Citizen complaint of the day: The unleashed dogs of Southie

By adamg on Sat, 10/10/2015 - 9:21am

A fed-up citizen complains about the conditions at a South Boston park:

The unleashed dogs are still running free. The city won't fine the irresponsible owners. They are running around the top part of the park and on the ball fields, where the owners stand by and check their Facebook while the dogs relieve themselves. I have called Animal Control several times and the nice man there tells me that there is only one officer available for the whole city. It's time for the city to do something about this. It is against the law to let your dog off the leash, have an unmuzzled pit bull, or not clean up its excrement. If the city doesn't have enough animal control officers, maybe they can assign police to enforce these laws.

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Comments

You do NOT legally have to

By anon
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 10:03am

You do NOT legally have to muzzle your pit bull. They are 100% correct on everything else tho.

I agree with this article up until it mentioned muzzling pitbulls, the law in Massachusetts specifically does not discriminate against dogs of any kind, and the little yuppy ones are the problem dogs. Thank you

dog park at M Street

By onelith
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 10:21am

Could a section of M Street Park be fenced off for dogs to run without leashes? Now the playground and children are fenced in and the dogs run free?

Medal of Honor Park

By anon
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 10:42am

This park is not a dog park no matter what your realtor told you. All you dog jerks who think you are above the law should take your pooch down the fenced dog park on the beach at the foot of G Street.

Or you could just go to the

By Lmo
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 2:34pm

Or you could just go to the actual dog park.

Funny you mention M Street

By Nancy
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 4:27pm

I just drove by there on E. First Street. There was a men's softball game in action and another game on the other part of the field (possibly little league or something). Earlier today, I drove by it going the other way and there was rugby.

I agree with the others. It's a beautiful recreational park for humans. It's not a good place for a dog park.

Agreed

By Suldog
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 5:00pm

There are sporting events there almost every day during at least Summer and Fall. That the players have to put up with excrement on the field is not right.

I've played in the mens' fast-pitch softball league, weeknights, for 16 or 17 years now. I was there during every game night this past season - some 60 to 70 nights, I would guess. It was an exception when I arrived there and didn't see someone with a dog on the playing field. Often, there would be two or three. Some of the owners were conscientious enough to pick up after their pooches, but still... Being an outfielder and making a dive for a ball where there was dog poop or a wet spot left from a dog peeing... not right.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

So...

By bosguy22
Mon, 10/12/2015 - 8:50am

You're saying above the softball fields there isn't an area for a dog park? I'd disagree.

Huh?

By Suldog
Mon, 10/12/2015 - 10:20am

I talked about the softball fields only.

Medal of Honor park is the area above the fields. I'll leave it to someone else to discuss that area. My time is spent on the softball fields and that's why I talked about them.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

Same woman complains

By This woman
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 10:33am

I wonder if this is the same woman who has made other complaints almost verbatim about two other dog parks in Southie noting dogs are off leash and remarks about pitbulls. Earlier this year, there was a woman in South Boston Actively visiting to dog parks and warning dog owners that a dog had been killed by a pitbull. She always seemed to have her on dog with her and would survey the scene, asking nearly every dog owner about their dogs history before she considered letting her beagle and to the dog park area. If it's the same woman, I am betting that most dog owners in Southie know exactly who she is. In reality, this could be anybody but the way that this woman ask and how are she is wouldn't surprise me if it was actually her.

Um

By Waquiot
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 5:30pm

I'm not from Southie and have never set foot in Medal of Honor Park, but judging from commenters above, it is NOT A DOG PARK.

Dog parks are officially defined as such, like the G Street park referenced above or the section of Boston Common by Tremont Street. You just can't say a park is a dog park and decide to let fido go off leash.

There are dog owners I like, but the self entitlement of some really sours me on them.

Animal Control

By LCRI
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 11:28am

Keep calling Animal Control, every time you see the dogs; document dates/times. They have more than one officer.

On D St people put the dog

By Felicity
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 1:52pm

On D St people put the dog excrement in a bag. Then they leave the bag on the sidewalk.

Jp

By Wickid
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 2:38pm

There is a tough guy in JP who has two pit bulls...thought he owned the entire park the other day and had one off leash.

Should have called dcr or police...

This tough guy thought he could do whatever he wanted.

Important Point

By SwirlyGrrl
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 7:38pm

There are few problem dogs. There are too many problem owners.

Pit bulls have a bad rap, but the adverse dog events that I have personally encountered involved a german shepherd, a husky, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a rottweiler mix, and a dalmatian.

The common denominator in all of this: owners who refused to be responsible for their dog and its behavior - either off leash or on zip leash. Your dog is not "under voice control" if it doesn't listen to you, or is several hundred feet away from you, or is out of your sight.

Dogs are better off the leash

By EM Painter
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 4:48pm

Dogs learn to be better behaved when they are off-leash.

Do they learn

By anon
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 5:20pm

To pick up their own shit too?

People leave it on the sidewalk

By EM Painter
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 8:10pm

leashed or not.

I think leash laws are one of

By anon
Sat, 10/10/2015 - 7:29pm

I think leash laws are one of those city regulations, like laws against jay-walking, that are widely ignored and are generally not enforceable by police. The best bet is to try educating people about what they should be doing.

entitlement

By anon
Sun, 10/11/2015 - 1:45am

I can unequivocally tell you it's the Newbies who are the problem with unleashed dogs.

Bullshit

By bosguy22
Mon, 10/12/2015 - 8:51am

I see just as many "non-newbies" with their dogs off leashes on the softball fields on East 1st, or the little league fields across from the beach. Not to mention, the people on East 2nd who just let their dog out of the house for the day to run around the neighorhood.

I'm sure the city will send

By Scratchie
Mon, 10/12/2015 - 9:22am

I'm sure the city will send someone by around 10pm to check for unleashed dogs and then close the ticket.