For the second year in a row, the Somerville Dog Owners Group will walk in the Memorial Day Parade. We are grateful to the City of Somerville, and, in particular to Frank Senesi, Director of Veterans' Services, for making the Parade a dog-friendly event, so that dog owners may join our neighbors in publicly remembering veterans who gave their lives in service of our country.

To volunteer to walk (with or without your dog) with the Somerville Dog Owners Group in the Memorial Day Parade, please contact somdog at somervilledog.com by May 22, 2006. A voluntary donation to the City's Parade Fund of $5 is recommended.

Walkers with dogs are encouraged to dress their dogs in the colors of the American flag. Last year Strummer wore a Red, white and blue Jezzebelle Dog Collar ($7.99 from Trendy Puppy). A similar collar is available from Howlin' Moon Bakery. There are also a lot of patriotic bandanas for sale on the internet.

Walkers without dogs are also needed to help carry the som|dog banner.

All walkers are encouraged to wear the "official" som|dog Memorial Day Parade uniform: black pants/shorts/skirt and a white shirt—preferably a som|dog t-shirt! order yours today from the som|dog online store.

Who can walk in the Parade with the Somerville Dog Owners Group?

There are dogs who may not be able to handle a long, slow walk on an afternoon in late May. Also, the parade may be stressful for dogs that are skittish in crowds, in unfamiliar surroundings or in the presence of loud noises. Last year we walked behind a bagpipe band and in front of a high school marching band.

• Dogs that can walk well on a loose leash, do not pull on their leashes, do not lunge and jump up on people, and do not bark are welcome to walk with som|dog.

• Dogs must be licensed and up-to-date on their vaccinations.

• Every human that walks with som|dog may walk with one and no more than one dog.

  If you have more than one dog, you must find other humans to walk with each dog. Every human must bring adequate supplies to clean up after her or his dog.

• Everyone should also bring water for themselves and for their dog.

  When deciding whether or not to walk with your dog in the parade, please consider the following:

  • Will you be in town the day of the parade, Sunday, May 28, 2006?

  • Will you be able to control your dog?

  • Will your dog be comfortable walking in the parade?

Parade Details:

• Groups marching in the parade must be at City Hall by 12:15 the day of the Parade: Sunday, May 28.

  som|dog will meet at noon in front of the Library. We will then check in with the parade organizers, find our designated place in the parade queue, and proceed to our designated place in the parade queue.

• The Parade will start at City Hall, proceed down Highland Street, through Davis Square, and down Holland Street to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery (located at the Clarendon Hill section of Broadway). The total distance of the parade route is 2.35 miles.

• Parking will be available at Dilboy Field and there will be a shuttle bus taking people from Dilboy Field to City Hall. There will be no Parking at City Hall. And there will be a lot of road closures in the vicinity of the parade route.

  Drivers will be requested to allow dogs to ride the shuttle busses. (If your dog will freak out on a bus, or if you don't know whether or not your dog will freak out on the bus, please don't plan to use the shuttle bus service. If you want to find out in advance how your dog does on a bus, try taking a short ride with her/him on an MBTA bus: dogs are allowed on MBTA busses at the operator's discretion during non-peak hours.)