Thank you for your concern, this issue has been received by our department. We will look into this issue further and resolve it accordingly.

Animal Control will include Tufts Park in regular rounds to enforce leash and pooper-scooper laws.

We have to try and get a legit dog park made down there. Fence , benches, tables, lights... Cambridge has them , Somerville has them . If Medford wants to be like them - and they do - they need a legit dog park. That's a perfect spot, great size... It would get a ton of use. How do you think we go about trying to do that?

As far as I know there are plans in the works for an official dog park in Medford: http://www.paws4medford.org/
As far as making a dog park at other city parks, you could contact the Mayor's Office, your City Councillors or the Parks Department.

No unleashed dogs at 949am.

No unleashed dogs at 123pm.

They are their at night time. And weekends. I also wrote about how dirty the park is. When are you going to clean it between all the nips and leaves its dirty and disgusting.

Hello, because there were multiple issues in this complaint, it was logged under Animal Control. If there are other issues with the park, please submit another request. Thank you.

No unleashed dogs at 352pm.

No unleashed dogs at 516pm.

Five dog walkers advised of leash requirements at 651pm.

Not sure what the complainant is talking about by saying it has "turned into" a dog park. It's been used, without incident, as an unofficial off-leash area by local dog owners for many years. The community of owners cares about the park, has organized several clean-ups of the park, and has largely self-policed anything which may cause issues for non-dog-owners nearby (loud or aggressive dogs generally don't stay long or come back, and I believe one of the local owners even donates trash bags for people to dispose of dog waste when the city removes the trash barrel in the winter.) Stepping up enforcement of leash requirements does nothing but disrupt a community which has grown around that park and which is one of the most valuable parts of living in the area for some people.

Sorry but its not a dog park it is a children's park. I have every right to complain. You .may be good with your dog but others are not. And not everyone cleans up after.. its disgusting and nasty. I hope they keep citing or ticketing you until it is appropriately a real dog park

First of all you are contradicting yourself, you say it's a child's park, which it isn't, no where does it say this park is to be used by children only, yes it has a tot lot, and also you say everyone cleans up after, yet you say the park is a disgusting mess! You sound like someone who just needs something to complain about! And if that's the case why don't you take your issues up with the real problems this park has? I am a life long spit Medford resident, and have seen the issue we this park struggles with and I don't think that a bunch of over friendly people gathering as far as possible from the tot lot and letting their dogs run of leash is the real issue! Yes it's not a dog park, so technically we shouldn't be doing it, but everyone that gathers and let's their dogs run keeps them to the very end of the park that doesn't get used! We all clean up after ourselves and watch each other's dogs. There are no aggressive dogs there and yes there is a trash bag placed there by a generous person who kindly takes it home in trash day so there won't be trash every where!
Your issues should be with the park poorly lit when not being used as night! The park is extremely dark and there are many teenage and adult kids that use this darkness to do things that can't be seen at night! There use to be benches at that end of the park near the baseball diamond that doesn't get used anymore, do you know why they aren't there anymore? Well cause some of us that let out dogs run in that area complained about the thugs that hung out there smoking marijuana and drinking, the benches aren't there and funny how the thugs are gone too! Every situation has a give and take, and in my opinion you are going over board by complaint about a few over friendly people that are hang out and being cordial to each other! I invite you out to come see what we are up to! I promise no dog will harm you, come see what we are organizing, a park clean up day! Unlike you we don't only complain, we are proactive! Sorry but I am angered by this whole situation!

I just want a clean place. I am not complaining about the good dog people its the ones that don't. I have seen good and bad. The park in your area needs to be dedicated as a dog area i have no problem with that. I do have an issue with the dogs loose in the baseball area because my kids will not play ball in that area when dogs are chasing or running loose in that area. You may be an awesome dog owner but others are not...

Lets just agree to disagree.. at least my name is out there. Happy st paddy's day. Let me know when clean up day is i'll be happy to help..

Well if you're a frequent user or visitor to the park, you will notice when there are baseball/ softball games going on you will notice that most of us aren't there until after the games are done! I can only speak for my self, I don't let my dog off leash when the park has games going on.

Again YOU don't but others do. That's my complaint.

