Lisa Lines, President
Mark Genest, Vice President
Keith Bernard, Secretary
Alex Landsman
Liz Llewellyn

Members of MayDOG met to discuss goals and potential plans to further the group mission for 2010 and beyond.

Notes:
Status of the proposed (former landfill site) Waltham St. ‘off-leash’ dog park.

• Lisa and Mark met with David Gavin, Maynard’s Board of Selectman Chairman in October 2009, for further clarification of the Board’s objections and ruling. Due to several legal issues, such as Land Closure Use Guidelines, and other concerns, the Town has minimal interest pursuing this issue for near future.

Working towards Maynard area off-leash dog park.

• MayDOG will explore alternatives for potential fenced or wooded site; public/private partnerships where MayDOG provides the oversight and maintenance of a designated or adopted area, such as 129 Parker Street location or Maynard/other local Conservation Commission land

Continue efforts to increase MayDOG’s community visibility and awareness.

• MayDOG-sponsored dog waste bags and dispenser(s) (possibly near the  Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT)?)
• Participation in local community events:
  • Parades
  • Maynard Town-Wide Clean-U
  • MaynardFest

Workshop(s)

• Barking
• Agility (possibly at DOGS! Learning Center’s outdoor facility)

The next MayDOG meeting will focus on encouraging member involvement and input to further defining strategies to promote group’s mission and success.

• Brainstorming/Idea Generation: to generate ideas for short-term goals vs. long-term vision
• Alternative off-leash possibilities
• 129 Parker Street
• Other private land potential
• Conservation area potential

If you’re interested, please leave a comment on this entry below before 6pm on Saturday, February 6, 2010. One winner will be randomly selected on that date.  Be sure to use a valid email address so we can contact you!  We won’t use your email address for any reason other than to contact you if you’re a winner.

Edit, 2/8: Congrats to Cheryl, the winner!

Nevertheless, there are ongoing issues in Acton.  The below is a guest post from a MayDOG member who lives in Acton related to the potential development of the Morrison Farm property (see this PDF file for information about the property).  MayDOG takes no official position on this issue, but we’re posting the information here to keep the community informed.

Plan to attend an informational meeting in Acton Town Hall, Room 204, at 4pm Wednesday, Feb 3rd. An out of town nonprofit group will present their proposal to farm (i.e., plow up) the remaining open meadows at Morrison Farm, the best off-leash dog walking location in Acton. Off-leash dogs were banned from NARA park in north Acton several years ago, and the town is troubled by heavy dog use at Great Hill playing fields and may ban off-leash dogs there in the future. Many people count on exercising and training their active dogs in Morrison’s meadows, off Concord Road, a secluded but easily accessible 10 acre site by Nashoba Brook. But the town refuses to acknowledge this use and accommodate it. Please attend this important meeting and let the town know it is undemocratic to serve only one interest at Morrison Farm (community garden plots are already located there, why a farm, too?). Morrison Farm belongs to ALL the people. It is unfair of the town to demand license fees from all dog owners while eliminating the best safe places to exercise their dogs.

Link

]]> http://maydog.org/2009/12/maynard-holiday-parade-2009/feed/ http://maydog.org/2009/11/picking-a-pup-workshop/ http://maydog.org/2009/11/picking-a-pup-workshop/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:55:00 +0000 Lisa http://maydog.org/?p=843 Register now!

The Maynard Dog Owners Group, Inc. (MayDOG) and Tumeria Langlois, ABCDT, a certified dog trainer and owner of Sirius Dawg Training, are joining together to offer a FREE workshop on “Picking a Pup” on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 1pm the Maynard Public Library.

“We are thrilled about this opportunity to provide people who are thinking about getting a puppy or new dog with the information they need to pick the right dog for their family,” says Lisa Lines, MayDOG’s president. “This workshop is the second this year in our series of free educational workshops about responsible dog ownership.”

At this interactive workshop, attendees will learn about such important topics as: Are you ready for a new dog or puppy?  When and where should you get your puppy or dog? Purebred, mixed breed, or All-American mutt? Which breeds are best for which lifestyles? How can you gain insight into a puppy’s or dog’s personality in just a few minutes? In addition, MayDOG and Sirius Dawg Training will be giving away coupons, handouts, and free samples of dog food. The Maynard Public Library is located at 77 Main Street, Maynard. Plenty of free parking is available on site.

