Newton gets its first off leash dog park
Lee McIntyre sits at the back entrance of Cold Spring Park to make sure dog walkers adhere to a new set of leash-related rules.
By Ben Terris
Town Correspondent
Two signs mark the back entrance to Cold Spring Park in Newton. The first is a slightly rusting warning that all dogs must be on leashes, lest the owner wants to pay a $50 fine. The second, which was put up Tuesday, sends a slightly different message: “Dogs must be leashed until you reach the off-leash area” it says below a map of the park. With this sign comes Newton’s first legal dog park, at least for a nine month trial period.
Lee McIntyre, who helped spearhead this designation, spent the morning sitting in a lawn chair beside the new sign. He wanted to make sure that all users of the park were aware of the new rules.
“It took so long for us to get this park,” said McIntyre, who when not walking his two German Shepherds and Golden retriever is a writer, philosopher and part time teacher at Simmons College. “I just want to make sure that people follow the rules so we can keep it this way.”
The process toward turning Cold Spring Park into a legal dog park began in 2007 when the Board of Alderman voted to allow dogs to be off –leash in “designated areas.” At that time, there were no such places. So McIntyre and some of his fellow dog walkers, who dubbed themselves “Friends of Cold Spring Dog Park,” began a campaign to make their park an off-leash site.
By July of last year the Parks and Recreations committee allowed a field in Cold Spring Park to be a designated off-leash site as long as there was the appropriate signage. After McIntyre and others raised their own money to pay for these signs, the signage was finally put up this morning, making the place official. The dog park is now on a nine month trial period.
“We have had an underground illegal dog park here for years,” said McIntyre who estimated nearly 200 people walk their dogs at Cold Spring. “But to have it be official will really benefit everyone, and not just dog owners. Sure, the owners won’t be getting fined for taking their dogs off their leashes, but people without dogs will benefit too. Now that there is an official place to bring dogs, a place with a set of rules, it should really keep them from being places they shouldn’t be.”
Not all neighbors of the park are so excited. One man, who wished to remain anonymous, had this to say about the dog park:
“I’ve had dogs running around my property for years. I think instead of making it easier for dogs to run free in the neighborhood, they should make stricter laws to keep them in check.”
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I think those dogs should be on their leashes no matter where they are. I don't want them biting my children or bothering me ever.
Lucy... you are being ridiculous, and if you have a dog, PETA should probably be checking out how you are keeping them locked inside all day with no time to play. Dogs need a place to run and get their energy out, especially larger dogs, it will make them happier and less agressive if they are allowed to play off leash with other dogs. Taking them for a walk doesn't quite cut it. I think making designated areas is a great idea and will keep people out of the other areas where dogs shouldn't be off the leash, like around small children. Perhaps I think your children shouldn't be allowed off a leash because I don't want them around me while I'm at the park, I'm just playing devils advocate but instead of being so negative and miserable, you should look on the bright side and keep you and your children away from the dog area of the park.
I think this sounds great! As a mother of three (2 kids and 1 pup) I am so excited to finally have a public place where I can let them play freely, without the hassle of having to untangle all the leashes I keep on them.
wow! thank goodness! there aren't many woody areas to let my dog run free in the area. really good to know. now my pup and his doggie friends can be playful and run around and be healthy and free for awhile each day. and good timing, with this beautiful weather setting in!
...Then again, Lucy does have a point. I am a mother of two who took the children for strolls there when they were infants, and return when they have days off from school. This new area is not enclosed, unlike many of the dog-runs in other parks around the country (I grew up in New York and San Francisco, and they both have dog-run areas that both provide ample space for the pooches to prance and keep them from exuding their excitement on children). I think Newton's off-leash site is well overdue since they do deserve room to run, and there is one obvious change that needs to be made so that both dogs and children can co-exist there.
This is a good thing. More towns need a secured place to let their dogs off leash.
Being secured mean the dogs won't "bother" others.
As long as a dog owner picks up after their dog and address ehaivor issues all will be good.
I wish my town Winthrop had such a place .
Dogs should have a secured place to run and play...just like children. I assume there are as many parents with children are people with dogs... Children should run and play in children parks, while dogs should run and play in dog parks.
Do we really believe the same irresponsible dog owners who've let their dogs run off lease for years and all too frequently accost other park users will now suddenly limit their off-lease period to a designated park? I hope the town is coupling the opening of the park with more vigorous enforcement of existing ordinance, and I hope the new park works for everybody.
it would great if some part could be fenced off for dogs under20lbs. Lots of neighborhoods do that who have dog parks. Little dogs need to run around and socialize too.
Dog Parks can be bad news, particularly parks that have places where dogs can congregate. The dogs are excited, the owners tend not to pay attention to the dogs and are busy gabbing with each other. They don't know how to identify inappropriate behavior. People bring intact males to the park. There will be an increase in dogs going to the vet with injuries resulting from fights.
The ideal situation is a wooded park with trails that keep the dogs moving.
I live across the street from the newly designated dog park. I get an occasional lost dog from the park and an occasional "gift" on the lawn, which I think are from dogs walking with irresponsible humans, not from park escapees.
It will be interesting to see if there is any change to the pattern.
To put this in perspective, I was a dog owner when I lived in the country and promised my kids I'd get a dog if we had 2 acres for it to run free on. I like dogs. But if I get accosted by muddy mutts while taking a walk on the park trail, [not in the designated dog field,] I won't be a happy neighbor.
