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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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Lexington's Jackie organizes 3rd annual event to help Northeast Animal Shelter
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by Jackie Benjes
 My name is Jackie Benjes, and I am fourteen years old. I started Paw Power when I was twelve, and now I am in eighth grade, and we are preparing for our third annual event. I decided to organize this event because I LOVE animals, and have two dogs of my own, and a rabbit. I want to make sure that all animals get to have a home, because they are all wonderful. So, I started the Paw Power Pet Jamboree to raise money for the amazing Northeast Animal shelter, the largest no-kill shelter in New England. In total so far, we have raised over $6,000! This could not be possible without all of my great friends who help set up and staff the event.
Please join in the fun and walk or run in this 5K race on Sunday, June 12th at 4PM. Bring your family and friends and have a blast with your dogs! This is a pet-friendly event: pets are invited, welcomed, and encouraged to attend! Following the race, talk to animal experts, meet dog-loving artists, eat good food, socialize your dog, buy new hand-thrown ceramic pet bowls, and get a Paw Power t-shirt airbrushed! This event starts and ends at Lower Hayden Field on Worthen Road in Lexington, and all proceeds will benefit the Northeast Animal Shelter. Please visit our website for more information on how to register!
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"Membership Month" is every month
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We still need you...join or renew -- it's easy to do!
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April was official A-DOG Membership Month and we got a great response. But we need all of you! if you haven't joined or renewed for the year, please do!
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.
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.
IF YOU'VE ALREADY SIGNED UP, THANK-YOU! IF NOT, 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!
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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Another great book by an Arlington author!
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ASPCA Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and Pawsitive Award for March
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by Katie Kozikowski
*****Watch for Katie & Winnie:
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 - May 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 (send them to
[email protected]).
- May is Pet Cancer Awareness month and many of us have known a beloved animal companion who suffered from cancer. "Georgia's Legacy" provides resources, useful tips, holistic treatment options, answers to frequently asked questions and basic information about canine cancer and pet loss issues; note that it's written by laypeople, not veterinarians.
- Pet insurance companies such as Petplan often have delightful newsletters (usually, anyone can subscribe to the newsletters). Their pet cancer resources are easy to understand, well-illustrated, and very informative.
- "Dog is my co-pilot" is the motto at The Bark, another print magazine with intriguing online content. Stories can by eye-opening, such an academic study of the benefit to homeless youth who have dogs (they are less likely to engage in self-harmful behavior, because they don't want to be separated from their pets, and are often willing to open up to their veterinarians about their personal struggles).
- Somerville's Nancy Davis is an herbalist who specializes in our furry friends; her website, The Greater Dog offers an alternative perspective on canine health for "the whole dog." Check out her recipe for "tick juice!"
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A-DOG's Next Whine and Wine Event: June 8
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Call for volunteers and all members come join us at our annual wine tasting party!
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Save the date for A-DOG's annual wine tasting party at Menotomy Beer & Wine on Broadway in East Arlington! On Wednesday evening, June 8 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, A-DOG members can meet for a wine tasting, refreshments and a drawing for some great prizes, donated by Friends of A-DOG businesses or A-DOG itself! Drawing will be held at approximately 7:30 pm. Your well-behaved leashed dogs are always welcome. Thank-you to Menotomy Beer and Wine, a wonderful local business and true Friend of A-DOG, for hosting this party for us each year. Owner Mary Parent (shown in photo above) is an A-DOG member and her business actively supports many local organizations. Not an A-DOG member yet? Join the pack!
Also, volunteers willing to help out (setting up, cleaning up, greeting people, etc.) would be greatly appreciated. Please contact us at [email protected] to volunteer. You will receive an extra ticket to increase your chance to win a prize in the drawing if you help out this way! Don't worry, volunteers will also have plenty of time to enjoy the party.
Did you know that any time you buy wine at Menotomy Beer & Wine and mention A-DOG, they will generously donate 5% of your wine purchases to A-DOG? This is a great way to earn money for A-DOG, support a great local business "Friend of A-DOG", and enjoy some wine at the same time!
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Chairful Where You Sit, 2016
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Annual event to benefit public art in Arlington; A-DOG lends a little paw!
