The
Lexington Minuteman
Town
enters dog fight at Willards Woods
http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/news/x366033579/Town-enters-dog-fight-at-Willards-Woods
By
Meghan B. Kelly/Staff Writer
Posted Oct 01, 2009
@ 06:00 AM
Lexington —
Dog owners and dog walkers
are clashing again at Lexington’s Willards Woods, rekindling fights from three
years ago.
On the one side are
dog owners, who enjoy using the flat, wide conservation space to let their dogs
run free and enjoy some play time with other dogs.
On the other are
recreational users and neighbors who feel they’ve been forced off the land by
dog owners who, they say, aren’t responsible with their dogs, especially when
it comes to waste and behavior.
The two sides will
meet Tuesday, Oct. 13, to hash out an agreement on how Willards Woods can be
enjoyed by all.
If precedent is
anything to go by, it won’t be easy.
Lexington held a
public meeting about the issue three years ago, at which both parties
vehemently defending their side.
“[It] ended up being
a shouting match, basically,” said Bernard Gunther, who lives on Brent Road
near Willards Woods. He is a longtime advocate of encouraging dog owners to be
more responsible.
Things cooled off
after the meeting, said Lexington Conservation Assistant Emily Schadler. At the
time, a dog committee came up with some recommendations, including limits of
three dogs per person and increasing the signage around the area. The signs ask
people to clean up after their dogs and reinforce the restrictions.
“But it seems like
we’re getting a lot more complaints [now],” said Schadler.
Marjorie
Radlo-Zandi, owner of a standard poodle and frequent user of Willards Woods,
acknowledges some dog owners don’t play by the rules although she said those
owners are the exception, not the rule.
“We have to make
sure that exception doesn’t occur,” she said.
They’ve
single-purposed the property’
When Gunther moved
to Brent Road more than 15 years ago, Willards Woods was a peaceful, tranquil
place — so peaceful, in fact, he could take his cat for walks with him on the
trails.
“The place was dead
quiet,” he said.
But once it was
listed in a greater Boston guide to dog walking about six years ago, it became
a magnet for dogs. He said the volume of dogs, especially unleashed dogs, shot
up.
Then the problems
started. Owners didn’t clean up after their pets. Dogs chased bikers, walkers
and children. Unleashed dogs fought with leashed dogs.
In the last several
years, the land has been almost completely taken over by dogs, said Gunther.
Three years ago, and again recently, he and some neighbors conducted studies to
count how many people visit the land over the course of a normal week.
By their count this
year, almost 95 percent of the users of the land are dog owners.
“They’ve
single-purposed the property,” said Gunther. “I’m very upset about this.”
In addition, said
Gunther, the dog owners are often oblivious to what their dogs are doing, or
are straight-out rude. Once while he was biking through the woods, a dog walker
asked him to stop because, she said, her dog “had a thing” for chasing
bicycles.
His solution is to
ban dogs from the property all together, at least temporarily.
“I’m struggling with
any other way to break the pattern,” he said.
‘We
can all work together’
Radlo-Zandi hopes it
doesn’t have to come to that. She wants to promote better harmony between dog
owners and the recreational users.
“We basically
believe the use and preservation of conservation land is a concern for all
taxpayers,” she said. “By working together, we can drastically improve the
situation.”
Radlo-Zandi said she
respects the rights of property owners and neighbors and thinks the solution
lies in encouraging better dog ownership and community standards.
“I think we can all
work together. I think there are very simple solutions,” she said.
Her proposal is to
have volunteer dog wardens who would police the area, letting wayward dog
owners know they must clean up after their dogs, or need to better control any
misbehaving pups.
In addition, Radlo-Zandi
said she’d like to see more plastic bag dispensers for waste cleanup, more
trash cans and more signs outlining the rules. She also wants to encourage
people to park at the North Street parking lot, rather than on the side of
Brent Road.
“I think the most
important thing is we have some multiple postings of the rules,” she said.
The signs, trash
cans and bags could be paid for by adding a voluntary $10 fee to the dog
license, or by donations, she said.
The
main event
The meeting
scheduled for Oct. 13 is an attempt to broker some peace.
“It’s a really
challenging issue because it’s a really emotional issue,” Schadler said.
Other towns have
tried to tackle these problems without much success, she said. Towns have tried
to institute a badge system, charging for access and fining heavily, but always
encounter fierce resistance.
“There’s no perfect
solution,” she said.
The Conservation
Commission, with the Board of Selectmen, is holding its meeting to address the
issue from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Cary Hall Oct. 13. Schadler encourages those
planning to attend to appoint a representative for their viewpoint to keep the
meeting to about an hour.
