 8, tentative date for annual Whine & Wine Membership Celebration at Menotomy Beer, Wine & Spirits. Event organized by Ann & Roslyn Smith & Joan Black.
Future Ideas and Plans:
Fall Canine CPR program, working with Katie the ACO and instructor who presented it fall of 2014. Event organized by Mary McCartney & Katie Kozikowski
Movie night at Capitol Theater, $50 hour to rent screening room that hold 47 people being discussed and organized by Ellen Leigh.
Funny DOG Video Festival idea in planning with Judy Weinberg & committee.
*Membership: APRIL IS MEMBERSHIP MONTH: Renewal Email letter has been updated and sent. Responses are starting to come back. NEW members mailing will not be done this year. WAGS & TAGS "NEW or RENEW" article, social media postings, and POSTERS/ brochures in designated places as well as advertising at EVENTS will be ongoing. Special plea in APRIL.
TWO THUMB UP & A "SOUPER" BOWL SALUTE!
March 22. A-DOG meeting was preceded by the FIRST Annual "SOUPER" Soup, Salad, & Snacks Social. We all enjoyed a delicious homemade meal together as well as each other's company. Don't miss the next opportunity to make new acquaintances while adding your own ideas at the third Members meeting on May 24 from 7-8pm. Door open at 6:30. (Remaining 2016 meetings: May 24, August 23 & October 25).
********
Joan Black and Judy Weinberg are A-DOG board members and officers.
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"Two Front Paws Up" for Pawsome People and Awesome Dogs!
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Recognizing those who help animals and people.....
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*****
Compiled by Joan Black, an A-DOG board member and member of the Wags and Tags editorial team.
Photo: Janice Zazinski with a canine massage client at Town Day.
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PAWS to Mark Your Calendar!
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Save the dates for coming events
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"Weekends With Daisy"
Don't miss the chance to learn about the Prison/Foster training program for NEADS Service dogs. Meet author of "Weekends With Daisy" Sharron Luttrell and service dog in training Samurai April 30 from 2-3 in the Community Room at Robbins Library.
APRIL IS OUR "OFFICIAL" MEMBERSHIP MONTH BUT WE NEED YOU ON OUR TEAM ALL YEAR! If you haven't already, join the A-DOG Pack.
"NEW" or "RENEW", IT IS EASY TO DO...Sign up today
here
.
Mark your calendar for these great EVENTS. Please consider attending or volunteering for the
events sponsored or co-sponsored by A-DOG (shown in
GREEN
)
.
Contact us if you're interested in volunteering at any of these events...we need you!
____________
- APRIL was National GREYHOUND MONTH April also featured Animal Care And Control Appreciation Week. We congratulate Katie Kozikowski, Arlington's very own Animal Control Officer with respect and appreciation.
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April 26, May 10, 24 and certain other Tuesdays (3:30-4:30 pm) Come meet
Reading Companion Dogs Thelma & Rufus at
Fox Library. All ages and reading levels are welcome. Sign up for a ten minute reading time. Please pick up a ticket at the circulation desk starting at 3 on the day of the event. Happy tails are waiting to listen to your tales. Thelma & Rufus are also scheduled in April (26), May (10, 24) and June (7, 21). Fox Library is located at 175 Massachusetts Avenue.
-
T
uesday, May 24
(6:30-8 pm) Jefferson Cutter House
, 611 Mass Ave, Arlington Center.
Next A-DOG Meeting!
Refreshments will be served (beginning at 6:30; meeting beginning at 7).
-
Saturday, April 30
(2-3 pm).
A-DOG Author Reading, Presentation & Discussion
with Q/A "
Weekends With Daisy" by Sharron Kahn Lutrell,
Community Room at
Robbins Library
. Join us for a lively and informative discussion about service dogs and their training with an anticipated special guest appearance by a NEADS puppy in training. (This program is more appropriate for adults than chlidren.). Copies of book will be available for purchase and signing. Bring a personal copy for autograph. Proceeds from sales benefit NEADS. "Weekends With Daisy" will be donated to the Library by A-DOG.
_____________
Send us calendar items for possible inclusion in this section in future Wags and Tags issues!
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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! I
f you have suggestions for an article, including one you'd like to write, for a future issue, please email us with "Newsletter" in the subject line.
Maybe you'd like your dog to be one of our "
Arlington dogs, or A-dogs
", like Molly, Remy. Tammy, potcake Lexi and others. Or, write an article about Happy Tails Trails, describing your favorite place to enjoy nature with your dog, like the recent article about Whipple Hill. 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 moving tributes to Strummer, Cita. Jasper and Annabel.
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 BlueSky Dogs, GoPlay!, Menotomy Beer Wine and Spirits,Your Wonderful Dog and Maida Pharmacy & Compounding Center.
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 no greater than 1 MB. (Please send the photo as a separate file, not imported into a Word document.) Depending on the topic, you might want to write a longer version for our website, with a link in the Wags and Tags article.
Articles on any other topic of potential interest to dog owners are welcome. So are more volunteer editors and writers. Please send us your story proposals! Wags and Tags editorial team: Joan Black, Jen Burns, Sue Doctrow, Ellen Leigh, Judy Weinberg and Janice Zazinski.
Pssst...We are well aware that
our
members are not likely to have issues with spelling or grammar that's a little "ruff", but don't worry....our editorial team can polish your story, as needed.
The Irish Setter on the computer photo is reprinted from a website called "iget2work".
The "Bad spelling...image was posted on Facebook by Grammarly.
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Our third
A-DOG meeting for 2016
A-DOG held four meetings in 2015 and the 2016 schedule will be announced in Wags and Tags. The next one will be Tuesday, May 24 at 6:30 pm. Future meetings in May, August and October. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are on the fourth Tuesday of the month 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. Refreshments are served. New members show up every time so please join us!
A-DOG Membership!
A-DOG's membership year runs from April 1 through March 31, so some full memberships are up for renewal each spring. If your membership has expired, you should receive a reminder letter in early 2016 during our
Membership Drive. 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.
Shop for A-DOG!
Please support businesses that support responsible dog owners in Arlington by patronizing our
Friends of A-DOG Businesses. Welcome to the newest Friend of A-DOG,
Carolyn Barney, who donated her time to give a presentation at our recent workshop "Understanding Canine Body Language", sponsored by the ACO and A-DOG. (If you are not a full member, please sign up and pay your dues at the link above for joining A-DOG. If you are unsure if your membership is still active, or need another membership card as proof, you can
email us to check into it.)
Also, when you buy from Amazon, please start at the
Amazon Smile website and choose "A-Dog The Arlington Dog Owners Group, Inc" as your preferred nonprofit group. Amazon will make a donation to A-DOG and your purchase will not cost any more!
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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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