Promoting a Safe and Happy Dog Community in the Town of Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase, Maryland

IMG_9414

Who We Are

We are residents of the Town of Chevy Chase in Montgomery County, Maryland. Our aim is to create a happy dog and resident community in our town while keeping our canine companions safe and secure.

For the dogs in the Town of Chevy Chase and for those who care for them, we hope the information on this site useful.

 

Contents

Town of Chevy Chase "TownDOGs" directory

Form for adding a resident dog to TownDOGs

Dog legal requirements and procedures in the Town of Chevy Chase

Listings of Montgomery County and DC operated dog parks

Map of dog waste stations

Help lost or loose dogs in the Town of Chevy Chase

IMG_8901

TownDOGs Directory

TownDOGs is the canine directory for the Town of Chevy Chase and a resource for all Town residents. Dogs can go missing when least expected. The directory can be used to identify dogs to help reunite them with their families quickly.  TownDOGs can also be used to connect Town of Chevy Chase dogs for socialization and exercise.

Looking for playdates for your dog? Scroll to the TownDOGs directory and click on a dog’s photo to view its profile. Each profile indicates if there’s a desire to meet other dogs in town. Use the profile’s street address to find the family email address in the Town of Chevy Chase Resident Directory. You can log in to the Resident Directory from the Town of Chevy Chase website.  In the interest of privacy, parent names and contact information are not included in the TownDOGs directory.

We hope to rapidly grow this directory as more residents choose to enter their dog profiles on this site. Profile details about your dog and its unique personality are optional though dog sitters and walkers or anyone caring for your dog may find this information helpful. To add your dog to the TownDOGs directory, scroll past the directory and use the form.

dogsinyard_edit

 An estimated 600 dogs live in the Town of Chevy Chase. One of them is Lewis, a Boston terrier and my companion. I am Bren Lizzio, your site administrator and a local real estate agent. Please add your dog's profile so that we can all share in protecting our precious family pets.

Socialization and exercise are necessary for dogs, but busy schedules and a lack of leash-free areas nearby can limit opportunities. TownDOG supports the convenience of dogs meeting other dogs within blocks of home, with new backyards to sniff and endless opportunities for socialization and exercise, all within walking distance of home.

Happy dogs make happy homes, and happy neighbors - that's our goal!

f7c81a22-dce2-49f4-841a-7196c3b55603IMG_9960 (1)

Add Your Dog Today

All information sharing is voluntary. You don’t have to fill out every field to put your pup’s profile in the directory. Fill out the information you wish and submit. It will go to the site administrator who will complete and add your new profile. Your neighbors will be able to cross-reference your dog's photo and street address with the Town of Chevy Chase Resident Directory.

  • *required fields
  • (Don't enter contact info; e.g. tag info is current, rabies vaccinated, be aware of a medical/physical condition)
  • 25 word limit
  • 25 word limit
  • 25 word limit
  • Now, all we need is a good profile photo of your dog, and leave the cropping to us. A landscape orientation works best for this directory. Email it to [email protected].

Dog Legal Requirements and Procedures in the Town of Chevy Chase

As responsible dog owners, we assume everyone is familiar with the legal requirements and procedures in our town. We’ve listed these to share with new residents, dog sitters and walkers, along with a few safety tips and information for everyone’s convenience.

Check that your dog’s rabies vaccination is current. This Maryland legal requirement applies to all dogs over four months of age.

Have your dog licensed with Montgomery County. The County's licensing law applies to dogs living in the Town of Chevy Chase, four months of age and up. https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices/asd/licensing.html

Keep a good photo of your dog. Should you ever get separated from your dog, we have developed a protocol to help lost or stray dogs in the Town of Chevy Chase reunite with their family.

Link your dog’s microchip code to your new address and contact information. Update your dog’s tags.

Keep an updated vaccination record and rabies vaccination certificate. These documents are often required when traveling with your dog, visiting daycare, boarding, grooming and training facilities, and are helpful in some emergency situations.