Unfortunately, we can't just agree to disagree, since because of you, the vast majority of good dog owners who use the park are being subjected to increased scrutiny and fines from Animal Control. Why? Because not everyone lives up to your standards of what a public park should be (which apparently includes dog-free, a sentiment which just baffles me.) And you know what's the worst part? The ones who are always there, the ones who care about the park, who participate in clean-ups... WE'RE THE ONES BEING AFFECTED. The one-offs who come once every couple weeks, don't clean up after themselves, etc... the likelihood of them being there when the AC officer shows up is low. The teenagers who hang out and leave empty nips all over the place? They're not there until after dark. The softball players who leave cases and cases of empties after nearly every game? This isn't going to do a thing about them. But the people who actually WANT the park to be nice, who clean up, who would do everything in their power to keep aggressive dogs out of the area? No, we're the ones who are going to have to find a new place to take our dogs every single day because you decided that you don't like the way things have been for years.

If your kids don't want to play near the dogs (and let's ignore for a second the fact that there are kids who come to the park just to play WITh the dogs), there are two entire ballfields at the end near the tot lot that the dogs almost never go near. We've mostly isolated ourselves in the back field. If that's not good enough for you, then that should be on you, not us.

Too bad you got caught oh well. I do not feel bad. Theres always one bad seed that ruins it. ;-)

That's unfortunate. You really should.

Yes true one bad seed ruins it for both parties. The complaint party who is the bad seed here complain about issues that you say yourself aren't your real issues! Maybe us good people that are using the park and are cleaning up after ourselves, which is your real complaint, the dirty, disgusting park, should stop cleaning up after ourselves so we can fit it with the rest it if the trashy bad seeds in the world, that should fix the issues!

Though I suppose that would require having some degree of empathy and compassion, or at least humility. Maybe something that tells you that taking to the internet so your one voice becomes more important than the dozens of your neighbors who use the park... maybe isn't the right thing to do. Maybe, just maybe, you could be a good neighbor and learn to share. It's a shame you never learned that lesson, and even more of a shame that other people have to pay the price for it.

I follow the rules and the law. Talk to the mayor and make your area a dog park. My children shouldn't have to live in fear to play in a park. I pay enough money into this city to be able to live comfortable not have my children worry. Try and make a dog park just fence it in. Where is your empathy for my children? ????

And its the cities job to clean the parks thats what their jobs are

If you are so worried about your children at going to the park because of dogs playing off leash than I must inform you that there is a coyote roaming the park morning, day and night. Do you know who informed animal control and the police? Do you know who is scaring the coyote away from the park? Our dogs and us their owners....

Well THANK YOU.

No unleashed dogs at 942am.

Must be filtering comments because mine are not going through

The city of Medford can efficiently resolve this issue, but keeps blowing smoke up our butts , by saying there is a dog park in the works! If you do a few minutes of research you will see this is a crock of $h!t and the city isn't doing anything about it. That end of the park doesn't get used and is 3/4 fenced in. It will not take a lot of time or effort for our city employees to fence in the rest and make it an official dog park that they claim "is in the works". The city needs to step up!

You're right, your children shouldn't live in fear to play. And if you're unwilling to teach your children that dogs aren't something to be feared but a normal part of the neighborhood in which they live, and to be co-existed with, then there's a HUGE PARK that the dogs don't generally go anywhere near for them to play in.

As to a fence... You do know that fenced dog parks tend to be MUCH dirtier, smellier, difficult to maintain, etc... right? You're not just deflecting the responsibility for YOUR problem onto other people to then go find a solution? Also, perhaps you have realized that the park is used by other groups who comfortably co-exist with the dog owners, like the high school football team that practices there every fall. That would not be possible if it were to be fenced.

FYI - The mayor's office has been contacted requesting a solution mirroring what Arlington has done, with designated off-leash hours in certain parks.

Exactly it could work for everyone. I would be delighted with that. That is a great idea abd what I originally want. It just needs to.... I am only concerned about the children one or a few may be good but others unfortunately are not

Landers... you are so concerned about your kids but i don't see you picking up all the hypodermic needles and broken glass bottles. So instead of complaining here and getting the wrong people in trouble why don't you do something about it? If you are having a problem with a few bad dog owners there why don't you go and talk to them specifically? We all pay a lot of tax money to this city, but we actually go A step above and clean our area and respect our area and love our area. You just come on here and complain but do nothing yourself to help the situation. Thanks for nothing.

Sorry but you don't know what I do or what I don't do. Your are very welcome... Good day

While a community of off leak dogs has grown at the park despite several signs being posted in and around the park warning about offleash fines, for years. There is 1 sign clearly posted on the pole in the parking lot, 1 on a post along the walkway of Morton Ave., as well as at the Winchester street enterance. The reason the community has been able to grow is because the law and fines have never been enforced in the area.

It's also very ignorant to ask for a special exception to have an area fenced in just for the dogs, when the park is heavily used during the summer by various sports teams, as well as the St. Clement's football team, which uses it on a daily basis from mid August-Thanksgiving.

