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M A G G I E M A E P U P R E P O R T E RWhy I Wear My Dog Tag Proudly…BY MAGGIE MAE…WITH RONNI DIAMONDSTEINI’m a dog—a very special dog. I’ma black-and-white, Toy PartiPoodle. My name is Maggie Mae,and I am the Inside ChappaquaRoving Pup Reporter. With a nosefor news, I will give you the dog’seye view of Chappaqua andbeyond.January 13, 2008 was my lucky day.I was 12-weeks-old and came tolive in Chappaqua, a town I havegrown to love. Next to eating, one ofmy favorite things is to walk aroundtown. I have an elegant pink plaidleash that matches my collar.Hanging from my collar is a metaltag that was put on by my veterinarian. It tells everyonethat I got my rabies vaccination. One day my owner addedanother tag that makes a jingle-jangle when I walk. I didn’tlike the sound, so I decided to find out why I neededthis other tag, which my owner calls a dog license.On our next walk down town, I went straight to thesource—New Castle Town Hall, where Town Clerk JillSimon Shapiro works. I knew that was the place to sniffout the answer. She told me that the state and townlaws require all dogs to be licensed. Wearing the tag wasa good idea, she said, because dogs sometimes get lostand sent to a shelter. Without the new tag, that mighthappen to me. If I got lost, the tag would tell people whoI am, and they would take me back to my home.What Ms. Shapiro told me made me feel a lot betterabout the jingling tags. Then I told her that I have amicrochip under the skin between my shoulder blades.“That’s a good idea,” she said. “If your collar came offand you got lost, people could still find where you livedand take you back to your owner.” I felt safer than ever.I have rules in my house, and there are other rules fordogs which are on the town’s websitehttp://www.newcastle-ny.org/. Our town has a Dog ControlOfficer named James Moore. He enforces the town andstate dog codes and investigates complaints about dogsin town.In my travels down the streets of Chappaqua I meetdogs every day. I wondered how many dogs lived in NewCastle. “We have approximately 1,400 dogs licensed inour town,” Ms. Shapiro told me. “That means there isone dog for every 4.5 tax parcels.” I sure have a lot ofother dogs to meet!I asked her if she met them all when they came for theirlicenses. “Contrary to popular belief, people don’t need© Ronni DiamondsteinGetting the scoop at Town Hall, Maggie Mae meetswith Jill Simon Shapiro, Town Clerk, and Town of NewCastle Supervisor Barbara Gerrard.to bring their dogs into Town Hallfor their licenses,” she said. “Justthe paper work will do.”My visit to the Town Clerk was fun,and I learned a lot from her. WhenI see other dogs with their licensetags it makes me happy to knowthey are loved by their owners, justas I am. As I hurried home, I woremy license with pride and waggedmy tail at the jingle of the tags.Gee, I hope there is a treat waitingfor me at home!MAGGIE MAE lives in Chappaqua withher adoring owner RONNI DIAMONDSTEIN,who, when she isn’t walking Maggie isa freelance writer, PR consultant, award-winning photographerand a School Library Media Specialist and teacher who hasworked in the US and abroad.Chappaqua FriendsNursery School420 Quaker Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514914-238-6831 cfns@verizon.netAfternoon Pre-Ka child-centered, interactiveyear of exploration & discoveryfor young 5’s and older 4’sMorning Classesexploration & discovery for 3 & 4 year-oldsAt CFNS we value and nurtureintellectual curiosity, experiential learning,kindness, simplicity, community & respect for all.www.chappaquafriendsnurseryschool.orgMay 2010 Inside Chappaqua 29