Here are some photos of the Nunziato Off-Leash Recreational Area in Somerville, MA, and of park users enjoying the new surface last December.
The park is located between Putnam & Summer St, and it is fenced-in.
Update!!! Photos in this blog courtesy of Michele Biscoe, Chairperson of the Somerville Dog Owners Group. View all of her pictures!
The company where we work organized a dog photo shoot. All the selected dogs were GORGEOUS!!!
We have to show you the pics of Ayleash’s family. Her two adorable pugs, Niko and Captain, were chosen for the photo shoot.
Niko is the black puppy, and a diva extraordinaire. Captain is a 3-year-old Fawn pug.
Tigger, a 2-year-old rat terrier, supervised the all thing! The three dogs are all rescues.
You can meet those beautiful dogs at the All Dogs Playgroup, a group of dogs who meet every weekend to play in Boston dog parks. Elisabeth’s and her dog Bubba started the group, and Ayleash is one of Elisabeth’s assistant organizers.
Today is a very special anniversary for Laura, a friend and reader of this blog.
Six months ago she lost her beloved Yorkshire Spike, “the greatest dog in the world”, as she said. Spike was the first dog she ever rescued.
Laura is a member of the Massachussets Animal Rights Coalition. She owns three other rescued Yorskhires, and six rescued cats.
She wrote a moving memorial for Spike, that is published at Spike’s Rainbow’s Residency, a virtual memorial home for pet.
Here is an extract from Spike’s memorial:
“Never in my life have I encountered a dog so human, and with such an expressive face as Spike’s. Every single emotion that a human can display on their face, so could Spike. He knew how to get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted anything, and would not take no for an answer. Spike was definitely a one of a kind dog that put his tiny feet down, and demanded to be seen and heard whenever he felt it would get him what he wanted.”
Visit Spike at the Rainbow’s Residency, and sign the guest book!
A dog photo shoot just took place at our office: we will publish soon some of the pics of the selected dogs!
If someone is interested, here is a dog photo contest promoted by Pawspot.
Pawspot hosts local online communities of dogs living in different cities in the US, including Boston.
“Your dog will think it’s a treat and so will your friends and family when they see your furry family member’s portrait on the packaging of A DOG’S LIFE™ dog treats. That’s just one of the fun prizes in our ‘Your Dog’s Life… In Pictures! Contest.’
Here’s how it works
Just send PawSpot your favorite photo of your pooch! We want to see the wildest, craziest, sweetest, cuddliest canines. Whatever ‘a dog’s life’ means to you and your dog, that’s the picture we want to see! From all the photo’s we receive, one winner will be chosen to receive some very tasty and eye-catching prizes.
The Grand Prize
The winner of this contest—who will also reign as PawSpot’s “Hottest Dog”—will receive a year’s worth of A DOG’S LIFE 100% all-natural hand-baked dog treats, a professional pet photo shoot valued over $250, and a photo of their dog featured on the packaging of A DOG’S LIFE dog treats.
Runners up will receive a six-month supply of A DOG’S LIFE healthy and delicious hand-baked dog treats featuring a photo of their dog on their very own customized package.
Don’t let your dog miss out on this Summer’s hottest contest. It’s fun, free, and easy to enter, all while competing for great prizes!!!
Photos must be submitted by Friday, September 28, 2007
at 11:59pm EST.”
We received and publish:
“There is an elderly missing dog in Needham possibly heading to the Dedham/W.Roxbury area. If you live in the area please keep your eyes open as it seems this old girl may be starting to weaken.
Her name is “Maddie” and she is a 12 yr. old white with buff australian shepherd mix.
She is wearing a red collar with tags and has been seen at the DPW/Needham Reservation area on rte. 135 and by Hazel’s bakery on Great Plain Ave.
She is a very shy/submissive type so do not chase. She is a very loved dog who escaped from her sitter. There are many flyers in the area and we have a picture available.”
Contact the Animal Rescue League of Boston if you see her!
Nancy, pictured above during a contest, owns a 7-months-old Japanese Chin who took best of variety at a local dog show in his very first time in the ring!
Nancy says, “Chins are very special dogs. They have very different traits from most dogs. They are often more cat like than dog like. They very seldom bite or bark.”
We found out about Nancy and her Japanese Chins through Mingo’s website.
If you are interested in getting one of this sweet dogs, visit her website!
You have the opportunity to do something against the cruelty of animal testing.
Tomorrow, Saturday August 11, 2-4 pm, you can join to the public protest to educate the public about the unreliability of animal testing. The event is organized by the Massachussets Animal Rights Coalition.
The protest will take place at the Boston Common. Meet and gather at Brewer’s Fountain, near the Park Street T station, Boston Common, Boston, MA.
A friend of us, who is a member of MARC, alerted us about the protest. Below is some important information provided by MARC.
“Whenever we speak to the general public about animal testing, folks are amazed that it is still going on. Help us let the public know the awful truth of animal testing. Our signs and literature will expose the cruelty of the 3 main animal tests used on millions of animals each year:
(1) the Eye Irritancy Testing, which is also called the Draize test, which forces chemicals into the eyes of
fully conscious, restrained rabbits. No pain relievers or anesthetics of any kind are used. The extreme pain often causes them to struggle so severely that they break their own backs-dying in agony needlessly.
(2) The Skin Irritancy Testing, which places corrosive chemicals onto the shaved/raw skin of rabbits and guinea pigs. The caustic nature of these substances causes severe injuries to the animals. Gaping wounds and bleeding are common.
(3) The Oral Toxicity Testing, the LD50, which force-feeds strong chemicals to fully conscious animals for 14-28 days until they die.
Animal testing doesn’t make products safe. For example, according to animal tests, cigarette smoke, asbestos, arsenic, benzene, and glass fibers were all found to be safe to ingest. Many household products, all tested on animals, are unsafe for us and our environment. And inaccuracies in cancer-causing tests occur up to 70% of the time.
Animal testing only provides a legal defense for companies whose products could still harm humans. Test results are used to win lawsuits, not protect people. Some of these tests are over 50 years old and have never been required to be scientifically validated.
Just this year, the National Research Council (a committee of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences) reported that the US government must develop new testing to assess the effect of chemicals on human health. Their report, which was requested by the EPA, suggested the use of new technologies such as biomonitoring — analyzing chemical levels in blood, urine, breast milk and human tissue–and high-throughput assays. It remains to be seen whether the EPA will take this advice and end unreliable inhumane animal testing, which, of course, is what, for decades, we animal rights folks have been calling for. We will also give viable alternatives (including the new info about Episkin, which has been shown to be at least as good as rabbit skin at predicting whether products will irritate human skin), identify the companies that still use animal testing (including Proctor and Gamble) and give contact info, and identify the companies that do not animal test.”
For more info about the protest, contact: rayshick @ msn.com
Do you have a story you want us to tell? Would you like to see your dog appearing in this blog? Please send us your dog's picture and story at blog@sniflabs.com.
