Has Willards Woods gone to the dogs?
By Bethan L. Jones/ Staff Writer
Thursday, March 30, 2006 - Updated: 09:31 AM EST
Everyday, after dropping off her young son, Lee Duhl heads to Willards Woods off Brent Road to walk her golden retriever Toby.
While there, she often runs into Fran Detweiler walking with her yellow Labrador Mollie and Carol Caravana with her cockapoo Chino. Frank Mongiello takes his daughter Allison’s greyhound Chloe to the woods for a good run and Marie Dieringer brings the yellow lab puppy she is raising for the Guide Dog Foundation so she can get accustomed to other dogs.
"It’s not just a place to walk a dog," said Duhl. "It’s a place to meet up ... It’s really a social place."
Willards Woods is one of the several maintained tracts of conservation land in Lexington, with an access path right near the community pool on Brent Road. Residents head out there daily to let their dogs have a run and get exercise themselves. Over the years, the dog walkers have created their own community of friends and acquaintances with both two and four feet.
The dogs, however, have become an issue for some residents of Brent Road who see the use of the woods as a dog area as a nuisance. Complaints about parking and the condition of the paths led to a meeting at the Conservation Commission in early March to try and address issues and diffuse mounting tension between the two sets of residents.
Conservation Commission Chairman Joyce Miller said the March meeting brought the issues very much to a head. Held in the Estabrook meeting room in Cary Hall, the space was almost not large enough to hold all those interested.
"It was a very tense meeting," she said. "There was a lot of venting going on."
Miller said almost all conservation land in Lexington is open to the public with the exception of one parcel, which is kept as a bird sanctuary. Lexington has a leash law which requires dogs to either be on a leash or under voice command when out in public and a "pooper-scooper" law requiring dog owners to clean up after their pets. Miller said the commission is going over the many suggestions made and hopes to present these at an upcoming meeting.
"I think some good will come out of it," said Miller, adding she used to walk her own dog in Willards Woods from time to time.
Since the meeting, Duhl and other walkers have said they are "hyper sensitive" to the way they use the woods. Dogs are now leashed coming in and going out of the woods. When parking, they are extra careful not to block any access to homes or the nearby fire hydrant. Dog excrement is cleaned up and disposed of - there are even extra bags at the entrance gate.
"It was a wake-up call," said Duhl. "Awareness really, really has been raised."
Even with these changes, the dog owners are afraid the woods they use every day will be shut to them and their pets. Several walkers cited nearby residents who appeared unwilling to compromise and want the dogs gone.
"I feel there are reasonable solutions," said Leslie Goldberg, who walks her yellow lab there about three tines a week, adding the residents in the area have an attitude of "they don’t want outsiders in their neighborhood."
Most of the dog walkers are understanding of resident complaints and have worked to be better neighbors. A hand-written green sign now hangs at the Brent Road entrance reminding walkers to clean up after their dogs and keep them leashed on the main road. Two notes have appeared next to it from neighbors, thanking the group for making an effort.
The walkers are also supportive of other plans, such as creating a small parking lot on North Street to relieve the parking congestion and even asking residents to pay for a license to walk in the woods to limit non-residents and professional dog walkers who also use the woods.
"We all have a right," said Goldberg, reminding public land is paid for and maintained by all residents.
One request owners are not willing to acquiesce to is keeping dogs on the leash inside the woods.
"There’s no place in town to let the dogs off the leash," said Mongiello, as Chloe jogged off sniffing the ground. Carvana said she finds the run off the leash makes Chino better behaved and more responsive to her commands and Detweiler said her Mollie would go crazy if she could not have a good run every day.
"It’s good for them," Detweiler said as Mollie and Chino raced down the path.
Along with the exercise, the opportunity to meet other people and dogs is good for both breeds. Well-socialized dogs are better behaved and happier and the walks bring together a cross-section of residents who would not ordinarily meet otherwise.
"There’s a real community there," said Goldberg. "That’s one of the things people in the neighborhood don’t get ... because they’re not part of it."
Jane Gunther and her family live at 26 Brent Road, right near the entrance to the woods. Gunther said she feels the dog community there is so tight, those without dogs do not feel welcome.
"I want to keep the park open to all citizens," she said. "We love the woods and we want to walk there."
The next meeting will be held at the Conservation Commission on April 11.
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