Date: April 9th 2009

SAY HI TO OUR NEWEST FRIEND OF MAYDOG: Joannie Gray, owner and operator of Almost Family Pet Care, has more than a decade of experience with petsitting. She can take care of any kind of animals, from horses to gerbils. She comes highly recommended by several MayDOG members (including myself!). And as a special benefit for full members of MayDOG, she will offer the first visit for half price. Call or email for more info: 508-648-5956 or AlmostFamilyPetCare@msn.com. See all the Friends of MayDOG at our website.

MAYDOG WALKING GROUP: Walking your dog is one of the most important things you do as a dog guardian. Socializing your dog is another important responsibility. You can feed two birds with one seed by walking your dog with a group! The MayDOG walking group will meet on Saturday at 2pm (if it's not raining). Visit the walking group's site for all the details. The next walk is scheduled for 6pm on Wednesday, April 22.

TOWN-WIDE CLEAN-UP: Maynard's spring town-wide clean-up starts next Saturday, April 18. Since we are all out and about with our dogs on a regular basis, we are in a unique position to see litter -- including dog poop that other, less responsible dog owners have failed to clean up. I urge you all to take this opportunity to help make our town a better place by picking up litter around your house, your street, and your neighborhood. Learn more about the Litter League and this spring's schedule here.

The Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT) will be having a trail walk and clean-up on Sunday, 4/19. Meet in the parking lot behind CVS pharmacy at 1pm. I know many of us walk on the trail with our dogs -- let's give back for a couple of hours and make the trail a better place for all of us.

NEXT MAYDOG MEETING: Tuesday, April 21, 7pm - Cullen Room, Maynard Public Library. The agenda will be to strategize about ways to continue building momentum toward a dog park and what else we should be doing in the meantime. All are welcome.

LEARN TO SPEAK DOG: Have you ever wondered...

• How can I keep my dog safe when he/she plays with other dogs?
• What does normal dog play behavior look and sound like?
• What are the warning signs that two dogs might be about to fight?
• How do I deal with bullying behavior?
• How do I deal with resource guarding?
• How long should I stay at an off-leash area?
• What can I do BEFORE we meet other dogs to prepare my dog for a fun, safe play session?
• How can I teach my dog to be polite when greeting other dogs and people on-leash?
• What are ways we can build our training relationship?

Come learn the answers to these and many other questions at our dog behavior workshop on Sunday, May 3, 1:30-3pm. The workshop will be facilitated by Gerilyn Bielakiewicz, CPDT, of Canine University. It will be held at the DOGS! Learning Center, Hudson, MA. The $60 workshop fee admits up to 2 people (discounts are available for MayDOG members). Pre-registration is required; register at our website or by calling 978-293-3371.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Finally... look for an article about the landfill/solar farm/dog park in next week's Beacon Villager! If possible, please consider writing a letter to the editor between now and next Tuesday (send it to beaconvillager@cnc.com). Check out this collection of letters to the editor in a similar community in California for inspiration.

Happy tails,
Lisa

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