Dog owners in Jamaica Plain know where to go to let their dogs off-leash—even if it’s not legal.
Peter’s Hill in the Arboretum, the Peter Parkman playground on Wachusett Street and the Beecher Street Park are not City-sanctioned off-leash dog parks. But daily, dozens of dogs have off-leash adventures there.
Beecher Street Park is fenced-in and wholly dedicated to dogs and their humans. The lot is mulched and there are a few chairs and a picnic table for people to sit on.
Parkman Playground on Wachusett Street contains two baseball diamonds that dog owners use before and after work hours as an off-leash space. It is not fenced in, but owners keep watch over each other’s pets to keep them all accounted for.
Peter’s Hill in the Arboretum is the primary off-leash dog area in the Arboretum, minimizing off-leash dogs elsewhere on the property, according to neighborhood consensus. The Arboretum has increased signage in recent years that reminds dog owners that letting dogs off-leash is not permitted on Arboretum grounds.
“Problems with unleashed dogs is the top complaint we receive from visitors at the Arnold Arboretum,” an Arboretum spokesperson previously told the Gazette. “It is deeply disturbing to receive complaints from visitors who no longer come to the Arboretum because of bad experiences with unleashed dogs.”
None of these spaces are city-sanctioned for off-leash activities.
“Animal Control officers are supposed to enforce the city’s leash laws. Citizens feeling it is not being enforced should contact Animal Control,” the Mayor’s Office previously told the Gazette.
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