Celebrating the canine-human bond!
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 (managing editor), Jen Burns, Sue Doctrow, and Ellen Leigh. Contact our
managing editor
if you'd like to submit an article. (Guidelines: 500 words or fewer, with 1 or 2 photos of 1 mb or smaller.)
Articles in Wags and Tags represent the opinions of the author(s) not necessarily those of A-DOG or the editorial team. A-DOG logos designed by Lisa Berasi for Arlington Dog Owners Group, all rights reserved
|
|
- Caring Canines: Recruiting for Visiting Therapy Dogs
- Paws for Calendar
- Ivy, The Very Determined Dog: Finding Inner Strength
- ACO Diane's Critter Corner: Of Feather and Fur
- Dog-Friendly Screenings
- Pawsome People and Awesome Dogs
|
|
Caring Canines: Recruiting for Visiting Therapy Dogs
|
by Gale Halpern
Caring Canines
Caring Canines, a Greater Boston (MA) area therapy dog organization, is looking for gentle, people-loving dogs and their humans to join our therapy dog program.
I've been a volunteer (and Board member) since 2005. It's tremendously rewarding--for us and for the folks we visit--at various facilities (assisted living & memory care units, nursing homes, special needs classes and day programs, residential programs for teens, hospitals, hospice).
Our dogs are love ambassadors, ready to make people happy and elicit smiles, and to provide comfort, a soft ear to whisper secrets into, a warm head to receive affectionate pats, and unconditional love.
To learn about how YOU can become involved with Caring Canines, go to our
website
.
You can also see some of our teams and dogs at work at our
Instagram site
@CaringCaninesBoston and follow us on
Facebook
.
Above: Caring Canines photo of sweet therapy dog Otis giving love and comfort to a patient at Winchester Hospital.
|
|
- Pet First Aid/CPR class scheduled for November was postponed due to inclement weather. We will announce a new date soon - stay tuned! Sponsored by A-DOG and Arlington Animal Control and presented by Amy Newfield of BluePearl Veterinary Partners.
- FIDOfest 2019. Save The Date Saturday August 3, 2019 (Rain date Sunday August 4) Submissions for FIDOfest 2019 are being accepted. Sponsored by ACMi, A-DOG, and generous local businesses.
- Saturday, February 16, 3–5 pm. Free screening of "Prison Pups", by Arlington film-maker Alice Bouvrie, who will participate in a Q/A discussion. Sponsored by Friends of Robbins Library and A-DOG. Join us in the Community Room, Robbins Library. Come chat with A-DOG's own Ellen Leigh and Ricky (shown in photo next to A-DOG's summer table at Robbins Library), a graduate of the NEADS service dog training program. More details here.
- Sunday February 24 10:00am - noon, “Click To Calm: Free Advice for YOUR Reactive or Frightened Dog” with Emma Parsons, Hopkinson Center For The Arts, 98 Hayden Row Street, Hopkinson, MA. Most dogs bark or lunge out of fear. With clicker training it is possible to shape dogs’ emotions from fear and uncertainty to courage & confidence. More details here.
|
|
|
Ivy, The Very Determined Dog: Finding Inner Strength
|
|
Ivy the Very Determined Dog
is an inspiring true story about overcoming life's challenges and finding your inner strength.
Who is Ivy? The bravest (and cutest) French Bulldog you will ever meet! On her third birthday (of all days), Ivy became suddenly paralyzed in her back legs due to a rare genetic spinal disease. That has not stopped Ivy from living life to her absolute fullest.
Throughout the book, Ivy inspires us all to never give up. Embrace your individuality. And most importantly, to always k
eep on rolling whatever you do, and never let anything get the better of you.
The book was written by Chris and Maureen Harrington (Brennan), husband and wife and very proud parents of Ivy, illustrations by Charlotte Bruijn from the Neatherlands. Ivy’s story has already reached millions of people starting at her inspiring Instagram page @ivy.the.frenchie, to videos created about her on The Dodo and The Little Things. Ivy’s powerful story had taught Chris and Maureen so much about life and persistence. This was why the book was created, to inspire children (and fur friends) about overcoming adversity and understanding disabilities.
Ivy has a few extra special friends in the book, Annie the black lab and Hazel the yellow lab. If you’re lucky, you may bump into them when bopping around town because they are both Arlington residents! Make sure to say a little hello (and maybe give a little treat), they have been Ivy’s biggest cheerleaders throughout her journey. Oh, and Mr. Banx the boxer he is not from A-town, but you may see him if walking Horn Pond Woburn (he also love treats!). Maureen is also a native of A-town.
