Unleashed frustration

CAMBRIDGE -- If some Cambridge officials have their way, dogs like Babe, a frisky yellow lab mix, will be sidelined at Fresh Pond Reservation.

What's wrong with Babe? She's from Belmont.

Fresh Pond is one of the few parks in the area where dogs are allowed to run free. But the Cambridge Water Department, which oversees the park, wants to ban nonresident pooches from roaming off leash and plans to outfit Cambridge canines with bright red medallions, so the rangers who patrol the park can see which dogs belong and which do not.

The Water Department says all those roaming out-of-town dogs are leading to the degradation of the soil and water quality in the park.

But when the Water Department started issuing the medallions to dog owners last month and ordered rangers to warn people who walk their dogs at the park that they needed to obtain the red badges, angry residents protested to the City Council.

Council members were surprised and said the Water Department had no right to restrict use of the park without their consent. At a heated meeting last month, councilors halted the medallion initiative and scheduled a vote for June.

If the plan is approved, Babe from Belmont will be forced to look on longingly, straining in her blue harness, as Cambridge dogs roll in the grass and run beside their owners. Her owner, Pete Wilkins, takes the potential exclusion personally.

"I was brought up in England before World War II and saw happenings in Europe and discrimination against groups," Wilkins said last week he as he watched Babe chew a stick. "This whole business is a retrograde step."

Some Cambridge dog owners also questioned the idea of pooch protectionism. "It would be a real shame if not everyone could enjoy such a beautiful natural resource," said Rachael Maxwell, whose pug, Titus, trotted in circles with several other dogs. "We're all taxpayers. Why should someone who maybe can't afford to live in Cambridge be denied? It doesn't seem very egalitarian."

Not only that, said Daniele Skopek, residents who want to qualify for a medallion would have to fill out a form each year in which they would agree to abide by the rules of the park.

"I oppose that I have to sign a piece of paper," Skopek said as her rottweiler, Lula, sat calmly beside her. "It says I'm an untrustworthy person. Maybe they need to have dog owners take an obedience test."

Wilkins, of Belmont, wondered whether a park that receives federal and state funding has the right to restrict access for people and canines from out of town.

The Water Department's managing director, Sam Corda, countered that city regulations already prohibit out-of-town dogs from being off leash and restrict Cambridge dogs from "romping on mowed, grassy areas."

He said that by issuing the medallions, his department was merely seeking "an easier method to enforce an existing ordinance."

"We've spent millions on renovations," Corda said. "We need to figure out ways to enforce the rules on the books."

Whether city councilors approve the medallion plan may depend on whether they are convinced by the argument that dogs are contributing to soil erosion or poor water quality.

Corda acknowledged that there is no evidence of any connection. "It's already too late if we have data to prove this," he said. "Let's be proactive in protecting our drinking water."

Councilor Craig A. Kelley said in a telephone interview that he favors protecting an important resource, but that he would also like some evidence. "How many dogs are too many?" he asked. "Is it truly being overused?"

"If we make a decision, we need to have it be a reasonable one," Kelley said. "If it's not, you lose the people's faith in the program."

Ed Dowling, who manages the Water Department's water quality laboratory, said the dogs' use of the park has not hurt the city's water, which is treated before making its way to faucets. He said that the new $54 million treatment plant at Fresh Pond could easily maintain water quality, even if the numbers of canines in the park doubled.

Helen Fairman, owner of a standard poodle named Harvey, protested the medallion plan at the City Council meeting last month. She says safety is a bigger concern than any adverse effect dogs might have on the water.

"Studies have shown that dogs are more aggressive on leash because they can't get away, and they feel more territorial because they are attached to you on a tether," she said.

Some non-Cambridge dog owners said the ban, if imposed, would not stop them from letting their dogs run free. They already have to park in a lot at a shopping center to evade resident-only parking at the reserve.

"I do a lot of shopping around here when I come to Fresh Pond," said Caryn Hirsch of Brighton, while Milo, her chocolate toy poodle sat at her feet. "I spend money in Cambridge."

Wilkins, 70, said he would ignore the ban. "That's because I'm a troublemaker," he said with a grin. And then he loosened his grip on Babe's leash.