6 Comments
Willards Woods is a very happy, beautiful,
joyful place that I cherish. I don't go there more than once a month on a
weekend, but when I'm there the people, with and without dogs, are friendly and
happy.
The article here seems to portray just one negative opinion and paints a
picture of a negative place. I don't think the dog presence has a negative impact
or creates negative energy. Instead, I think Willards Woods has a very positive
energy.
Please work to keep the place the way it is, of course more signs, and more
folks being polite to each other is always good. But in my experience, people
are happy to be there - people with and without dogs.
Thank you, Lexington!
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This whole mess is about ONE unhappy neighbor
who is trying to organize this change for HIS OWN BEST INTEREST. Every time I
have been there (many many times) I have never had a problem nor seen/heard of
anyone complaining. Times change and because one person does not get the
tranquility he deserves because his (public land) secret is out, he wants to
punish everyone else? Sounds a bit selfish to me, no? So punish the masses for
the benefit of the few. Sounds allot like socialism (gov't control) to me.
Thanks bridgemanusa - I do think the dogs
contribute to the positive energy. Willards Woods is such a happy place! I'm
glad to understand more of the dynamics.
I hope the Lexington decision makers don't rely on the newspaper article to
make the decision. If they could capture the positive energy at Willards Woods
- in part created by the happy dogs, they could bottle it and sell it ... :-)
It would be a shame to lose that.
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This article does not depict reality. The
reality is that there are tens of very happy and responsible dog walkers in
Willard's Woods who have contributed to making this place one of happy and
friendly, almost family like, gatherings and a handful (at most) of angry and
belligerent neighbors who spread rumors in a manner reminiscent of the good ol'
days of Salem witches. Truth is that dog walkers have allowed for the woods to
be safer for all walkers, joggers and byciclists, especially single women, that
they have helped get rid of the groups of adolescents who otherwise consider
the woods a perfect haven for drug and alcohol consumption, and that they help
maintain wildlife within check. Most dog walkers do carry poop bags
conscientiously, walk dogs that are friendly family pets, have control of their
animals and are professional and responsible heads of families. In fact, many
walk with their children here in complete peace of mind. Democracy means that
one single person has the ability to call for a revision of rules and
regulations if he/she feels unhappy about them. But democracy also means that
numbers should prevail and that one cantankerous, angered citizen should not
have the power to get the rules changed, no matter how belligerently vociferous
or politically well connected he/she is
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I used to ride my bike through Willard Woods
almost every day until large numbers of dogs, big and small, leashed and
unleashed, began congregating with their owners along the path. Owners smiled
with pride at their cute canines as they rushed and barked toward my bike, or
frolicked in front of me, unconcerned about the threat to me. So, yes, I was
driven out of Willards Woods 5-6 years ago by dog owners who care more about
their pets than about fellow human beings.
As a former dog owner, I understand the desire to allow one's pet to have a
romp. However, I also cared about and was respectful of my dog's impact on
others. Would these dog owners allow their human children to run in front of a
bicycle or defecate in public parks?
Comfort level is a matter of perception. I wonder if those who profess that dog
usage has made Willards Woods a safer place are aware of just how uncomfortable
many of us have been made to feel when surrounded by uncontrolled dogs? Since
many of us have stopped using the area, for our own self-preservation, they may
be unaware of just how many have been turned away.
Perhaps a fenced corral can be created for dogs and their owners that is out in
the field, rather than near the path, large enough to allow the dogs to feel as
if they can run and play. Dogs would be required to be leashed when out of the
corral.
Maybe a schedule can be developed that would restrict dogs to certain hours -
perhaps an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. This would allow
both non-dog users and dog users to each have their time in this beautiful
conservation area.
Of course, who would police those who fail to observe the corral-only unleashing
and/or the schedule? If dog owners fail to observe signage now, who is to say
they would observe posted schedules?
Since I haven't been in Willards Woods for years, it sounds like some strides
have been made if there are bag dispensers and trash containers. I hope people
are being courteous and using them. If there aren't enough, then it goes
without saying that there should be more.
Yes to greater sensitivity and responsibility among the dog owners. We agree
that their pets are cute, but not at the expense of finding their dogs
droppings all over the place or the safety of fellow citizens.
This is a treasure of a conservation area in our Town. We need to preserve and
maintain it for all who wish to use it, not just a segment of the population.
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I hope the meeting went well. I appreciate
parigolo's comments. Saftaleah hasn't been to Willards Woods in years and may
not realize that now it is a very clean and happy place - the people are happy!
A corral or limited hours would have unforseen, unfortunate impacts (wouldn't
it become very crowded in the corral or in those hours) that would likely
change what is currently working so wonderfully well.