Sadly, dog owners do not seem to care about *any* limitations. Once they hear the phrase "leash-free," they seem to think it applies to the whole park.
On a recent visit to Cold Spring Park (to see the rare Eurasian Teal), I saw more dogs *off* leash than on -- and I'm pretty sure this area is NOT within the leash-free area. Of course all of the violators were carrying a leash, so they clearly understand that dogs are not free to run everywhere in the park. But clearly they feel that the rules to not apply to them or their dogs. Sigh.
This "they must mean other people/dogs" attitude seems to apply to dog walkers everywhere in the area, including Nahanton Park and Millennium Park in nearby West Roxbury. Owning a dog is NOT an excuse for being illiterate or rude.
There are too many selfish dog owners who disregard the leash laws at several Greater Boston area green spaces. For example: the beautiful arnold arboretum in Jamaica Plain. The beautiful conifer section becomes not so beautiful when you look down and see dog doo. Another example is the historic, beautiful Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain. Another;Millenium Park in West Roxbury. I do not enjoy muddy dogs jumping up on me and scratching me!
I was at the park last Tuesday. There were 4 or 5 dogs off leash starting at the
Beacon St. parking lot, no where near the off lease area. Their owners were also
not cleaning up afer their dogs.
All it will take is a few more of these morons that can't read to put an end to off lease.
There has been a long-known implicit "dog field" at CSP, and it doesn't bother me, IF the dogs are leashed elsewhere in the park. That includes all trails. Dog owners tend to get hypersensitive to any criticism of their precious pups. Some even try to claim that those in favor of leash laws hate dogs. News flash: Some people are very allergic to dogs, including me. Dogs off-leash not only can bother people by jumping on them with muddy paws and snouts; they also snuffle the rampant poison ivy in CSP and then run up to people to snuffle them. Dogs also disturb ground-nesting bird and animal species. So non-dogpeople are not selfish or crazy. Have your dog field with my blessing, but respect other people without attacking their reasons, please.
kmo527, that was needlessly nasty. First, there was no call to get personal and make mean remarks about Lucy's pets or kids (you don't even know if she has any). Second, people who get dogs, especially large ones, are responsible for their behavior--and for having a place to give them the running space all dogs need. A person can like dogs just fine but realize that they need to be controlled. Your nasty assumptions about anyone who disagrees--including that they can't possibly know anything about dogs and are a "miserable person"--does you very little credit.
Manners, please.
Friend of Dogs
that used to be a dumping ground for yard waste, and let me tell you -it used to SMELL. this is a much better idea. to let a dog romp free is a wonderful thing. bravo to newton for being so open-minded. bring on the doggies. if you don't like it- stay away. thats all...
My wife and I travel to many public spaces all over the eastern half of this state including this park on 3/21/09 and let us just get one thing very clear... dogs are loud as are their owners screaming for them to "come here". Dogs XXX just off trail so that is okay "I do not have to pick that up"?!?! Swear to god that is what I was told when I challenged a dog person about a fresh dropping just on the side of a major path. This is way out of control in so many places. Guess what dog owners? You think that because you pay taxes you have more rights? No you do not! We all pay taxes and I do not need your dogs running in our parks as they please. So here is the deal. When you go to any park that has tax payer money is funding it you will not even have to think about what pet is running at you or shitting where you or your children walk and play sounds fair right? Well guess what? That is NOT what we have now!
I'm not a local resident - but caught this issue in a photography forum that I frequent. Unfortunately, no amount of off-leash dog areas/parks/runs are going to solve the real problem which is quite simply: responsible dog owners. I'll qualify my position as both a dog owner as well as a parent (of a human! :) ).
We have several off-leash dog parks here in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, we tend not to visit very many of them often primarily because we find a lot to be desired by the behavior of many of the dogs (and their respective owners). Many of the dogs are unsocialized, aggressive, and as someone pointed out above, owners who really don't look after the behavior of the dogs and make necessary the necessary corrections when their dogs are showing inappropriate behavior (whether it's jumping on humans who come into the park, showing aggressive behavior to other dogs in the park, etc.)
Interestingly, the parks that does work is one in Berkeley called Caeser Chavez. It contains a 17 acre off-leash dog area contained within the Caeser Chavez park. It's actually not fenced off, but as a result of this, the dogs that come by tend to be under good voice control (otherwise, they'd run off...). There are some "trails" that keep both owners and dogs moving and exploring. Excrement isn't all over the place either. In fact, I've seen many families go ahead and spread out a picnic on the grassy fields. (And I'd say 95% of the owners do leash up before leaving the area - you need to cross about 200 meters of leashed area before you can get back to your car.)
It amazes me to no end that there are people IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD who don't care to clean up after their dogs. Since I walk my dog twice a day, it doesn't take long to figure out who these people are. I've even gone as far as to pick up THEIR dog's poop, and disposit the poop-bag on their doorstep with a note: "maybe you didn't have a bag with you?!"
My point however, is that not all dog owners are bad - those that tend to be responsible tend to not get noticed (which is the point isn't it?) - it's the bad apples that get noticed. I'm hugely supportive of having dog runs and parks; but by itself, is not a "solution" to some of the issues being discussed here. But at the end of the day, there are always going to be dog-haters who never want to see a dog in their neighborhood, ever. And it saddens me because if they have kids, they're often the ones that grow up fearful of dogs.
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