Unleashed frustration
Out-of-town dog owners howl over Cambridge
What's wrong with Babe? She's from
Fresh Pond is one of the few parks in the area where dogs are allowed to run
free. But the Cambridge Water Department, which oversees the park, wants to ban
nonresident pooches from roaming off leash and plans to outfit
The Water Department says all those roaming out-of-town dogs are leading to
the degradation of the soil and water quality in the park.
But when the Water Department started issuing the medallions to dog owners
last month and ordered rangers to warn people who walk their dogs at the park
that they needed to obtain the red badges, angry residents protested to the
City Council.
Council members were surprised and said the Water Department had no right to
restrict use of the park without their consent. At a heated meeting last month,
councilors halted the medallion initiative and scheduled a vote for June.
If the plan is approved, Babe from
"I was brought up in England before World War II and saw happenings in
Europe and discrimination against groups," Wilkins said last week he as he
watched Babe chew a stick. "This whole business is a retrograde
step."
Some
Not only that, said Daniele Skopek,
residents who want to qualify for a medallion would have to fill out a form
each year in which they would agree to abide by the rules of the park.
"I oppose that I have to sign a piece of paper," Skopek said as her rottweiler,
Lula, sat calmly beside her. "It says I'm an untrustworthy person. Maybe
they need to have dog owners take an obedience test."
Wilkins, of
The Water Department's managing director, Sam Corda,
countered that city regulations already prohibit out-of-town dogs from being
off leash and restrict
He said that by issuing the medallions, his department was merely seeking
"an easier method to enforce an existing ordinance."
"We've spent millions on renovations," Corda
said. "We need to figure out ways to enforce the rules on the books."
Whether city councilors approve the medallion plan may depend on whether
they are convinced by the argument that dogs are contributing to soil erosion
or poor water quality.
Corda acknowledged that there is no evidence of
any connection. "It's already too late if we have data to prove
this," he said. "Let's be proactive in protecting our drinking
water."
Councilor Craig A. Kelley said in a telephone interview that he favors
protecting an important resource, but that he would also like some evidence.
"How many dogs are too many?" he asked. "Is it truly being
overused?"
"If we make a decision, we need to have it be a reasonable one,"
Kelley said. "If it's not, you lose the people's faith in the
program."
Ed Dowling, who manages the Water Department's water quality laboratory,
said the dogs' use of the park has not hurt the city's water, which is treated
before making its way to faucets. He said that the new $54 million treatment
plant at Fresh Pond could easily maintain water quality, even if the numbers of
canines in the park doubled.
Helen Fairman, owner of a standard poodle named
"Studies have shown that dogs are more aggressive on leash because they
can't get away, and they feel more territorial because they are attached to you
on a tether," she said.
Some non-Cambridge dog owners said the ban, if imposed, would not stop them
from letting their dogs run free. They already have to park in a lot at a
shopping center to evade resident-only parking at the reserve.
"I do a lot of shopping around here when I come to Fresh Pond,"
said Caryn Hirsch of
Wilkins, 70, said he would ignore the ban. "That's because I'm a
troublemaker," he said with a grin. And then he loosened his grip on
Babe's leash. 