|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
[Home]
This department is for any canine related items. Please feel free to
send any comments, news, or items to our dog department at
dogs@wellingtonpark.org Is
there anyone out there who would like to be the dog chairperson for Citizens
for Wellington Park?
Along with our other Wellington Park Committees (such as our Garden Committee), we would like to have a dog committee to deal with dog issues. Anyone is welcome to participate on this committee (dog owners and non-dog owners). We need a volunteer for chairperson of this commiittee. If you would like to volunteer on this committe please contact dogs@wellingtonpark.org or call 617-969-6222.
It seems that here have been an awful lot of incidents lately of dogs being sprayed by skunks. Our local skunk population seems pretty high and it is not too unusual to see them out and about at night. Maybe its, just my perception, but do the skunks around here have broader white stripes than the average skunk, giving them the appearance more like a white cat at first?
Well, if your pet gets skunked, what do you do? You may have heard of bathing them in tomato juice, vinegar, douche, etc. Forget it. The following is a the recipe that works. Buy the ingredients and keep them together for emergency use. You can't pre-mix the solution and it has a very short lifespan when mixed. But it is extremely effective!
Mix a quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of liquid soap. Bathe your pet in the solution. Be very careful not to get any in your pets eyes (or your eyes). Rinse off with clear water. Your pet should again be acceptable house company. You can give your pet the sniff test and perhaps repeat a wash and rinse in selected areas. Discard any leftover solution since it has a essentially no shelf life. You will be amazed at how well this stuff works. It was apparently developed by a chemist somewhere who analyzed the smelly components of skunk spray and figured out how to best neutralize them. So drink the tomato juice instead of using it to bathe your pet!
Dog doo is a big issue at Wellington Park as you can see by the following notice posted on the park bulletin board (April, 2000):
The POOP (April, 2000)Wellington Park has always been a very friendly and cooperative park. It has long been a place where people have met while their children played on the swings or gathered while playing fetch with their dogs. In recent weeks, problems have developed. Some dog owners have not been picking up after their pets and there are dog feces all over the place. This has led to unhappy neighbors with messy shoes. Some of the neighbors have complained to the town and now the park is being watched carefully by the Newton Police for violations of leash laws, issuing any dog owner with a dog unleashed a $50.00 fine.
Stepping in dog feces is a very unpleasant experience. Dog feces are a health hazard to people, especially to little kids who touch everything. Dogs on leashes poop just as much as unleashed dogs. It is the dog's owners responsibility to clean up after their pet. Bags have always been available on the tennis court fence and recently by the gates for that purpose. There is no excuse to leave behind dog droppings.
The hope is that soon we will be able to eliminate this problem and reestablish good neighborly relations with park abutters. If you do see anyone not picking up after their dogs, please write a description of person and dog to hang on a "Wall of Shame". If you see people just letting dogs out of cars to "do their business" note the make and model and if possible the plate number and let us know. For safety sake do not approach dogs and people you don't know. If you have hired a dog walking service please ask them to pick up after your pets or keep them out of the park. If you are a rebel and let your dog run and play, please be mindful of the children. Some children are scared of even the nicest dogs and even the nicest dogs are not always used to little children. Keep your dog on a leash around children. Let's keep this park a very cool place for everyone.
Here is another comment received earlier by email (February, 2000):
"I did want to weigh in on the subject of dogs in the park, though - specifically, the people the dogs bring with them. As anyone can see, the park is a mess, and all of we dog owners will be held responsible for the inexcusable behavior of a few. I'd be willing to take part in a park clean-up sometime soon. Further, I'd be willing to turn in any dog owner I observe failing to clean up after his or her animal. The responsible dog owners should take the initiative on this, or we'll be tarred and feathered along with the offenders."
The following comments are quoted from Ronda's Survey of park needs in 1999.
"Sign: 'no dogs allowed'""There should be one or two prominent signs within the park to remind dog owners that using the park as a "doggie bathroom" will not be tolerated and this law should be enforced as strictly as possible. This is a serious issue as many kids use the park."
"Would like to see the grassy area free of dog feces. Would like to see more signs reminding/warning dog owners to pick up after dogs. Discuss community watch for this problem as well as general safety."
On a cleanup at the park (April 16, 2000) a sweep of the park periphery for dog doo came up with no less than 16 doo piles. So there is definitely a problem! This will require vigilance on the part of all dog owners. Doo on the shoe is very bad PR for dog usage at the park! Several owners report that they pick up more doo from other dogs than their own!
Please clean up after your dog and pick up any other doo you see. Keep
an eye on what your dog is doing in the park. Doo Bags are provided
in the larger plastic bags near the bulletin board on the tennis court
fence and at other entrances. Please feel free to use the bags inside
(not the container bag itself!). Also please feel free to contribute
bags to the container bags. It's a very good use for those plastic
bags from the supermarket or for the ones that newspapers come in.