“It’s important to involve the whole family in the process of getting a new puppy or dog,” says Tumeria Langlois, owner of Sirius Dawg Training. “This workshop will provide you with the information you’ll need to confidently assess if you’re ready for a dog, and if so, how to find the right dog for your lifestyle.”

This workshop is free, but registration is recommended. Call 978-310-3364 (978-3310-DOG) and leave your name, phone number, and the number of attendees — or register online at www.maydog.org.

Download the flyer for this event here.

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Founded in 2008, the Maynard Dog Owners Group (MayDOG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization. MayDOG’s mission is to promote responsible dog ownership and help build community through safe, legal off-leash recreation in Maynard, MA and the surrounding areas. MayDOG is working to create a fenced dog park in Maynard. Other activities include holding social events, sponsoring a walking group, developing and distributing educational materials about responsible pet care, conducting workshops on training and dog behavior, promoting pet emergency preparedness and first aid programs, and encouraging dog-friendly businesses. For more information, please visit www.maydog.org.

Tumeria Langlois, ABCDT, is the owner of Sirius Dawg Training in Maynard, MA, which offers professional, individual pet dog training and other services, including dog walking and Reiki. Ms. Langlois is an experienced trainer of both humans and animals and received her dog training certification from Animal Behavior College. For more information, please visit www.siriusdawg.com.

If you’re stumped for costume ideas for your favorite critter, here are some pictures to get your creative juices flowing!

(Photo credits reference Creative Commons license holders on Flickr)

See also: The Huffington Post

Whether you walk your dog on leash or off, there’s always the possibility you’ll be involved in a dog fight some day. This can be terrifying for both of you.

A dog fight is any interaction between two dogs where at least one of the dogs has the intent of hurting the other. It doesn’t matter what size, shape or breed the dogs are, they are still more than capable of fighting.

It may be possible to prevent a dog fight before it even starts. You can learn to interpret an approaching dog’s body language, and that can help let you know if he’s likely to be agressive.

If an approaching dog isn’t very big, don’t be complacent and think because he’s small, he’s harmless. Many little dogs are as feisty as their larger counterparts. It doesn’t matter how small a dog is, he still has teeth, and he can still do serious damage.

A confident assertive dog will stand tall, with his ears erect. His tail will be held high, and he will also stare at your dog. If a dog shows this type of behavior towards you, it’s a good idea for you and your dog to calmly walk away. Hopefully, he’ll decide he’s won that battle for dominance and won’t bother to follow you.

If a loose dog does attack your dog, whatever you do, don’t scream and yell. That’s not easy when you’re scared, but the high pitched noise may escalate the aggression and make the situation worse.

Never ever put your hands anywhere near the head ends of fighting dogs - don’t try and grab their collars. That’s a recipe for serious injury.

The best way to stop a dog fight is to startle the dogs. A loud shrill noise such as that from a can of compressed air is ideal. Alternatively, a bucket of water may be enough to distract them for a moment.

For the next step, you need a second pair of hands. When the dogs have been startled and stopped fighting for a moment, someone needs to grab the back legs of each of the dogs, drag them apart and start walking them in a circle on their front legs. This makes them lose balance, and they can’t try to attack if they’re wobbly on their feet.

It’s a very good idea to keep the dogs out of sight of each other until they’ve calmed down. You can then check them for bite wounds and punctures, and consider whether or not they need veterinary attention. Some dog fights are very noisy but there’s remarkably little damage done. If in doubt, have your dog checked by your vet; puncture wounds can be deep and he may need antibiotics and pain relief.

Dogs who have been involved in a dog fight are occasionally very apprehensive about meeting new dogs. It’s important that you help him get over this nervousness, because it may make it difficult for you both on future outings.

Arrange to get together with friends who have amiable dogs, and allow your dog to meet them under safe, controlled circumstances. If he has several positive enjoyable experiences with new dogs, he’ll be back to his confident self very quickly.