Also, while a lot of the actual local dog owners, are respective of the leash law, there are several dog walkers coming from outside the neighrhood to run a business from the park. These outsiders have actually been arrogant and disrepective to the locals. Some have even gone as far as to telling locals to avoid the park while they have thier dogs offleah, if they have an issue with them.

You're right. They haven't been enforced because no one was being harmed by people allowing dogs to play. You seem to think signs are more important than people. How incredibly sad. I would think any person with an iota of humanity would think that sensible application of rules would preclude persecuting people who are doing no harm to anyone. If for no other reason than because it's clearly not the best use of city resources.

Also, you clearly have no idea what the word "ignorant" means. A good example of "ignorant" is saying that people are coming in to run a business out of the park. All of the walkers I have met who use the park are people who live within a few blocks of the park. Or saying that the back field is used by various sports teams during the summer (you're thinking of the main field with the 4 ball fields. Other that St. Clements, the back field remains largely unused by anyone other than the dog owners.

And yes, if you have an issue with dogs playing off-leash, you should go around the park. That's basic common sense. Unless you're so outlandishly self-centered that the only thing that matters is your absolute convenience, without regard to your neighbors, then I suppose complaining about something that has no effect on you and falling back on an appeal to the rules because there's no logical argument to be made against it makes some twisted sort of sense.

Backing away from this, because it's just making me angry without anything productive that can be said at this point. Thank you, though, to the last commenter for bringing up the signs. I was going to be content if the resolution of this was simply a return to the status quo of the city turning a blind eye to dogs off-leash at the park. (Fun fact: when a dog escaped from its yard and was found sitting in the middle of the park, when the police were called, their first response was "Oh yeah, people have their dogs there all the time. Did you make sure it's not someone there's?") Now, since it seems that people will use the rules as an excuse for being inconsiderate toward their neighbors (both 2- and 4-legged), I'm making it my mission in life to get the leash laws in Medford amended to allow off-leash use of parks like Tufts when not otherwise in use, or during designated off-leash hours like Arlington has. Because it's never good enough that no one gets hurt, you have to be ALLOWED.

I am good with that and support that. As long as its not when kids are their. I'm all for that plan

@Anonymous you tell @lender that they should confront the off lesh owners if they have an issue, when the off lesh dog walkers have become hostile. There is a red beared dog walker who owns a beagle who has told several residents to avoid the park when he is down there with dogs. There is also another dog owner who has a puggle and lives on Newburn Ave, who has actually threatened and harrased my folks (1 of them a constable i might add) after he revieved a fine for an off leash dog.

You also want to criticize @lenders for not cleaning up hypedemic needles?! I don't know what planet your from, but that is something left to someone with propper biohazard training. Not your ordinary citizen.

@another concerned citizen, so you're sayingbbecause the dog walkers are already there and off leash, people should be forced to avoid the park altogether?! That truely is the most ignorant thing i've read in this post. Nobody owns a public park, and nobody should be force to avoid the park if they want to visit it, simply because of off leash dogs. Local residents aren't asking for the off leash dogs to go, just for the dog walkers to obey the laws, so everyone can ejoy the park. Those signs you critizied me for, are there as a preemptive messure for this very reason.

Thank you @annon I appreciate the back up. I know of that gentlemen he is nasty wouldn't put myself in harms way. Theres also a women who walks her dog with no leash she needs to be fined.

I'd also like to add that this isn't just a matter public safety, but also safe for these dogs. A lot of the off leash dog owners don't pay much attention to what their dog is getting into.

You can constantly find dead field mice in and around the area that these off leash dog walkers are using to let their dog run free. Which leads me to beleive someone is putting out mouse/rat poison. My own dog was hospitilized last year with mouse poisoning. Luckily he survied, but it was a costly vet bill.

It's just another reason why this area shouldn't be used as an offleash dog park.

@landers

I'm pretty sure I know who you are talking about. A young girl with a teacup yorkshire terrier. See her constantly wandering around the park on her cellphone, while her dog runs around, unsupevised. He's been found in several yards in the neighborhood. I've also never seeen her clean up after her dog.

She is a regular too. Which contradicts the several statements above, how it is the infrequent dog walkers who are ruining it for everyone.