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by Sue Doctrow
On July 22-24, the 5th Annual "Chairful Where You Sit" event will be held on the green in front of Jefferson Cutter House, home of the Dalin Museum, in Arlington Center. This event is so much fun, enables local artists of all levels of experience to express their creativity and has raised thousands of dollars to support public art projects in Arlington. Artists obtain chairs, ideally unwanted old chairs that can be repurposed in a creative way. They then paint them to create unique, functional works of art and donate their chairs to Chairful Where You Sit. These are displayed in an outdoor art installation and are available to the public for purchase. The proceeds benefit Arlington Public Art.
Chairful Where You Sit was founded by Adria Arch (not only a professional artist but also a dog owner and, we're proud to say, an A-DOG member) who organized the event each year. This year, Adria has handed the reins over to a committee of several volunteers, all of whom have participated in Chairful over the years and want to help it continue.
Many of us on the A-DOG board, including Joan Black, Judy Weinberg, Ann Smith, Roslyn Smith and I, love Chairful and have happily bought several chairs over the years. Having run out of space for more chairs in my own house, I switched from buying chairs (2012 and 2013) to painting and donating them (2014 and 2015). This year I am also a member of the Chairful organizing committee. Other committee members are: Pinal Maniar, Mona Mandel, Amy Goldstein and Louise Dinsmore.
Adria has remained involved, as a key advisor to the current committee. One inconvenience Adria advised us of is that Chairful, which is not an organized entity with a bank account, has no mechanism to swipe credit cards on site. This limited the ways that prospective supporters could purchase their chairs. In consultation with Adria and the Chairful committee, A-DOG voted to process credit card payments, using its Square account. A-DOG will then transfer the net proceeds to Arlington Public Art on behalf of Chairful. So, to those who will purchase chairs using a credit card at Chairful, 2016: your donation will be made to A-DOG, a 501c3 organization, but all the funds (minus the 2.75% Square transaction fee) will be contributed to Arlington Public Art.
To help support Chairful even more, the A-DOG board agreed that A-DOG would support a special prize for an animal-themed chair. This will be determined by a panel of judges selected by A-DOG. Each year, there are often a few pet- or other animal-themed chairs and the prizes awarded by Chairful have been general "Peoples' Choice" Awards, with no defined category. This A-DOG award, while not an official part of Chairful, will provide another opportunity for an artist to win a prize. This prize, which has not yet been determined, will be announced in the near future.
Some of us support A-DOG's help to the event because of our love for Chairful and our belief that public art and dogs go hand-in-hand. Who spends more time in our parks than dog owners and their canine buddies? Enjoying and protecting our parks, including their aesthetics, is something that many responsible dog owners care deeply about. That's why many of us were delighted when a public art installation at Menotomy Rocks Park featured the very dramatic Super Scottie (see photo above) by Arlington artist Shunsuke Yamaguchi. And, we are also very excited about the plans for the return of the Robbins Farm dog statue, thanks to the Friends of Robbins Farm Park! Clearly art in the parks goes "hand-in-paw" with dog owners and their canine companions!
The photos here show animal/pet-themed chairs that A-DOG members purchased at previous Chairful events. We encourage our members to get involved in Chairful Where You Sit, 2016. You might want to paint a chair! If so, please go the Chairful website for registration links, including the new online registration system. (Artists, your $10 registration fee helps to pay for the costs of this volunteer-run event, including publicity postcards and posters. When you register, you will have a choice of donating your entire chair ($100 value) to Chairful or receiving $50 back if it is sold.)
An animal/pet-related theme is optional and will make you eligible for the A-DOG Award. You will still also be eligible for the official Awards from the Chairful committee.
Regardless of whether you paint a chair, you can also help by donating an old chair to be given to an artist. (Contact through the Chairful website or Chairful Facebook page should connect you with an artist needing a chair.) And, of course, please don't miss the event itself, where you might want to buy a chair, too! All chairs will be offered for $100 each, and it is first come, first served. So be there early to claim your favorite chair!
*******
Sue Doctrow is an A-DOG board member and officer and member of the Wags and Tags editorial committee. As noted above, she is also on the Chairful organizing committee, 2016.
Photos: top, Super Scottie, by Shinsuke Yamaguchi, displayed at a public art installation at Menotomy Rocks Park; middle, Judy Weinberg's Chairful purchase, with a sleeping kitty; bottom, Sue Doctrow's Chairful purchase, featuring the pet-friendly cartoons of the backless chair's artist, Joy Steinberg. (Used by Sue as a small living room table.)
