Gail Merriam brought her daughter and their dog, Chester, a Labrador Retriever, to Perry Park for the clinic. Justin Aucoin, one of the trainers at City Dog Training, taught them to play the "Get it!" game to teach Chester to come when called.

Playing the "Get It!" Game

Bryan Prentice has Brandi, his Doberman Pinscher, on a long training lead. Bryan tosses a treat away from himself and tells Brandi to "Get It!" To get the treat, Brandi has to move away from her owner.

Chris Silva and Lexi Dew are playing the "Get It!" game with Madison, their Dachshund mix, too. After Maddie "gets it"—goes away from him to retrieve her treat—Chris calls her name. When Maddie comes to him, he rewards her with another treat.

In Canine Obedience, training the ability to call your dog and get an immediate response at all times is known as "recall". A reliable recall can save your dogs life and help prevent your pet from jumping up on others in the event that your dog does get away from you.

The clinic at Perry Park was City Dog Training's third free Recall Clinic in Somerville. Previous clinics were held in Nunziato Field (November 2009) and in Powder House Park (January 2010). The next free Recall Clinic is scheduled for May 2 in the Ed Leathers Community Park on Walnut Street, between Medford Street and Pearl Street.

Please come to the next meeting of the Open Space and Recreation Committee, Monday evening, March 8, at 7:30 at City Hall on the second floor.

At the meeting the Committee, comprising Ward Six Alderman, Rebekah Gewirtz (chair), Ward Two Alderman, Maryann Heuston, and Ward Five Alderman Sean O'Donovan, will consider five possible sites for off-leash recreation area in West Somerville:

1. Adjacent to the Community Path on the east side of Cedar Street


2. Adjacent to the Community Path on the west side of Cedar Street


3. Adjacent to the Community Path at Willow Avenue


4. Near Powderhouse Circle


5. Near Dilboy Field

Fourteen Somerville dog owners came to the last Open Space and Recreation Committee meeting on February 22: We need the continued interest and support of dog owners to keep off-leash recreation in West Somerville on the fast track!

In canine obedience training the ability to call your dog and get an immediate response at all times is known as "recall". At City Dog Training's recall clinics, dog owner learn to play the "Get it!" Game with their pets to teach them to in a fun and positive way to come when called.

Andrew McLaughlin works with Churchill, a Cairn Terrier, on a long training lead, at the Free Recall Clinic with City Dog Training at Powder House Park on January 17, 2010.

This will be the third free Recall clinic offered by City Dog Training. The clinics are co-sponsored by the Somerville Dog Owner Group and the Somerville Recreation and Youth Department.

Please check citydogtraining.com for cancellation information in case of inclement weather.

Ward six Alderman, Rebekah Gewirtz, who chairs the committee, and ward two Alderman, Maryann Heuston, who is one of the other two members of the committee, were present. Ward four Alderman, Walter Pero, also attended.

Campbell reviewed the City's previous efforts to propose an off-leash recreational area (OLRA) at one of three locations along the Community Path (at Cedar Street in ward five, at Lexington Park on the border of ward five and ward six, and at Willow Avenue in ward six). These locations were proposed to the community at a public meeting in May 2006. The community meeting in May 2006 was contentious, and, as Alderman Gewirtz observed, the site adjacent to Lexington Park was especially "problematic". The City decided, for the time being to look for possible locations for off-leash recreational areas in other neighborhoods. "It's okay," Campbell said "to leave a project for a little while and to come back to it."

Since 2006, the City has opened an OLRA at the Ed Leathers Community Park, and construction will begin this Spring on an OLRA at Zero New Washington Street—both in East Somerville. Alderman Heuston, observed that 2006 was "a long time ago." Acknowledging "issues" at Lexington Park, Alderman Heuston suggested that the City go back to the community with the proposals for the Cedar Street and Willow Avenue locations.

The Hodgkins-Curtin Park renovation and strategies for increasing green space were also on the agenda for the Meeting.

The Committee discussed the significance of the name of Hodgkins-Curtin Park and of ensuring both that plaques memorializing Donald Curtin are preserved in the park and that that the name of the park is retained through the renovation process.

