concord unleashed.org

Dear Editor:

It was very disheartening to hear of the recent vandalism and of the gate construction by the abutters to Estabrook Woods. The over 1100 petition signers and members of Concord Unleashed do not condone acts of vandalism nor would we ever promote such activities. Both actions do little to bring Concord together and only serve to further alienate an increasingly restricted general population who believe in maintaining public access to the woods.

Sadly, as reported in the Concord Journal, it looks like there was some vandalism to two of the eight signs installed by the abutting landowners in Estabrook Woods. This sort of activity is not endorsed by Concord Unleashed and goes against all that we aspire for our community. Our hope is to come together and find a workable solution to these dog related issues. These type actions will only serve to further distance us from achieving our goals and will unfortunately make the process more difficult. Although it remains to be determined who did this, as always, we advocate abiding by the applicable laws and respecting others. Thank you

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.

Good news for all petition signers and those who enjoy walks in the woods with their dogs unleashed! The NRC has backed off on requiring leashes and is instead putting together a one-year trial plan of off leash use with guidelines TBD. Basically they will be instituting what we had been advocating for all along: trash receptacles, etiquette guidelines (posted and a pamphlet given at the dog license office) as well as involvement with the dog community to assist in creating a conscientious culture.

The details have yet to be worked out and there is still lots of work ahead, but it appears cooler heads prevailed and they have decided to try less restrictive measures first. However, it is still extremely important (as always) to adhere to good pet-etiquette behavior and practice… following the basic “Canine Commandments”. Pick up waste, leash up around others and keep them under voice control and in sight.

The word “responsible” was frequently used last night as well as the notion of “buy-in”. The NRC wants to be certain that any upcoming regulations are agreed upon by the dog owning public. Without our support, they will have little effect. I have total faith in our community, as I know so many personally and have seen us come together before. Although there is still much to be decided, and another meeting TBD this fall, the bottom line is good, with the leash restrictions now off the table. Thank you everyone for your support, signing the petition, writing letters, and attending the NRC meetings. I seriously doubt that this would have been accomplished without everyone coming together. Enjoy the rest of your summer… off leash!

NOTE: This was sent to Delia Kaye on July 25 and was part of an ongoing discussion we were engaged in.

 

Dear Delia,

I’m glad to hear that you are now considering other options besides just leash laws. I am more than happy to spread the word and let the many concerned dog owners know. Your posting on our petition is one good way to get this information out, but perhaps you should make some sort of announcement at the next NRC meeting? As you know, over 1000 people will see your post, but it would be good to hear the specific details at our next meeting. As you can imagine, I get a number of inquiries as to what is going on, so I would like to be able to give out accurate and current information.

Since it was only last week that you mentioned this “range of options”, my main concern has been letting people know about your initial proposal and the potential loss of these conservation lands for off leash use. To that end, we have organized a committee to meet, discuss and address these issues, collected over 1000 signatures (with commentary), created a website where information and guidelines can be presented, made a Facebook page to notify residents of upcoming meetings and sent out over 1300 letters to inform the town’s licensed dog owners. All of this at our own expense. And although it may appear that we are just saying, “NO”, we are actually trying to do much more, and change dog owners behavior. We hear your concerns and respect the rights of other users.

One of our biggest goals, is to educate the public about these issues that you and the NRC have identified and to help remedy them in whatever ways possible. In regards to dog waste, we have made several suggestions about waste disposal and providing receptacles. We even have a resident with a generous offer to endow a fund for this. Myself and many others are more than willing to help. We have dozens of names of people who would like to volunteer and serve as ambassadors in the conservation areas, so that we can ensure that proper etiquette is being followed. I believe someone even mentioned this at our last meeting, referencing “an army of people willing to patrol and promote good dog ownership.”

To some extent, I think you may already be seeing some positive results. Jay Vogt, my friend who penned the piece in the Globe in favor of leash restrictions, just wrote to tell me last week:

“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.”

Clearly this is a charged and emotional issue. The many letters that I have seen are people expressing a real concern for something that they hold dear. It is a way of life for them and they are upset seeing it threatened. For the most part, they have been very respectful and from day one, I have been promoting a civil and productive discussion. My latest petition post again calls for rational and constructive commentary. Unfortunately, I think you have to expect some degree of negative feedback, but with better communication, listening to each other and working together, I think we can reach a reasonable and peaceful conclusion.

Thank you for your continued efforts and I look forward to discussing this more in the upcoming meetings.

Best,

Jeff

Please sign our petition to let the NRC know you want to responsibly keep dogs off-leash: PETITION

NOTE: If you are having difficulty finding where to sign, try accessing from your phone. It may be a little bit easier to do there, thx.