Make no bones about it: Dog owners unhappy with medallion idea

phoCCfreshpond1_0301mm

Photo by Maggie Mastricola

A Cambridge advisory board has suggested changing the rules and restrictions on walking dogs in Fresh Pond Reservation. Cambridge resident Jen Routley takes a break from her run around the park with son Alex while her dog Zinny explores on a Saturday afternoon in February.

By Serghino René/Correspondent

Cambridge Chronicle

Fri Apr 27, 2007, 07:28 PM EDT

Story Tools: Email ThisEmail This |  Print ThisPrint This

Cambridge -

Dog owner Michael Gazala wasn’t happy when he expressed his utter disappointment on the proposed Fresh Pond dog medallion program.

“As a dog owner of two dogs that just won’t walk in a straight line, I have a ticket I received about six months ago because my dog was literally two feet onto a grassy area,” he said.

Gazala was one of several Cambridge dog lovers who publicly spoke out against the proposed dog medallion program, an initiative that would allow resident dogs to utilize the site as long as they obtained a medallion from the Cambridge Water Department, and its impact on their routine walks.

“Under the medallion program, if my dog got two tickets in one year, then my dog would be banned from the park for one year,” said Gazala Thursday evening during the City Council's Ordinance Committee hearing regarding leash laws at Fresh Pond Reservation.

According to the ordinance, dogs may go unleashed in the Fresh Pond Reservation when the park is open to pedestrians. However, all unleashed dogs are not allowed to romp in mowed grass areas and must wear a medallion issued by the Cambridge Water Department.

Deputy City Manager Rich Rossi is a supporter of the ordinance and said the initiative makes sense.

<“The city has a desire to make this a place for dogs to be leashed,” said Rossi. “The Water Board believes that with proper care, management and a decent set of regulations that dog owners can continue to enjoy what they’ve enjoyed in the past.”

Several points were made in support of the ordinance through anecdotes and observations. But without hard data, the council was unable to prove certain claims, such as the impact of unleashed dogs and their effect on Fresh Pond’s water quality — Cambridge’s main water source — or that many out-of-towners frequent the park who allegedly contribute to the wear and tear of the reservation.

For some residents, the purpose of the proposed medallion program was unclear, especially since it would be a pilot program. Catherine Fabio expressed that some sort of assessment was a necessity.

“We have no knowledge whether there is any need for this program,” said Fabio. “In order to have a program work successfully, the most important thing is you need to create a needs assessment which should be in place before the program is designed to provide a baseline to see if the program is having an effect at all.”

Helen Fairman of the Cambridge Dog Owners’ Group seconded Fabio’s remarks, questioning the program’s credibility.

“This proposed policy is completely based on speculation, so it doesn’t provide an active basis for a medallion program,” said Fairman.

With the issue still looming, the council postponed further discussion of the plan for a future date.