The committee received a status update from the Administration regarding its four strategies for increasing green space: 1) Acquiring land owned by the Commonwealth, 2) Purchasing property, 3) Zoning, and 4) Making existing parks more green.

This week the Boston Globe observes

One small agenda item at a Somerville November Board of Aldermen meeting—to consider a dog park in West Somerville—has sparked a flurry of activity among Somerville dog lovers ("Somerville considers dog park" by Danielle Dreilinger).

There were seven letters in support of off-leash recreation in West Somerville on the agenda for the Board of Aldermen (BOA) meeting for February 11, 2010!

The BOA Special Committee on Parks and Open Space will be discussing the issue of an OLRA in west Somerville at its next meeting, Monday, February 22, at 7pm at City Hall on the second floor. Alderman Gewirtz, who chairs the committee, invites dog owners to attend the meeting. The committee also comprises Alderman Maryann Heuston (Ward Two) and Alderman Sean O'Donovan (Ward Five). City staff will be on hand to discuss the issue as well.

This is not a public hearing—the public does not have an opportunity to comment—but the Parks and Open Space Meeting is an important opportunity for us to demonstrate to our elected representatives our commitment to this issue.

Please come to the meeting and help support safe and legal options for off-leash recreation in West Somerville!

It is not too late to submit public comment about the Middlesex Fells Trail Plan. You can mail or e-mail your comments to:

Middlesex Fells Trail Plan
136 Damon Rd
Northampton, MA 01060
Paul.jahnige@state.ma.us

The DCR offers the following six guiding questions to help people prepare their comments:

• How do you (and your family) use the trails at the Middlesex Fells? (i.e. what parts of the Fells; how often; what kinds uses; what times of day, week and year; etc.)


• What would you describe as some of the highlights of the Fells trail system? (i.e. what scenic, natural or cultural resources and destinations are important to you?)


• What would you describe as some of the problems with the trail system at the Fells that affect your trail experience there?


• Can you describe the “recreational experience(s)” that you find most enjoyable at the Fells? (This might include the level of difficulty, interaction with other users, length of the use, type of use, etc. Feel free to write about your best Fells experience.)


• If you could make three changes in the Fells trail system, what would they be?


• What other comments would you like us to consider as we develop our trail system plan for the Middlesex Fells?

Please join Representative Sciortino and the MSPCA in supporting safe and legal options for off-leash recreation at Sheepfold and on the trails of the Middlesex Fells.

The public meeting will be held on Monday evening, February 8, from 6:30 to 8:00 at the McGlynn School Auditorium, 3001 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford.

Everyone who would like to enjoy the benefits of socializing and exercising their dogs off-leash in the Middlesex Fells is encouraged

1. to prepare a brief (30 second) statement for the question and answer (Q&A) session and


2. to plan to participate actively in the stakeholder workshops session.

The workshops, in particular, will be your opportunity to hear what is important to other Fells users (who may or may not be dog owners) and to tell other Fells users and representatives of the DCR what is important to you as a dog owner: options other than breaking the law.

Following is the DCR's proposed agenda for the meeting:

• Overview of Trails Planning Process
• Brief Overview of Fells Trail Conditions and Issues
• Q&A (time limited)
• Stakeholder Workshop: Attendees will participate in small group discussions during which they will review maps of the trail system and add their input as to access points, desired routes, potential connections, trail issues and problems, and potential solutions. Their input will be reported out to the group-at-large.
• Next Steps

By April we could have a plan that includes safe and legal options for off-leash recreation at Sheepfold and on the trails of the Middlsex Fells, but we need your help. Please come to the meeting on Monday!

Churchill, a cairn terrier, and his owner, Andrew McLaughlin, worked together on a long training lead at the Free Recall Clinic in Powder House Park on January 17 with City Dog Training. More photos are available on flickr.com.

In canine obedience training the ability to call your dog and get an immediate response at all times is known as "recall." A reliable recall can save your dog's life. Also, a dog that reliably comes when called is less likely to approach passer-by who may be fearful of dogs or simply uninterested in being approached by dogs.

