Off-leash dog behavior
Here’s a segment that aired on NECN last November featuring information about dog play styles and some common behavior problems:
Part of responsible dog ownership is learning about your dog’s behavior and engaging in good training practices to correct issues. And let’s face it — most of our dogs have issues!
Looking for more info? MayDOG’s Off-leash Dog Behavior workshop on May 3 will consist of an hour and a half of great information like what you just saw. Click here to learn more and register on-line!
Free pet safety pack from the ASPCA
Here’s a nice offer from the ASPCA for a free safety pack, including a pet rescue window decal (alerts rescue personnel that pets are inside your home) and an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet.
Report from Board of Selectmen Meeting, March 24, 2009
Three members of MayDOG met with the Maynard Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 7pm. The selectmen had been given a copy of our full proposal in advance, and we gave a brief summary presentation of the highlights during the first 10 minutes. After that, each of the selectmen had a chance to speak and ask questions. Their questions gave us a lot of insight into their concerns, which mainly consist of budget, town liability/exposure, and lack of town resources. They made it pretty clear that nothing is going to happen on this issue in the short term. They suggested that we continue to fundraise and do research on issues such as liability insurance and operating budgets. The landfill site is still a possibility, but they want to investigate the solar farm first and do not feel it is wise to try to present both the solar farm and the dog park proposals to the Dept. of Environmental Protection at the same time. Therefore, it will be a while before we know anything about the landfill site. They recommended we continue to look at other sites, and suggested the Rockland Ave property as one alternative.
The bottom line is that they seem to feel that this is not a high priority for the town and are not convinced of the need for the park. We tried to convey the potential for the park having a positive impact on the community, but it’s not clear that they were convinced.
Here’s what we hope to do next:
- Continue to research potential sites
- Continue to build our membership
- Begin more intensive fundraising and building awareness
Your comments are welcome, either below or by email.
Read comments from another MayDOG board member here.
Letters to the Editor
In many communities, people write impassioned letters to the editor regarding their feelings about off-leash dogs. Here are just two of our favorites:
Green Dog program makes neighborhood stronger (Brookline):
Brookline’s Green Dog Program enhances the sense of community in our neighborhoods. Community building thrives on the regular contact that cannot be achieved by a yearly party, yard sale or potluck. Not all community building takes place in the schools. The benefits to the community of the Green Dog Program are numerous. We help each other, counsel each other, hire each other’s children, console each other and celebrate with each other. Our dogs are socialized, which reduces aggression. We welcome new neighbors and help people to feel that they belong to a real community.
And another agrees (Northborough):
People, who happen to own dogs, are requesting recreational space where they would have the opportunity to meet friends with a common interest. The features of this project provide the cornerstone to a genuine sense of community. Northborough residents have come to the town with such requests resulting in sports fields, tennis courts, a skateboard park, playgrounds, a water park and most recently a senior center and a library with meeting rooms. The request for an area safe for dogs and their humans that is noninvasive to other town citizens is as logical as the other facilities listed above.
Lessons Learned from the Trouble in Newton
Newton is currently running a 9-month trial of legal off-leash recreation at Cold Spring Park. According to this article in the Boston Globe, there are a number of problems, including unhappy neighbors. The neighbors complain about increased traffic and on-street parking, dog owners not obeying the rules, and people coming to the park from all over the area. There appear to be conflicting users of the area as well – dog owners, runners, and soccer players.
What can MayDOG learn from these problems?
First, an important ingredient for a successful dog park is adherence to reasonable rules by dog owners. Having a park be the end result of a community-wide effort, and requiring paid permits to use the area once it is established, may help create a sense of ownership of the park. A strong sense of ownership leads to people taking better care of the park and applying peer pressure on other park users to do the same.
Second, taking a part of an established park as a dog park can cause conflict. Luckily, the area where MayDOG hopes to establish a park is not currently used by any other constituencies.
Third, parking and traffic need to be accomodated at any park. In this case, it sounds like there isn’t enough parking at the park, and the street sounds like it was a quiet residential street before the park was made official. In our case, the landfill is on a major road with few close-by houses, and there seems to be adequate space for plenty of parking to be created off the street.
Fourth, the Cold Spring off-leash area is not fenced. This is a major impediment to a successful park, and one that will not apply to our park.
Finally, the neighbors complain that most of the visitors to the park aren’t from the neighborhood. In our case, Maynard is small and we’re all in the same neighborhood. Increased visitors from out of town may be good for our local economy. And again, requiring paid permits may reduce the number of casual visitors.
Hopefully, the Friends of Cold Spring Park can work through these issues and end up with a wonderful amenity that is around for years to come. And hopefully, the lessons from the conflicts in other communities will help us find better solutions here in Maynard.
