Brookline Green Dog Program
The following is an expert from the materials
provided by Brookline's Park & Recreation Dept. and is an excellent
overview of the importance of implementing off-leash areas in the
community:
Brookline's "Off-Leash Program" in Parks
Most people use the term dog park but not everyone wants to be
fenced in for their off-leash recreation; they want off-leash access
to open space. Each community needs to decide what kind of off-leash
space it wants. Dog owners probably need different kinds of space
within the park system, just as there are indoor and outdoor basketball
courts, or tot lots for babies and playgrounds for older kids. Dog
owners are legitimate recreational users who need a variety of spaces
just as other users do. The Brookline Park and Recreation Commission,
through a pilot program, will be instituting "shared use: off-leash
access at an existing park where dogs are allowed off-leash in the
park with other users during specific hours".
Why Off-Leash Areas Matter
Life in a Leash-Only World
Imagine that your daily exercise was limited to a slow walk on
the end of a rope. This is your only time to get outside, to see
the world and have a little fun, but you have to move at the pace
of the person controlling you--seeing and smelling only what is
in range of the rope.
Imagine now that you are on the other end of that rope. Most likely,
you constantly have to force the creature at the other end of the
rope to restrict her/his movements and impulses. Instead of enjoying
the beauty around you as you walk, your focus is on controlling
your companion. Your walk in the woods is not pleasurable; it's
a chore at best, and more often, an ordeal.
Finally, imagine that you live near a dog whose only exercise
comes at the end of a leash. You have to listen as your dog neighbor,
bored and under-exercised, barks at every passerby. You have to
deal with the dog's bad behavior when it manages to escape its prison
and steal a few moments of freedom. You wonder why anyone would
own a dog, and wish that there were fewer of them around to disturb
your peace.
A Better Way
Now, imagine the alternative: each day your dog has a chance to
move freely in nature, using body and brain to explore and fulfill
her genetic destiny'. You are their companion, taking joy in their
freedom and sharing with them a direct sense of connection to the
natural world. When you get home, your well-exercised and happy
dog is content to stick close to home because they know they'll
have their chance again tomorrow at free play. Your neighbor stops
by and comfortably pets your quiet and well-behaved companion, thinking
how lucky he is that you are such a responsible dog owner, meeting
your dogs needs so that the dog is a boon to the community, not
a burden.
This is why access to off-leash areas matters.
Benefits of Off-Leash Areas
Off-leash recreation offers exercise for people and their dogs.
The daily dog walk gives people a chance to exercise, to be out
in nature, to meet with others and to create a community. Dog walkers
find friends at off-leash parks; they also monitor each other and
spread the word about courtesy, clean up, and control. A strong
argument in favor of creating off-leash spaces is that availability
of legal off-leash areas cuts down on illegal off-leash use, making
dog-averse people more comfortable in public spaces because there
is less chance of encountering off-leash dogs in unauthorized places.
The National Parks & Recreation Service notes in its booklet,
Planning Parks for Pets: Designating an area where dog owners can
allow their animals to run off-leash successfully remedies this
problem in parks where the concept has been introduced. Violations
of the leash law and subsequent public complaints have decreased;
and dog owners have a place to legally exercise their pets. Off-leash
areas allow dog owners to be law-abiding, easing the burden of enforcement
on police officers and freeing them to do more important work.
Additional Benefits of Off-Leash Areas
Off-leash areas offer the following additional advantages:
- Accommodate senior citizens and the disabled, who cannot always
walk their dogs on leash.
- Promote pet behavioral socialization, making dogs safer
around other dogs and people.
- Discourage delinquent and criminal activity in Town of
Brookline parks. Provide an alternative for dogs and owners no
longer permitted access to environmentally sensitive areas.
- Build a community of people committed to parks and the
environment.
Become A Powerful Off-leash Advocate---Start or Join a
Dog Group
The success of any off-leash movement depends on numbers. Off-leash
advocates need to present a large and unified voice. Join a dog
group: find out if there is an existing group for the off-leash
area you want. Start a dog group: The first and most important step
in getting the dog off-leash area you want is to join or create
a group to oversee all aspects of the program.
The Dog Park Committee certainly believes that a Green Dog Program
would be equally successful in Beverly and is drawing up proposals
to move forward with this program. If you would like to work with
us on this project, please join BARC
or contact wooff@beverlybarc.com
For more info:
Brookline
Green Dog Program Website
Beverly Dog Park Committee Meeting
Recap
Help BARC convince the city that Off Leash Exercise for residents
and their dogs is a legitimate recreational activity that contributes
to the community and deserves support!
View and sign the Support
Off Leash Areas In Beverly Petition!
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