Ivy the Very Determined Dog
is now available on
Amazon for pre-order
and will be shipped April 2019. Get your copy today! The book is appropriate for children 3 and up and is written in verse.
|
|
ACO Diane's Critter Corner: Of Feather and Fur
|
|
Rescue Round Up: Photo Journey Around A-Town
by Diane Welch
Summary highlights by Joan Black
Enjoy another photographic journey of "Rescue Round Up Around A-Town" for November & December 2018 with Arlington's ACO Diane Welch. Thank YOU to our caring community for helping hands which contributed to the many positive outcome. Thank YOU to Diane for her rescue expertise and the opportunity to learn more about coexisting with local wildlife. In this Rescue Round Up Photo Journey YOU will see:
Possum freed from a trash barrel & on its way, injured Bunny & Cooper's Hawk in the circle of life, Murphy home safe with a little neighborhood networking, Cat up a tree: What goes up must come down, Tags bring a pup safely home, Rabbit humanly cared for, Barred Owl removed from porch perching, Dumpster diving to free a raccoon, Tags again return senior dog to owners, Mouse on the loose from attempt to save Hawk from rat/mouse poison, Houdini, the Hawk, saved from rodenticide, Happy Tails ending for pregnant Dog surrender, Daisy Troop learn responsible pet ownership and so much more at Science Center: They met Cockroaches, Red Footed Tortoise. cute Hedgehog etc, Red Tailed Hawk poisoned by Rodenticide does not survive: Poisons kill more than Rats, and finally Spy Pond Great Blue Heron & injured Barred OwL are helped at Tufts, Wildlife Clinic.
Thank YOU, Diane, for sharing these moments with beautiful photographs and detailed information. Enjoy
Rescue Round Up here
.
Thoughts for The New Year (details below):
* License dogs & microchip pets to help identify lost animals to return home.
* Keep domestic pets, wildlife safe & children safe. Use safe alternatives to rodenticides. Spread the word "Raptors Are The Solution" (RATS).
2019 License Information:
Happy New Year All
by Diane Welch
The state of Massachusetts requires all dogs 6 months or over to be licensed annually. Dogs residing in Arlington must be licensed on or before the first day of January; any unlicensed dogs may be subject to a $50 fine from
Arlington, Massachusetts Animal Control
Further Animal Control Information for Arlington, MA
here
.
Diane Welch,
Animal Control Officer
Arlington Police Department, 112 Mystic Street, Arlington, MA 02474
************
Highlights of Diane's Program:
"Rodent Control: Raptors Are The Solution"
by Joan Black
On November 13, 2018 Arlington's Animal Control Officer Diane Welch accompanied by Autumn, red tailed hawk, along with Gary Menin, Chapter Director: Mass. Raptors Are The Solution (RATS) & Arlington resident Laura Keisel presented a two hour multi media presentation on Rodent Control & Rodenticides. I was pleased to attend with over 30 concerned residents who listened, learned, and asked questions. An important focus was the toxic effects of rodenticide getting into food chains for domestic pets, wildlife and even children. The second focus was providing safer, more humane alternatives to poison, identifying local resources for advice and evaluation and describing preventatives actions to discourage rodents. It is called "Integrated Pest Management" and is a neighborhood & community approach. The effects of secondary poisoning and how extensively poisons travel through food chains were carefully explained with graphic photographs and diagrams.
ACO Diane Welch described an accidental poisoning of a family dog and listed ways to keep properties "unwelcoming" to rodents. “Secure all food sources,” she stressed. Diane requested that she be called to remove any deceased animals and suggested contacting other community services for help and advice.
The crisis was likened to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring & DDT. We were urged to act now. "The ultimate deal is to encourage raptors to catch rodents and stay in the food chain where they belong and keep from endangering our precious raptors. ........ As each person stops using it (rodenticide}, i am convinced probably somewhere, sometime, someplace some raptor will be saved." Gary Menin (RATS)
Laura Kiesel provided personal research and observations. Preventative poisoning intended for rats can actually kill many of the very birds of prey and predators meant to control them. This ultimately could increase rodent populations by eliminating natural predators. She was the author of an extensive article on the subject in the Friends of Spy Pond's newsletter. Laura believes education is the key with a community based approach for rodent control. Also on hand was Brucie Moulton of Sustainable Arlington, clarifying questions and concerns.
