Maynard Holiday Parade
MayDOG will be participating in the 2009 Maynard Holiday Parade! We had a group last year - but this year is going to be bigger and better! The parade starts at 2pm on Sunday, Dec. 6 - the route can be see on this map. Come out and wave to us!
Free Spaying Available
The Tufts Veterinary School is now offering a FREE SPAY program through a clinic for third-year vet students, who are supervised by an attending veterinarian.
This program is for female dogs only. Dogs must be between 3 months and 7 years of age, and must weigh between 10 and 60 pounds. The clinic cannot accept short-snouted dogs like pugs and boxers. Dogs must be in good health and have current rabies and distemper shots. The spay clinic includes a heartworm test, which is also free.
To book an appointment or learn more, please email Sue Carbone or call her at 508-887-4326.
MayDOG Donates Pet Oxygen Masks to Maynard Fire Department
L to R: Lisa Lines, Keira, Chief Stephen Kulik, Mollie, Troy, Captain Pat Sullivan
Thanks to a donation from a member of the Maynard Dog Owners Group (MayDOG), pet owners in Maynard can breathe a little easier — and their pets can, too.
MayDOG president Lisa Lines and member Veronica Zolina presented a set of pet-sized oxygen masks to Chief Stephen Kulik of the Maynard Fire Department today. Although the Department already had one set of pet masks on its ambulance, this additional set will ensure that the engine company is also equipped to help dogs, cats, and other pets pulled from a burning building.
“We are always happy and grateful for any and all additional donations, as you never know when you will need them,” said Chief Kulik, who accepted the donation. The set contains three masks of different sizes, which can fit animals from a Saint Bernard down to a kitten.
L to R: Lisa Lines, Chief Stephen Kulik, Mollie, Troy, Captain Pat Sullivan
Zolina and her husband own two greyhounds and a cat. She decided to donate the masks on behalf of MayDOG because of that group’s efforts to promote Maynard as a dog-friendly community. She said, “I want to be sure that all of Maynard’s pets, including my own, can receive lifesaving treatment in a fire if they need it. It was reassuring to learn that the Department is prepared to aid animals as well as people, because so many Maynard residents are pet owners too.”
“More than 40,000 pets across the country perished in fires in 2006, with the majority dying from smoke inhalation,” said Lines. “We hope that giving these masks to the Maynard Fire Department will raise awareness of the importance of emergency preparedness for rescue agencies and pet owners alike,” she said.
Spring 2009 Town-wide Clean-up
Maynard’s spring town-wide clean-up starts next Saturday, April 18. Since we are all out and about with our dogs on a regular basis, we are in a unique position to see litter — including dog poop that other, less responsible dog owners have failed to clean up. I urge you all to take this opportunity to help make our town a better place by picking up litter around your house, your street, and your neighborhood. Learn more about the Litter League and this spring’s schedule here.
The Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT) will be having a trail walk and clean-up on Sunday, 4/19. Meet in the parking lot behind CVS pharmacy at 1pm. I know many of us walk on the trail with our dogs — let’s give back for a couple of hours and make the trail a better place for all of us.
Maynard Holiday Parade
MayDOG participated in the annual Maynard Holiday Parade on Sunday, December 7. A small group of dogs and their handlers bundled up, lined up behind the bagpipers and bankers, and marched our way through downtown Maynard. It was a blast! Thanks to all who participated. See more photos here.
Liability concerns
Many people have brought up legal liability for MayDOG and/or the town as concerns when discussing the establishment of an OLRA on Maynard town land. The following statute governs dog owner liability issues in Massachusetts:
THE GENERAL LAWS OF MASSACHUSETTS, PART I. ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT, TITLE XX. PUBLIC SAFETY AND GOOD ORDER
CHAPTER 140. LICENSES
DOGS
Chapter 140: Section 155. Liability for damage caused by dog; minors; presumption and burden of proof
Section 155. If any dog shall do any damage to either the body or property of any person, the owner or keeper, or if the owner or keeper be a minor, the parent or guardian of such minor, shall be liable for such damage, unless such damage shall have been occasioned to the body or property of a person who, at the time such damage was sustained, was committing a trespass or other tort, or was teasing, tormenting or abusing such dog. If a minor, on whose behalf an action under this section is brought, is under seven years of age at the time the damage was done, it shall be presumed that such minor was not committing a trespass or other tort, or teasing, tormenting or abusing such dog, and the burden of proof thereof shall be upon the defendant in such action.
It’s also important to note that studies conducted in California have shown that, in two communities with equally sized dog populations, the community without an OLRA reported the larger number of dog bites. In fact, communities with OLRAs typically have dog-bite rates that are less than 60% of the national average!
Maynard Leash Law
Here’s the actual text of the Maynard by-laws regarding leashes and having dogs under control:
Section 8: No person shall permit a dog by under their direct control to be off the premises of the owner or person responsible between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. unless the dog is under the full and direct control of the owner or responsible person and kept on a safe and adequate leash. The owner of the dog or person responsible who violates this By-law shall, after receiving a written warning as to a violation of this section be punished for a subsequent offense by a penalty of ten dollars ($10) for the first offense, twenty-five dollars ($25) for the second offense and fifty dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense. The person responsible for the control of any dog shall be deemed to be a person who has willingly assumed the control of the dog from its owner or, in the alternative, the licensed owner of the dog.
Section 9: Leash Law
No owner of any dog shall permit such dog to run at large at any time. The provisions of this section shall not be intended to apply to dogs participating in any dog show, nor to “seeing-eye” dogs properly trained to assist blind persons for the purpose of aiding them in going from place to place, nor to any dogs properly trained and under the control of and aiding the deaf, nor to any dogs being trained or actually being used for hunting purposes while such dogs are actively engaged in hunting activity on property permitting such activity.
Nothing contained in the foregoing paragraph shall prevent the Board of Selectmen from passing any orders authorized by the Massachusetts General Law at such times as they shall deem necessary to safeguard the public.
Every owner of a dog shall exercise proper care and control of their dog so as to prevent said dog from becoming a public nuisance.
How many dogs live in Maynard?
All Maynard dog owners are required to obtain a license from the town for each dog in their household. The names and street addresses of dog license holders are public information, and MayDOG has obtained the list from the town clerk (we’re going to be sending out a mass mailing soon). There are a total of 530 dog-licensed househods in town, and a total of 637 licensed dogs. The true number of dogs and dog owners in town is likely higher, since not everyone bothers to get the license.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s US Pet Ownership Calculator, an average of 37.2% of US households own a dog. There are approximately 10,177 people in Maynard (according to the 2007 American Community Survey of the US Census). If Maynard dog ownership is similar to the rest of US, that means about 1,514 households would own at least one dog, and there would be 2,573 dogs in town.
| Maynard, MA Population, 2007 | 10,177 |
| Avg % of households with a dog in US, 2007 | 37.2% |
| Estimated # of dog-owning households in Maynard | 1,514 |
| Estimated # of dogs in Maynard | 2,573 |
Dog-friendly businesses in the Maynard area
Here are some of the business establishments in Maynard and surrounding towns that are notably dog friendly (well-behaved, leashed dogs are usually welcome):
- Aubuchon Hardware, 51 Main St - (978) 897-2500
- Ace Hardware, 117 Great Rd # 117, Stow - (978) 461-0122
- Pet Source, 117 Great Rd, Stow - (978) 897-9599
- Ray & Sons Cyclery, Main St, Maynard - (978) 897-8121
- Erikson’s Ice Cream, 12 Great Rd, Maynard (free doggie ice cream available on request!)
Do you know of other dog-friendly businesses? Please add them in the comments!