Town Crier is the official notification system for Town of Chevy Chase residents. The Town office can issue an alert for a lost or found dog.  Contact them at 301-654-7144 weekdays 9-5pm, or [email protected] To receive Town Crier information, alerts, or both, and how you want to receive them, sign up on the Town of Chevy Chase website, townofchevychase.org

Improper disposal of dog poop is a huge issue for most Town residents. The Town’s regulation states: “Dogs are not allowed to defecate on private property other than your own. They can defecate on public property as long as their waste is picked up and disposed of properly.” Dog waste bags cannot be tossed in private recycle bins or trash cans near the street, they need to be put in a dog waste station receptacle or in your home trash.  Many residents are repeatedly angered to find bags of waste tossed into their recycle bins and trash cans, so please be careful about complying with this rule.  Scroll down to see a map of the Dog Waste Stations.

When disposing bags of dog poop in your own trash, be sure they get placed in a larger sealed trash bag. If not, trash collectors may reject your trash for pick up.

The leash law in Montgomery County has been in place since 2005. Dogs are not allowed to be off-leash or “at large" unless they are on private property, in a municipality’s designated off-leash area, or in any of the fenced dog parks that are owned and operated by the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission. The seven M-NCPPC "Montgomery Parks" dog parks are listed below.  More information can be found on Montgomery Parks.org.

Washington DC's leash law allows dogs without leash on private property and in the 13 dog parks managed and maintained by the DC Dept of Parks & Recreation.  The DC dog parks are listed below.  Chevy Chase Dog Park is closest to the Town of Chevy Chase and is one of the smaller of the bunch at 5,000 square feet.

IMG_0087-scaled (1)

Maryland-NCPPC Dog Parks in Montgomery County

  • Black Hill Regional Park Dog Park
    20930 Lake Ridge Dr, Boyds, MD 20841
  • Cabin John Regional Park Dog Park
    10900 Westlake Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817
  • Dewey Local Park Dog Park
    11720 Dewey Rd, Viers Mill, MD 20906
  • Ellsworth Urban Dog Park
    621 Ellsworth Dr, Downtown Silver Spring, MD 20910
  • Olney Manor Recreational Park Dog Park
    16601 Georgia Ave, Olney, MD 20832
  • Ridge Road Recreational Park Dog Park
    21155 Frederick Rd, Germantown, MD 20876
  • Wheaton Regional Park Dog Park
    2000 Shorefield Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20902

DC Department of Parks & Recreation Dog Parks

  • Chevy Chase Dog Park l 41st & Livingston St NW
  • Francis Dog Park l 25th & M Street NW
  • Guy Mason Dog Park l 3100 Calvert Street NW
  • Kingsman Dog Park l 14th & Kingsman Street NE
  • Langdon Dog Park l 2901 20th Street NE
  • Lansburgh Dog Park l M St & Delaware Ave SW
  • Newark Dog Park l 39th & Newark Street NW
  • S Street Dog Park l 17th & S Street NW
  • Shaw Dog Park l 11th & Rhode Island Avenue NW
  • Swampoodle Dog Park | 3rd & L Street NE
  • The Park at LeDroit l 286 V Street NW
  • Upshur Dog Park l 4300 Arkansas Avenue NW
  • Walter Pierce Dog Park l 20th & Calvert Street NW
1124E05E-7737-4871-97B0-06C47DF16ED2_1_105_c

Map of Dog Waste Stations in the Town of Chevy Chase

map

Helping Dogs in the Town of Chevy Chase Find their Family

Since pets getting lost or separated from their guardians is inevitable, we hope our town will be a safe and comfortable haven for them.  Sending lost furry companions to shelter just increases their stress.  That’s why TownDOG has developed a protocol to help reunite pets with their guardians as quickly as possible.

If You See a Roaming Dog Who is Clearly Without a Guardian:

DSC_0017

Never attempt to chase or follow a dog that is off-leash. When dogs are on the loose, anxious from being away from home or family, their normal reaction is to back off from human giants. The best intentions to catch a dog can push it farther from home or into danger. East-West Hwy, Bradley Lane, Connecticut, and Wisconsin Avenues – four dangerous streets surround us.

Try to take a photo of the dog.

