Calling All Dogs! JP Dog Costume & Fashion Show Parade on Oct. 28th

Dogs big and small, chubby and tall are all welcome to participate in Jamaica Plain's 14th Annual Dog Parade on Saturday. The parade starts at the First Baptist Church and finishes at the South Street Mall (corner of South Street and Carolina Avenue) with a fashion show judged by emcee Brad Brown of Blue Frog Bakery. The event is sponsored by the JP Business and Professional Association (BAPA) and JP Centre/South Main Streets. The entrance fee for each dog is $10 and all proceeds will benefit the City of Boston Animal Shelter. Registration starts at noon at the First Baptist Church (633 Centre St.), the parade starts at 1 pm and the costume and fashion show begins at 1:30 pm.

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Dog Dies in Jamaica Plain After Being Left in Hot Car; Criminal Charges Possible

Boston Police and Inspectional Services are investigating the death of a pit bull that had been left in a hot car on Burroughs Street in Jamaica Plain Tuesday afternoon. The dog was rescued but died shortly after being taken to the MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center. “His temperature on arrival was 109.7, which is as high as the thermometer will go, so it could have been higher than that,” said Boston Animal Care and Control Director Amanda Kennedy, according to CBSBoston. An autopsy of the dog is expected to take place Wednesday to confirm the cause of death. Inspectional Services said they quickly responded to a call about the dog in the car around 3 p.m. Investigators have not released the dog owner's name or whether he is also the owner of the vehicle.

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MSPCA’s July 4th Pet Safety Recommendations

Fireworks, dangerous foods and heat top the list of concerns for Jamaica Plain pet owners. As JP gears up to celebrate the Fourth of July Holiday the MSPCA-Angell is imploring pet owners to heed basic safety precautions to keep pets safe and healthy during the long weekend. Fireworks: Not Fun for Fido
Dr. Terri Bright of the MSPCA’s Behavior Services Department cautions that fireworks can be especially terrifying for some dogs. “We must keep in mind that the sense of hearing in dogs is far superior to ours—so they hear and feel these sounds with much greater intensity,” she said. Dr. Bright’s top tips for helping dogs weather the fireworks storm include:
• Keep dogs in a small interior room of the house with a noise machine and shades drawn so as to block out both explosive sounds and the bright lights of fireworks
• Offer an engaging and tasty treat such as a peanut butter- or meat-filled Kong to keep dogs occupied and comforted
• Play their favorite games, and have special toys for them to engage with
• Keep outside time to a minimum while fireworks displays are going on—even if that means moving up the post-dinner walk to earlier in the afternoon and ensuring bathroom breaks happen before the displays
• Never leave dogs outside unaccompanied as a general rule—and certainly not during fireworks displays, which can elicit unpredictable behavior (such as fleeing) that dogs may otherwise not exhibit
• As a last resort you may want to see your veterinarian to determine if a mild tranquilizer may help your dog get through the displays

“As with all things a little common sense goes a long way and by following these tips dog owners are much more likely to see their pets comfortably through the most intense displays,” said Dr. Bright. Top Summer Holiday Health Concerns
The MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center is keen to help pet owners avoid a trip to the animal ER ahead of the July 4th Holiday weekend.

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Two Dogs Struck by Cars on Separate Days Struggle to Recover from Life-Threatening Injuries

An adorable but frightened stray Chihuahua struck by a car and found on the side of a Mattapan street on June 5 had just undergone life-saving surgery at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain when days later, on June 9, a Shih Tzu mix was surrendered after she was struck and critically injured by a car in Jamaica Plain, the organization announced June 16. The Chihuahua, now named Nutmeg, is about a year-old and wore no identification tags, nor was she microchipped, making it impossible to identify an owner. A good Samaritan rushed her to the MSPCA after finding her on the side of a busy street, her shattered pelvis and leg fractures making it impossible for her to walk or even stand. “Nutmeg could not move her hind legs and was clearly in shock by the time she reached us,” said the MSPCA’s Jamaica Plain adoption center manager Alyssa Krieger who tended to Nutmeg upon arrival. “There was no time to waste: once x-rays confirmed that her hind legs and hips were broken in multiple areas we arranged for surgery.”