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A Great Therapy Dog: Born Not Made
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Rufus is a natural, reading with children
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by Joanna Rutter
I'm convinced that a great therapy dog is born, not made. When we adopted Rufus at ten months of age from Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, my husband and I, new empty-nesters, knew we were getting a great pet. But we ended up with much more. Maybe we should have been tipped off by a comment from one of the Fidelco staff that Rufus's nickname was "Mr. Smoochy Pants." We saw right away that he was full of love, with a special way of connecting through enthusiastic kisses and his intelligent and sensitive gaze.
Still, training a therapy dog was the furthest thing from our minds when we first adopted Rufus. We were busy bonding our new family unit of three, taking obedience classes, and most importantly, having fun! Rufus was a happy jock-of-a-dog from Day One-chasing and fetching balls, running at a full stretch gallop, jumping into any available body of water, followed by more chasing and fetching balls....
But then when he was about 2 years old, we started to notice some special behavior. When we were out and about with Rufus, sitting at a sidewalk café, for example, or anywhere there were a lot of people, we noticed that while he was friendly towards everyone, he would go out of his way to give affection and attention to certain people-and always the ones who needed a friend the most: a homeless mentally ill veteran, a disabled person in a wheelchair, a lonely-looking person on a park bench. These are the people to whom he naturally gravitated.
And his attention made a real difference to people. The homeless man found a large heavy head in his lap, gentle brown-eyes gazing up into his own. The lonely person found herself befriended with a wag and a proffered paw. The paraplegic person found a smiling, all-accepting face at eye-level. These strangers' stories would then pour out-stories of trouble and adversity, but also memories of their own beloved, belated pets. And most of all what poured out was their pleasure in having been chosen by Rufus to receive his gift of love: "He really likes me." "He loves me." In other words, I am special. I am lovable.
After several such incidents, we began to research therapy dog training. For an intelligent, trainable and food-motivated (!) dog like Rufus the training was a cinch--first Canine Good Citizenship certification through the AKA, then advanced obedience classes, and finally therapy dogs training and certification. He learned to walk nonchalantly by a pastrami sandwich on the floor, to hold a long "down stay," to remain calm when a walker clattered to the linoleum floor right behind him, to patiently tolerate toddlers' antics, to greet both people and dogs calmly. But the training to be a therapy dog establishes minimum rules of good behavior; it doesn't guarantee the dog will love the work. There was no way to know if he was really destined to be a great therapy dog until we actually got out into the world as a working therapy dog team.
Now, two years later, Rufus has proven that he was indeed born to be a therapy dog. He has given his special gift of love to a lot of people--psychiatric outpatients, troubled teens, stressed-out college students. One of his favorite gigs is being a reading companion dog for children at the Fox Library, where he gets a lot of love from the children who read to him, pet him and use him as a pillow. It's hard to say exactly how much he retains of what the kids read to him, but he certainly makes reading a fun, non-judgmental, warm and furry activity.
He has a special talent for "working a room" that simply can't be taught. If he visits a room full of people, he greets and interacts with each person, giving each person individual attention, and moving around the room so as not to leave anyone out. I never taught him that! From the beginning, when I would say we're going to "work," he somehow instinctively knew why we were there, that his job was to make each person feel loved.
No training can instill the qualities that make
Rufus a great therapy dog-above all, his gift of unconditional love.
*****
Joanna Rutter is an A-DOG member. Photos show Lucy reading with Rufus.
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PAWS to Mark Your Calendar!
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Save the dates for coming events
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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!
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MAY IS NATIONAL DOG BITE PREVENTION MONTH
-
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).
- Sunday, May 22 (10 am-2 pm) SOMdog 's 4th annual Spring Fling Returns to Union Square! 10am- 2pm! Bull McCabe's provides the beer garden. Author Melissa McCue McGrath will sign copies of "Considerations for the City Dog." Running the Pack/Pet Republic will provide training demos & serve doggie yogurt. Artist Anna Taylor Nason will capture your dog's unique personality in person or from a photo. Bull McCabe's located at 366 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA 02143. Click here for details.
- Sunday, May 22. Fast And Furriest 5K, RUN, WALK, WAG at Assembly Row, Somerville, MA: Come for a family friendly FUNdraiser to benefit MSPCA Angell. RUN, WALK, WAG will be followed by activities, vendor booths, food and entertainment. The fee is $30.00 for adults and $10.00 for children. Registration has begun. Register here.
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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. (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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The book is about a dog named Fenway and a girl named Hattie, who move from an apartment in the city to a house in the suburbs. In their new home, they both face big changes - but you only get Fenway's side of the story. The whole book is told from his point of view.
