Dogs, Trees, and Your Neighborhood

This is the second dog-related SeeClickFix issue in a week to end up in the press (though I suppose it wasn't clear that the first was a dog issue until months after it was reported).

A group of volunteers used SeeClickFix to help organize a get-together last Saturday in Fair Haven's Chatham Square Park. Things got started 9 days ago when DEZ reported that some of the trees planted by URI and the city had been torn apart by pit bulls being trained to fight other dogs.

David Zakur, who organized the tree planting, was quoted in the New Haven Register: "I now have positive ID that people have seen pit bulls hanging off the limbs and tied to the trees...You can see the bite marks in the tree.”

Commenters on the SeeClickFix issue's page and on the Register's article expressed outrage, both towards the abhorrent practice of dogfighting and the callous disregard for the city's newly planted trees.

Volunteers gathered in Chatham Square Park to replace the tree that was destroyed and install wire fencing to protect some of the others. Kudos to those who were willing to spend their Saturday morning working to make our community a better place!

On another note, we're starting to notice a trend here...it seems that the communities that take care of their dogs take care of their public spaces as well. Is this a correlation, or mere coincidence?

It's a Dog's Life at Annick

Visitors to Annick Press are often surprised to be greeted at the door by a four-legged bundle of fur. Darwin is a 6 1/2-year-old Coton de Tulear, whose owner, Marketing Manager Brigitte Waisberg, accompanies him to work every day. Darwin is the perfect office dog--quiet, friendly and fun (unless you're a squirrel, in which case, beware!) Darwin spends a lot of time snoozing on the job, but he does make a point of attending meetings in the board room. He also knows exactly when to go to the kitchen for lunch or tea, where he can count on Assistant Editor Sandra Booth to give him his favorite treat--carrots. Despite a serious haircut this past weekend, Darwin is managing to stay warm during the current deep freeze thanks to his stylish winter coat.