Nutmeg’s surgery, which included installation of plates and screws to stabilize her pelvis, took three hours to complete.

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Reminder: Meeting to Discuss Proposed Off-Leash Dog Park in JP on Wednesday

Here's some gggrreat news for dog lovers! The Department of Conservation and Recreation will be presenting a proposal for an off-leash dog park near Anson Street in Jamaica Plain at a public meeting on April 5th. After a presentation, DCR officials would like to fetch receive feedback on the proposal.  A DCR memo said the park is "part of an ongoing initiative by DCR to designate additional off-leash dog areas within state parks." DCR officials were scheduled to talk about a proposed off-leash dog park in Hyde Park on March 21st.

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Video: Boston Firefighter Rescues Dog That Fell Through Ice in Jamaica Pond

A dog named Maggie needed to be rescued by a Boston Firefighter from Jamaica Pond after falling through the ice on Feb. 23rd. Here is a video of the daring rescue by Boston Firefighter Mike Ronayne, which shows how he crawled out on the ice while wearing a suit designed to combat frigid water temperatures. At one point the firefighter also fell through the ice. But without much delay he was able to rescue the dog, pulling it out from the water, and Maggie the dog happily walked away and joined her owner on land.

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JP Dogs Walk Red Carpet at PetPals ‘Pawscar’ Awards

On February 11, PetPals hosted an Oscar Award Ceremony with their participating volunteer animals. These “Pawscars” were a fun and entertaining way for the residents and staff of the Rogerson House to experience cuteness right in their neighborhood. Every pet walked the red carpet and won a Pawscar award, bag of dog toys, and flowers for their human partner. The volunteer event took place at Rogerson House in Jamaica Plain, and was judged by three animal-loving elderly living there. There were nine canine teams entered in the contest.

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Update: Wounded Arboretum Goats Recuperating; New Goats Brought In

Cappuccino and Geisha, the two female goats wounded in the Arnold Arboretum by an unleashed border collie Wednesday, are recuperating with non-life threatening injuries, and two new goats were brought to the arboretum Thursday morning to help eat invasive plants near Peters Hill. This why you leash your dogs people. Goat attacked in Arnold arboretum. @02130News pic.twitter.com/ANgLYP8jx9
— Nancy Nee Hanifin (@NancyNeeHanifin) September 28, 2016

"The staff [at the arboretum] has been terrific, and other than this unfortunate incident, the goats have enjoyed their time as well," said Sue Schortmann of The Goatscaping Company, which rents the goats to the arboretum. "We are so grateful to everyone: The [Arnold] Arboretum, the Boston Police and Boston Animal Control, and the veterinarian from Halifax Veterinary Service, who was wonderful about filling in as our regular veterinary service is on vacation.

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MSPCA-Angell Dog Park Reopens, Professional Dog Walkers Not Allowed Anymore

The MSPCA-Angell dog park reopened Tuesday after being closed for several days while a fight between two dogs at the park was investigated. The dog fight occurred Aug. 18, with one dog suffering significant injuries. That dog was treated at Angell Animal Medical Center and then discharged, said Rob Halpin, director of public relations for MSPCA-Angell. Halpin said that following last week's incident, professional dog walkers are no longer permitted to use the park.

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Beecher Street Park Will No Longer Be An Off-Leash Dog Area

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department has announced that Beecher Street Park will no longer be an off-leash area. Dogs are still allowed in the park, but now need to be leashed. Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chris Cook wrote a letter (posted below) to the Beecher Street Park Community expressing that two main opinions have been asserted in the last year about the park: "the need for open space for dogs in densely populated Jamaica Plain, and the difficulty of living near a dog park in such close quarters." Ultimately, the dogs' need for open space lost out, as Cook wrote, "...we have made the decision to discontinue the use of Beecher Street Park as an off-leash dog area." Cook said the department has tried to find alternative spaces for dogs in JP, but so far have been unsuccessful.

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