On October 24, 2013, A-DOG sponsored the first in a series of workshops to help dog owners successfully navigate the joys and potential challenges of off-leash recreation. Alana Meserve of ZenDog Lexington gave a very informative, enjoyable presentation covering such topics as canine body language, to teach the audience about clues that your dog is enjoying his time in the dog park or, instead, is not having a great time or perhaps is even in danger of getting into trouble.
Arlington’s Animal Control Officer, Amanda Kennedy was also present to give her input on behavioral and other issues that can come up during off-leash recreation. Overall, the presentation helped dog owners to learn about issues that they can deal with themselves, with training and control of their own dogs and communication with other dog owners, versus situations in which they should seek professional assistance and enforcement from the ACO. Also, information in the workshop enabled owners to better understand whether their own dog could benefit from professional training.
Moderators Joan Black (VP Membership) and Susan Ruderman (VP Development) made the program run smoothly, facilitating discussion and ensuring that audience questions were addressed. Other volunteers included Ellen Kravitz (audio/visual) and Pam Hallett, Laura Gerson and Sue Doctrow (greeting, signing up members, etc.).
We were also happy to welcome Leslie Mayer, A-DOG’s liaison to the Park and Recreation Commission (PRC). In coordination with the PRC and the Arlington Recreation Department, A-DOG and Alana look forward to holding future educational events, including “live demos” to be held at off-leash recreation sites such as the Thorndike OLRA. In addition, we were happy to see that ACMI sent journalist/cameraman Jay Sundar Rajan to cover the event, in recognition of the community importance of programs that promote responsible dog ownership and recreation. A-DOG was delighted, too, to welcome new members who were introduced to A-DOG that evening and decided to join us!
Stay tuned for the next A-DOG educational program!
