With pressure from the NRC and education by Concord Unleashed, the responsible dog owners of Concord are keeping their dogs in sight and under voice control, and leaving no trace of dog waste in the woods and fields of the Town Conservation land we all love.
On November 15th, the NRC subcommittees are planning to report their recommendations for restricting thirteen town-owned properties for use by walkers with unleashed dogs and then present them to the Select Board. Those many responsible dog owners (who train their dogs to be good citizens on and off leash) are the ones who have, for years, been stewards of the lands they walk daily, reporting suspicious activity, removing trash and downed limbs, helping lost walkers, sharing the whereabouts of wildlife so that other walkers can avoid them, and letting the NRC know when the supply of waste bags is low. Though they know, intimately – and appreciate deeply – the lands they walk on, these people are the ones with the most to lose to the proposed restrictions. As some people who live here may play tennis, or golf, or ride bikes or horses, Concord Unleashed citizens’ form of recreation is long rambling walks on conservation land with their dogs off-leash. They are passionate about their sport. They are in the woods and fields every day all year round regardless of the weather. They are the people setting a good example, and encouraging others to comply with the canine commandments:
- Always maintain control of your dog (leash or effective voice).
- Keep them within sight at all times.
- Always pick up after your dog and dispose of waste properly.
- Leash up when encountering other beings on the trails.
- Don’t allow dogs on farmed fields or near vernal pools.
As the NRC seeks a balance between conservation and passive recreational use – an important part of NRC’s mission – members of the Concord Unleashed community request the commission to slow down, to notice the improvements that have been made in a matter of months, and take time to work with Concord Unleashed Responsibly to improve the dog-owning public’s understanding of what is expected of all dog owners and their canine companions in the Town of Concord. Let us work together so that walkers and runners without dogs, walkers and runners who are afraid of dogs, walkers with dogs off-leash, and walkers with dogs must be on-leash can all, fully and confidently, enjoy the conservation lands we share.