March has come roaring in! Hoping all of you have stayed safe during the storms and are looking forward to Spring. For folks that may not know about Responsible Urbanites For Fido (RUFF), we ask that you please share the RUFF group information: [email protected], on Instagram (ruffnorthend) and Facebook (RUFF North End Dog Group).
Please note – RUFF has started to recruit for our RUFF Ambassador program. The feedback has been overwhelming positive! Thank You to all our members that have shown interest. If you have an interest and haven’t gotten in touch yet please do. We will be hosting a meeting for our Ambassador program during our monthly meeting this.
For fun – This month tag RUFF with pictures of your dog celebrating the Irish spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. We hope to share a few of these with our community.
North End Dog Park:
March is a hard month to predict weather-wise, 60’s one day, snow the next. We are planning for the final updates but should not effect any park time in March. You will see our construction crew on site from time to time doing small jobs when the weather cooperates.
There were some fencing gaps in the upper level (small dog area) that were overlooked during the first round of construction. We have temporary blocks in place so that area is now safe. Should you find any small holes that a dog or toy could slip through, please bring it to our attention.
The Gates: We know the gates are in desperate need of repair. Unfortunately, with the way the work is scheduled and budgeted, the fix may not come until April. Please do the best you can with the gates until we can have them replaced. We are working on a solution for some time before April.
Barking – Neighbors of the dog park have contacted RUFF about barking, especially in the evening hours. Please be courteous of our neighbors and curb your dogs barking. Anything prolonged or aggressive means its time for a break from the park.
Homeless – As the warmer weather hits we need to pay attention to folks not properly using the park. If you see any homeless people making a home in the park and/or the play structures please call 911 to report it.
Auto Locks/Gates: Please always close the gate behind you. This is the only way to ensure the park gets locked at night. Help keep our park safe. Please note that the park hours are 6am-9pm. The gates will be locked outside of those times. If you encounter any issues in the park, please email: [email protected].
**Dog Walkers**
No more than three dogs to a walker. If you have any issues or see walkers not following this rule please contact RUFF or the City of Boston.
March 19, 6-8 p.m. Â Shake the Tree Fundraiser – 67 Salem Street- Come shop, sip and nibble for a great cause. 20% of the proceeds from the evening go towards RUFF! Special raffle and lots of goodies to enjoy.
*The More You Know*
This month we are sharing an article and encouraging folks to educate themselves on black market pet medications. We have all seen commercials, countless web ads, and of course word of mouth knowledge of the online pet-meds.  Attracted by the generally lower prices, discount pet med retailers enjoy a big chunk of the pet owning public’s business.
The question remains, however, is it safe to use these online discount pet med retailers? Does a lower cost for pet medications mean less quality? Do you really get the medication as advertised? Having so many middle stops from manufacturer to storage warehouse, then finally to customer, does this compromise the integrity of the medications?
Everyone will make their own decision, its all about the more you know…
**Save the date**
Dog Licencing at the Dog Park – April 7, – 11-1 p.m. – Did you know that it is a requirement by the City of Boston and RUFF to licence your dog in order to use the dog park? RUFF hopes to make this super easy – you can register online by clicking here or come to the park on April 7. Proof of rabies vaccination required.$15 for spayed/neutered dogs, $30 otherwise. Debit/Credit cards, checks and money orders accepted (no cash please).
RUFF North End Dog Park Grand Opening Event – April 28th – Time to celebrate the park being completely finished and the water turned on.
Details on the event to come.
**RUFF Reminders**
- Â Clean up after your doc and dispose of the bag properly. Remind others that you see to do the same. The North End community thanks you.
- Â Ordering on Amazon? – use our Amazon Smile to keep ongoing support to RUFF – Â https://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-1523572
- Â Dog bags, we will fill, you use them…donate a case and support RUFF and our clean neighborhood efforts. Buy bags here.