My town - Brookline, MA recently made the news - even National news, when they announced that they were thinking about (and then did enact) a fee for dogs to go unleashed in the approved parks in Brookline. as part of their Green Dog Program. This caused quite the uproar at a Town Selectman Hearing with members of the community from, both sides of the issue, trying to voice their opinions. Selectman voted to charge $50/year per dog (residents - $100 for non residents) for the right to have your dog off leash during designated hours as well as a vendor fee to professional dog walkers. The money is to help fund a Park Ranger to help with enforcement/compliance as well as to improve the communication with dog owners about the program. Previously this was all done on a volunteer basis. It was agreed that the cost was far greater to run the program then they will collect but the Town felt it was necessary to begin to add additional fees for use of the Parks (fees for organized Sports will also be charged).
I don't want to get into the pro's and con's of charging for the right to have your dog off leash - I can see both sides of the issue - what I want to talk about is what to do once you are at the park, basically park etiquette.
Brookline's Rules - which are similar or should be followed in all parks include the following:
- Aggressive dogs are not permitted on or off-leash.
- Dogs who show continued aggression towards people, other dogs, or wildlife must be removed immediately.
- The number of dogs per person is limited to three.
- Dogs must be 4 months old to participate in the program.
- Dogs in heat are not allowed off-leash
- License your dog and make sure vaccinations are current. Dogs must be licensed, vaccinated, and healthy (no contagious conditions, diseases, or parasites). Put license and identification on dog's collar.
- Make sure your dog is under voice control (dog responds to and obeys your verbal commands).
- Bring waste pick-up bags. Cleaning up after your dog is critical and one of the major issues when the discussion about the program is brought up - COMPLIANCE to hours and waste removal are the biggest concerns always discussed.
At the Park
- Keep your dog on leash until you are inside the park. Keep your leash on hand at all times.
- Check for park closed signs, wet fields, crews working in the park, or permitted activities, all of which mean off-leash hours are suspended.
- Pick up after your dog and encourage others to do the same.
- Keep your dog in sight at all times and under voice control.
- Be mindful of your dog so that other park visitors, their children, and their dogs are not anxious about their safety. Many people do not like unfamiliar dogs — and sometimes other dogs don't like unfamiliar dogs.
http://brooklinegreendog.com/
http://www.brooklinema.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=706&Itemid=1029
If you are bitten by a dog at the park or if your dog bites others - there are things you need to know:
Regardless of who is the biter or the bitten - both are equally responsible for the incident. Check the injuries - if there are puncture wound these can become infected and need to be treated. Exchange contact info and get witnesses info as well.. In Massachusetts the guardian of a dog who bites a person may be held liable for civil damages. Check out dogbitelaw.com
(thanks to Tails Inc of this information).