Don't allow your pet to urinate in the area of swings, play equipment, fountain,
or benches. This will attract other dogs to urinate there as well.
The following letter was received by Citizens for Wellington park in response to our fundraising appeal in April, 2000. It reflects some serious concerns about dog behavior at Wellington Park.
"I appreciate your public spiritedness, But -We made a small contribution, but I am really concerned about the fact that the park is totally overrun with dogs. To my mind it should just be titled, "The West Newton Dog Park." In the mornings and at any time on weekends, there are so many unleashed dogs there, I and my children just cannot use the park.
I was there one afternoon last summer with my 82 year old mother and my 2 year old son, and a whole pack of dogs came bounding up to us. When my mother call out to the owners, one of them (a woman) yelled at her, "What did you say?" in an extremely rude way. We tried to swing but the dogs kept coming over. So we left. I have never been back.
I think it's illegal for these people to the use the park this way. Is anyone going to address this problem? I don't see the point in spending a lot of resources on the park if there are going to be hoards of unleashed animals careening around at all hours!"
The following letter was received on October 11, 2000.
"Dear Neighbors and Fellow Dog Lovers;
Does your dog go nuts if another dog is outside of your house?Imagine 5-10 dogs running and barking outside of your house every morning for close to an hour. That's my life on the other side of the fence and I really can't stand it any more.
Almost a decade ago I bought this great little house in a quiet neighborhood in Newton and fenced in my yard so that I could have a dog. Now I can't even let my dog out in the yard in the morning because there is a pack of dogs off leash who bark and growl at my dog and he at them - thus disturbing the entire neighborhood.
This dog situation has really gotten out of hand. Just a few years ago there might have been 1-2 dogs in Wellington Park for 10-15 minutes at different times of the day. Now there is this herd of dogs from at least 7:00am - 7:45am every morning.
Neighbors have complained that they are awoken every day by the noise. Other dog owners don't feel safe walking their dogs past the park as the dogs in the park charge at the fence. And now the neighborhood wants to put up a fence around the beautiful new play structure to keep the dogs away from the children? It would be a lot more cost effective and aesthetic to just obey the Newton leash law - and it IS the law!
My formal request to all of you is to please put your dogs back on their leashes and find another place to play. Take turns in each other's yards or at least find another park that is NOT surrounded by houses. I'm sure that all of us who abut the park would really appreciate your consideration.
Thank you for looking at this situation from the other side of the fence!"
Please try to keep you dog under control especially when there are other users of the park who may not have the same affection for canines that you do. Groups of dogs running around generate a bit of anxiety in many people. Please try to respect other park users' personal space and make sure that your dog is under control and will listen to a "come" command from you. The park is big enough that a dog under control should be able to play fetch in an area far enough away from other users. The above letter shows the amount of distress bad dog behavior can have.
Please try to keep sound down to the minimum possible out of deference to park abutters, especially in the early morning hours (and especially on weekends, when people like to sleep a little longer). This applies to all users of the park, especially dog owners, play equipment and sports users. If dogs are barking, owners are speaking loudly, or whistles are blown, particularly early in the morning, it can be annoying to those who live next to the park. Sound travels. Just be considerate. If your dog does not get along with certain other dogs and barks, go at a different time. If your dog tends to jump on people, go at a time when the park is not crowded and keep your dog under control. Keep your pet away from the play areas (it's the law).
Thank you for your consideration. Let's all work together to keep Wellington Park a friendly, cooperative, and neighborly destination.
This comment was received (February, 2000) concerning the issue of whether the ungated entrances at the park should be gated:
"The 'dog people' at the park have had many discussions over the past few weeks as to whether we can get additional gates for the openings not yet gated. We wonder whether this is on the table at all. If not, we would like it to be. "
This was issue Number 16 on the Summer 99 Survey. This possiblilty will be discussed with Parks and Recreation. It seems that for some purposes, gates are a hindrance. For example, consider a child riding their bikes in an out of the sloped SW gate (near Kilburn and Henshaw Place). To leave, they would have to park their bike at the botttom of the slope, walk up, open the gate, go back down, either walk their bike up the slope or ride back out to get a running start, then stop at the top and reclose the gate. That's a lot to ask. However, that there is not a gate is problematic for dogs (or possibly children) running out into traffic. Perhaps, there could be a sliding gate that is normally left open but could optionally be closed when little children or dogs are in the vicinity. It would be the responsibility of the parents or owners to take care of leaving the gate open afterwards. - TK
Have you had that experience where you meet another dog owner at the park and you ask the dog's name but haven't a clue or have forgotten the owner's name. Well, just thought wewould try to put up a list here for those who consent to be on the list (with whatever info you wish). Just send an email to dogs@wellingtonpark.8m.com with your info. No comments please on how much dogs and owners look alike! My dog is much better looking than me.
Last Edited on October 11, 2000.