This was the second free recall clinic offered by City Dog Training. The first was held in Nunziato Field in November. A third clinic is planned for March. The Somerville Dog Owners Group in partnership with the Somerville Youth and Recreation Commission co-sponsors the clinics.

The City of Somerville Election Department allows voters to bring our dogs with us to the polls: dogs must be on leash, remain close to their companions at all times and must not bother other people.

Polls are open 7am to 8pm.

The Somerville Dog Owners Group invites dog owners who live in Wards Five, Six and Seven to a meeting on Monday evening, January 25, from 6:30 to 8:00 at the Nathan Tufts Field House in Powder House Park to discuss options for off-leash recreation in West Somerville. R.S.V.P

Alderman Gewirtz submitted an order at the Board of Aldermen meeting at the end of November "that this Board requests that the Administration work with the Ward 6 Alderman on locations for an Off Leash Recreation Area for dogs and if necessary, to create a Task Force to advise the city." The Administration and the Aldermen can not do this alone: A lot of Somerville dog owners worked together with the Administration and the Aldermen to get the OLRAs that we have in the eastern part of the city. Please help make safe and legal options for off-leash recreation in Somerville a reality!

The purpose of the meeting on January 25 is for som|dog to build relationships with people in West Somerville who can participate in the efforts to get safe and legal options for off-leash recreation. There will be a brief presentation about how the Somerville Dog Owners Group has gotten off-leash recreational areas (OLRAs) in the eastern part of the city followed by a discussion of how we can get more off-leash recreational areas in the western part of the city.

In canine obedience training the ability to call your dog and get an immediate response at all times is known as "recall." In November twenty-five families participated in the city's first recall clinic at Nunziato Field with professional dog trainers, Marjie Alonso, CPDT, CDBC and Liz Shaw. Twenty-five families, many of them with children, learned training techniques that could save their dog's life or protect other residents if their pets do get away from them. Photos below.

For more information please contact City Dog Training: contact - AT - citydogtraining.com; 617-628-8862.

We also learned to train our dogs to stay, starting by stepping back one step then returning to our dog to reward him with praise and a treat.

In Vladimir Shvorin's article som|dog calls into question the DCR's current policy of not accommodating off-leash recreation in the Middlesex Fells:

Right now, with no accommodations for off-leash recreation, people with off-leash dogs are everywhere in the Fells. The leash law is, for all intents and purposes, unenforceable. On the contrary, when specific areas and trails are designated for off-leash recreation, it will become easier to enforce the leash law in areas and on trails where dogs must be on a leash.

Town Correspondent, Travis Anderson, reports that DCR Press Secretary, Wendy Fox, said that "DCR is currently looking into the possibility of off-leash areas at a number of state parks and facilities across the Commonwealth, and the Middlesex Fells will certainly be part of that discussion."

The DCR is developing a Middlesex Fells Trail System Plan, and is accepting public input from people about how they use, and how they would like to be able to use the Fells. The resolution from the Somerville Board of Aldermen was made as a response to Somerville residents who enjoy walking or hiking together with our dogs on the trails of the Middlesex Fells and socializing our dogs in the Sheepfold.

The Somerville Dog Owners Group is still looking for ten Somerville dog owners to write letters for the Middlesex Fells Trail System Plan. If you have already written a letter, please let us know; if you have not yet written a letter, please write or e-mail today:

Middlesex Fells Trail Plan
136 Damon Rd
Northampton, MA 01060
Paul.jahnige@state.ma.us

Alderman Bob Trane, who represents the western-most neighborhoods of the City in Ward Seven, introduced the resolution on behalf of the entire board stating that many Somerville dog owners, like himself, enjoy visiting the Fells with their dogs and that the DCR needs to accommodate residents with dogs by providing safe and legal options for off-leash recreation.

Trane submitted the resolution in response to a request from the Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog) for people to submit public comment to the Middlesex Fells Trail Plan. som|dog is trying to get at least ten Somerville dog owners to send e-mail or write letters to

Middlesex Fells Trail Plan
136 Damon Rd
Northampton, MA 01060
Paul.jahnige@state.ma.us.

Alderman Trane, himself, wrote a letter to the Middlesex Fells Trail Plan and shared it with som|dog: