From the Cambridge Animal Commission:

Jan 14, 2008
Coyotes in the City - a time for Precaution not Panic
There have been sightings of coyotes in the City of Cambridge, specifically in the
Cambridge Cemetery, Antrim Street, Wendell Street and the Third street areas. This

1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd
3. Yorkshire Terrier
4. Golden Retriever
5. Boxer
6. Bulldog
7. Pug
8. Dachshund
9. Poodle
10. Pomeranian

See the article and photos in the Boston Globe. See also

See this article in the NY Times entitled "The Healing Power of Dogs". The article describes multiple studies showing that dogs reduce owners' blood pressure and stress, as well as descriptions of some common uses of therapy dogs, such as sensing impending seizures or hypoglycemic episodes. It's not news to us!

A disturbing trend has been developing in Cambridge this year: vandals have been emptying, spraypainting, and even removing Mutt Mitts (poop bag) dispensers from our local parks.

We have been hearing occasional complaints about missing dispensers, which we've passed along to the Department of Public Works each time. According to the DPW, they have not removed any dispensers and are as frustrated as we are- those dispensers are expensive!

From the MSPCA:

Would you like to celebrate your own pet this holiday season--and, by doing so, help
animals in need?

I'm hoping your answer is an enthusiastic "Yes!" because we want to fill the

CDOG asked all 16 candidates for Cambridge City Council to respond to a series of questions regarding their overall platforms and their positions in regard to recreational and off-leash space in Cambridge. Links to their responses are below (listed alphabetically). Any candidate who is not listed did not respond to the survey.

Read the article here.

See the article in the Boston Globe.

Please note that CDOG is an official endorser of the Committee to Protect Dogs' effort to get the Greyhound Protection Bill on the 2008 ballot.

See the article online or read more about it on NatureNews.com or

Cambridge Veterinary Care at 1724 Mass. Ave. opened a new emergency room this week. Contact information and hours are as follows:

1724 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 661-6255

Hours:

The Cambridge Chronicle reports today that state health officials have found mosquitos infected with the West Nile virus at Fresh Pond and Mt. Auburn cemetery. Read the article here.

The following Cambridge committees have spots open, and we encourage dog-friendly residents to apply to ensure that our rights and interests are well represented:

Planning Board Member Sought

Animal Group Releases Report Documenting Greyhound Injuries, Confinement, Other Concerns

BOSTON, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In anticipation of a debate over the proposed ballot question to phase out dog racing in the Bay State,

See this list of upcoming agility events in Massachusetts on the Clean Run website.

The Sunday NY Times reports today on some high-tech products for the dog owner who has everything. Included in the story are a GPS tracking system ($599, made by Garmin), an LED safety light ($19.95, made by

The Dog House in North Attleboro has been fined for violations of animal health regulations and is under investigation for selling sick puppies. The store, located at 777 S Washington St., is facing possible suspension of its license to sell pets. Read the whole story in

07/20/2007

Kerry Asks NFL Commissioner to Immediately Suspend Vick Over "Sickening" Dogfighting Case

Says Congress Must Pass Tougher Laws to Restrict Disgraceful Dog Fighting

WASHINGTON D.C. – Sen. John Kerry said today that he will introduce legislation aimed at eliminating dogfighting, which is illegal but is by many accounts still far too common. Kerry said he hopes to go after the cruel sport by making it illegal to transmit images of dog fighting, to run websites that cater to dog fighting or to own or train dogs for the purpose of dog fighting.

Dogs in Springfield are being trained by state arson investigators to sniff out accelerants at fire scenes. Read the article at http://www.masslive.com/chicopeeholyoke/republican/index.ssf?/base/news

See the article in Forbes and in The Boston Globe, as well as a follow-up article in the Globe.

Alex Atkind, recently graduated from Cornell University and originally from Lexington, is accused of horribly abusing a dog in his care. He does not deny the charges and apparently claimed he'd do it again. The following link has details of the case, but please be advised that they are very disturbing.

The Boston Herald reported on July 4th that a German Shepherd in Holliston had killed a rabid fox. The article contains good information about rabies including:

See the article about the South End Starbucks in the June 10 Boston Globe. They've developed a creative solution to neighbors' complaints about customers' barking dogs, which is coincidentally a great way to win the loyal business of local dog owners. Cambridge business owners, take note!

Last night, the City Council passed the first part of the Animal Control ordinance in a unanimous 8-person vote (Mayor Reeves was absent). We now have an ordinance which covers Fort Washington, Pacific Street Park and any others we are able to secure in the future. Stay tuned for news about when the City Council will discuss the next part of the ordinance (which covers Fresh Pond).

At the May 21 City Council meeting, the first part of the proposed changes to the Animal Control ordinance were discussed. Councillors Murphy and Sullivan recommended approving this part of the ordinance essentially in its current form. The proposed ordinance is as follows:

See http://www.humaneindex.org/

The FDA announced today an expansion of the Menu Foods pet food recall as follows:

• Recall is expanded to products containing rice protein with melamine
• Previous recalled food contained wheat gluten with melamine

The following was excerpted from and article in the MetroWest Daily News. Our thoughts and cares go out to Eileen and Robert, regarding the sudden and unexpected loss of Midnite.

COYOTE BLAMED IN DOG'S DEATH

Study: Dogs improve health of their human companions

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 by: Beau Hodai(NewsTarget) According to a recent study, dogs may be man’s best friend in more ways that previously thought.