More resources include (links):
Help RAPTORS:
Spread the WORD about rodenticides & safer alternatives for rodent control. Educate family & friends with programs from RATS & International Raptors & Falconry Center. Support by volunteering, sponsoring programs or with donations.
Arlington community raptor sightings include:
|
|
 |
Screech Owl in tree: Menotomy Rocks Park: Courtesy of David Bean
|
|
|
|
Barred Owl Arlington Heights backyard: Courtesy of Stephanie Ales Bekkenhuis
|
|
|
|
|
Bald Eagle on roof: Mystic Street across from APD: Courtesy of Rebecca Woodard Betlyon
|
|
|
|
Red Tailed Hawk on branch: Mystic Valley Parkway/River Street: Courtesy of Stephanie Miller
|
|
|
|
************
Diane Welch is Arlington's Animal Control Officer (ACO) and contributes this regular column in collaboration with Joan Black, A-DOG board member and officer.
|
|
“Dogs”, anyone? A Documentary Series Serving Up the Bond With Our Dogs
by Ellen Leigh, with Ricky
You may have been too busy with the holidays at the end of last year to notice the “Dogs” docu-series that was released on Netflix. Now that the seasonal frenzy is over, and the cold has settled in, you might like to treat yourself to this six-part series that celebrates the human-canine bond. I recommend wearing your coziest pj’s, as you snuggle on the couch with your pooch, with each episode less than an hour long.
The series takes us on a journey across the globe, including Syria, Japan, Costa Rica and the US, telling stories of extraordinary dogs and the intense emotional connections that form with their caregivers. Much more than a fluffy pet video, this series uses storytelling to focus on individual lives that despite vulnerabilities and uncertainties (e.g., illness, devastation of war, abandonment and need of rescue) highlights the unconditional love that one feels for their dog is a universal truth. These relationships bridge different countries, cultures, and people.
No matter the circumstance of the story told, there is resonance with the bond you have with your own best friend, the furry buddy that brings you companionship, loyalty, and love, everyday. It is about how our love for our dogs is something we have in common, and that dogs can bring us together, even in these deeply divided times. So, enjoy some bonding time with your dog, and perhaps even restore a little faith in humanity, too…
Ellen Leigh is an A-DOG Board Member, an editor of the Wags and Tags Newsletter, and proud partner to service dog, Ricky
|
|
|
|
A Dog's Way Home: Dog Day at the Movies
by Marci Cemenska
On January 5th, Sony Screenings offered a dog friendly viewing of
A Dog’s Way Home
at
Somerville Theater
. This was a true screening complete with a red carpet photo opportunity and freebies (treats and move poster). Dogs of all sizes showed up to see the movie and there was a lot of excitement – both from the dogs and the owners! The theater was packed and but everybody settled down once the movie started. Of course, some dogs were ready to bark at all the right times!, which was perfect. This was such a fun event – Juno and I encourage everybody to join us at the next dog-friendly screening!
Marci Cemenska is an A-DOG member.
|
|
Pawsome People and Awesome Dogs
|
|
Armstrong Staffers Receive Hands On K9 First Aid Training: Two PAWS Up
by Jordan Mayhew
Veterinarian Beth Eisenberg from Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn with her partner Comet, a black lab, held an in-depth training session. The 28 paramedics and EMTs attended the session on December 12th as part of ongoing certification training. "We work closely with police Departments and other law enforcement agencies which include their K9 members, so we want to be prepared to provide critical lifesaving aid to anyone at the scene.who may need it." Armstrong CEO Richard Raymond said."
Further details here
.
|
|
A-DOG Meetings in 2019
A-DOG holds five meetings per year, in January, March, May, July and October. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are on the fourth Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is at the Community Safety Building (Arlington Police Station), conference room (6 to 8 pm). Schedules and locations of 2019 meetings will be announced in
Wags and Tags
.
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 expired, you should have received a reminder letter 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. If you are not an A-DOG member,
join here
anytime! (If you join after Sept 1, expiration will be extended to the next membership period so you don't miss out.)
Shop for 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
which should get you directly to our donation link. If not, be sure to 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!
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.
|
|
Arlington Dog Owners Group | www.arlingtondogowners.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