Report the Dog Sighting with a description of the dog, nearest intersection the dog was seen and the direction it was headed.   TownNeighbors listserv and NextDoor.com are the best places to post a dog sighting in our Town if the dog is not in your possession (more on these below).

IMG_8706

If You are Safely Taking Possession of a Stray Dog:

Be patient as you try to gather information. Approach the dog slowly so that the dog sees you first. Make yourself less threatening:  move slowly, let the dog smell your hands,  don't look into the dog's eyes, squat low to the ground and always to the dog’s side, and gain the dog’s trust.

Copy or take a photo of all the information on the dog’s tags. Take photos in mute mode to avoid spooking the dog. Random numbers on the tags can sometimes link to the dog’s family.

If you are not comfortable helping the dog or cannot invest the time, call a neighbor for help.

Find someone to help bring treats and a leash. Most dog families keep a spare leash and treats in their cars and homes for emergency. Hopefully the dog tag information is enough to notify the family, and you’ve done a great deed!

What, no tags? Take the dog to get scanned for a microchip code that will identify the dog’s guardian. Veterinarians and animal hospitals keep the microchip scanner tool for this purpose. Banfield Pet Hospital, inside of PetSmart at 6800 Wisconsin Avenue (240) 497-0027 is convenient to our town. If Banfield is closed, bring the dog to the 24-hour Friendship Animal Hospital, 4105 Brandywine St NW (202) 363-7300, ten minutes south on Wisconsin Avenue, turn right on Brandywine Street to the hospital on the right.

Unable to reach the family through tag or microchip information? Get the word out fast. Below are the most effective places to publicize a dog found within the Town of Chevy Chase.

Have the Town of Chevy Chase Office issue a lost or found dog alert by text or email to residents who subscribe to Town Crier Alerts, the Town’s official notification system. Email [email protected] or call (301) 654-7144 M-F 9AM-5PM.

Post a message to TownNeighbors, the Town's unofficial listserv. Subscribers are limited to residents of the Town of Chevy Chase. To join TownNeighbors, send your full name, home address, phone number, and preferred e-mail address where you want to receive Town Neighbors messages to [email protected] and the moderator will send you an invitation to join.

Post a message on nextdoor.com, a local social network. Users can choose to send and receive messages with others in the Town of Chevy Chase, or include several surrounding neighborhoods in Maryland and in the District of Columbia.

Post onto the Town of Chevy Chase’s unofficial Facebook page.

Post a Found Report on PetHarbor.com. This is where the Montgomery County animal shelter posts all dogs entering its facility daily.

Post a notice on Craigslist.org, under Community Lost & Found. Photos of all found dogs entering both Montgomery County and DC shelters are posted on Craigslist daily.

Complete a Lost/Found Form on the DC animal shelter’s website, HumaneRescueAlliance.org, and email them a photo of the dog separately. HRA posts Found Dogs photos and information daily for each dog entering the shelter facility and they will do same for anyone who finds a stray dog that is not in their shelter.

Avoid bringing the dog to the animal shelter.  Several families in the Town of Chevy Chase are available to care for a dog while the dog's family is found.  Contact [email protected] or 202-669-4999 if you need extra help.

IMG_8881

Lost or stray dogs that are picked up in Montgomery County or in the District of Columbia are received by two animal shelters. Both intake facilities (listed below) scan for a microchip and try to locate owners as quickly as possible. Dogs found without identification in the County are typically vaccinated against Rabies, Bordetella and Distemper, and implanted with a microchip. Reclaiming a dog at the County shelter during its hours of operation can involve showing proof of ownership and vaccination records, a waiting period for processing, and fees for boarding, microchip implantation, medical treatment, and pet licensing. Both the County and DC facilities have a five-day holding period before a dog becomes available for adoption:

Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center
7315 Muncaster Mill Road, Derwood, MD 20855, (240) 773-5900 closed Wednesday

Humane Rescue Alliance
1201 New York Ave NE, Washington DC 20002, (202) 576-6664 open 24 hours

🐾🐾

 

If you have any questions regarding the TownDOGs Directory or other information on this website, please write to  [email protected]