Month: August 2017

Please fill out our online survey for Concord Dog Owners. It will only take 5-10 minutes and give us important feedback that we can share with the town. It is critical to get as many responses as possible from many different dog owners, so please share this and pass it on to your dog owning friends and neighbors in Concord.

This survey was created to gather information from the dog community so that we can present some hard data to the town. Without this information, we would only be speculating as to what all of our dog loving neighbors think. The purpose of this survey is to provide the town with a realistic and clear picture of where we walk, why we walk there and what we enjoy about the experience. We are also concerned about making off-leash encounters pleasant and enjoyable for all users, so we are looking for ways to promote proper pet etiquette. Thank you so much and we appreciate your taking the time to read and respond.

 

CONCORD OFF-LEASH SURVEY

A little hokey, but still sweet:

 

Delia and the Concord Natural Resources Commission is looking for our assistance and input in three different areas: Education, Effective Voice Control and Dog Waste. If you would like to assist, let them know. Several of us are looking to work together insuring that we (off leash dog proponents) have a place at the table and can work this out with the NRC reasonably and responsibly.

Please email DKaye@ConcordMA.gov and J.YoungIdeas@comcast.net

Thanks!

In an era of polarizing politics, it was refreshing to hear the Natural Resource Commission considering much less restrictive measures for dogs off leash. We were delighted that they recognize our concerns. The fact that the online petition (with nearly 1100 signatures) gathered 500 signatures in two days, clearly indicates how serious this issue is. People in Concord value this privilege and live here because of it.

There is no doubt that some do not like to encounter dogs off leash. And we have seen Estabrook Woods entrance mid winter and it is not always pretty. Much dog etiquette could certainly use improvement. But with some simple guidelines, and waste receptacles at the entrances, many of these issues can be resolved.

Another important point made during the last meeting was the notion of “buy-in”. We wholeheartedly agree and feel that support would be much greater if dog owners were to work with the NRC. Combined, our resources can help create a more “conscientious culture” in the dog community.

And there have been some positive results already. Jay Vogt, who had favored leash restrictions, writes:

“The last two or three times I have been running, the dog owners I’ve encountered have been super respectful.

They either had their dog on leash, or brought them physically to the side in a calming way, or had voice command.

I’ve thanked each and every one, believe me, it’s been thrilling, like they all got the memo.”

The vast majority of dog owners are courteous and well aware of the tenuous relationship that we all share, not just here, but with our entire planet. But, if we limit the places we can engage, we will only further disconnect ourselves. Thank you NRC for listening and we look forward to resolving this together, reasonably and responsibly.