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This area of Tufts Park has been used as an "unofficial" dog park for over 10 years without incident. It is typical of how the world is now that because 1 or 2 people are offended by this we have to ruin it for everyone. The talk of an official dog park opening somewhere in Medford is a joke. It has been going on for 3 years with nothing done and when/if it ever gets done it will be of no use. That location is convenient to no-one. You can't walk there. The traffic to get over there during most parts of day is horrible … this area in Tufts is convenient to a great neighborhood and used by good people and considerate dog owners (a lot of whom have kids themselves). The park gets more use by these folks than by anyone else and they have/ should have just as much right to use it as anyone else. The dogs are picked up after and no trash is left behind by the dog group. Any trash there is from teenagers and softball players and soccer players, etc...They built a walking path around the park many years ago and don't even turn the lights on at night when there is no softball so people could actually - you know - walk. The park is under used and I think it is great for the community and the south medford neighborhood to have someplace for people to gather and let their dogs play and meet and talk to people from around here. But now thats done because 1 person complains who knows nothing about what goes on down there. It should be an official dog park and fenced in and would be a great addition to a great neighborhood. But it would never happen in this city because nothing happens in this city. So now animal control will drive us all away and @landers and their child can have the park to themselves I guess. Nice job.

If we want to give out street names, im pretty sure our friend Lender here lives off of Dexter.

Talk to the mayor. I don't mind making a paet if it a dog park as long as it is a fenced cleaned up area. So EVERYONE can use it. Yes the DPW AND POLICE AND CITY NEEDS TO STEP UP

This area of Tufts Park has been used as an "unofficial" dog park for over 10 years without incident. It is typical of how the world is now that because 1 or 2 people are offended by this we have to ruin it for everyone. The talk of an official dog park opening somewhere in Medford is a joke. It has been going on for 3 years with nothing done and when/if it ever gets done it will be of no use. That location is convenient to no-one. You can't walk there. The traffic to get over there during most parts of day is horrible … this area in Tufts is convenient to a great neighborhood and used by good people and considerate dog owners (a lot of whom have kids themselves). The park gets more use by these folks than by anyone else and they have/ should have just as much right to use it as anyone else. The dogs are picked up after and no trash is left behind by the dog group. Any trash there is from drug users and teenagers and softball players and soccer players, etc..they built a walking path around the park many years ago and don't even turn the lights on at night when there is no softball so people could actually - you know - walk. The park is under used and I think it is great for the community and the south medford neighborhood to have someplace for people to gather and let their dogs play and meet and talk to people from around here. But now thats done because 1 person complains who knows nothing about what goes on down there. It should be an official dog park and fenced in and would be a great addition to a great neighborhood. But it would never happen in this city because nothing happens in this city. So now animal control will drive us all away and @landers and their child can have the park to themselves I guess. Nice job.

No pun intended but you are barking up the wrong tree

@annon

So much misinformation. I was there for the incident with your parents and the puggle. They were in no way threatened. In fact they were quite rude. Furthermore you stood there like a lump throughout the whole encounter. Curious behavior for someone who was witnessing his parents supposedly being threatened. Your father also tried to pick a fight with that owner at a later date, even pulling his badge and pretending to be an active officer (a felony).

As for the red bearded beagle owner? He is one of the ones who puts out trash bags in the winter for people to pick up after the dogs and he's the one that organizes park cleanups with the dog owners.

When you don't get along with anybody, the problem isn't with everybody....

The reality of the situation is that until the coyote situation is resolved owners probably wouldn't want their dogs off leash anyway.

@Medford dog

You claim they were rude, would you honestly expect someone to be be nice after having someone, out of the blue, get in your face and start harassing you over getting a fine for having an off leash dog and threatening to to get the group of dog walkers and come to house, because for some reason he assumed we where the ones who called animal control?! You claim to have heard the whole conversation, but that must have been hard standing 30 ft away on the opposite side of the street. You also claim I was just standing around. I was actually restraining my dog who was clearly agitated from being confronted by Jon, who made a bee line from the park across the street to confront us.

And despite what you and your group of dog walkers may think about me and my folks, they haven't called or made a complain with Animal control in over 5 years, because the city reused to do anything to begin with. So this stepped up presence, over the past year or so is clearly from other complains that must have come in over your group.

But please continue to try and take the high road and ignore or outright dismiss any number of the legitimate issues me and others have raised above.

I think everyone one here neexs to.write to the council and get things moving as far as the dog park goes. It could work out for everyone.

Annon. My user name is my real name. I live on Bow St. I am the red bearded man with the basset hound. I have tried to be respectful to you and your family. I leash my dog, Daisy, every time I see you, and I ask all the others to do the same. I have never told anyone to not use the park when I am there. I apologize for any offense that you and your family feel that I made towards you. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome to use their own neighborhood park. This conflict that we are having is breaking my heart. I wish you and your family the best.

Landers, you seem like a very reasonable person. I happily invite you participate in our clean up day. It is complicated to schedule a day and time that is best for everyone. We want a large turnout. It will be either this weekend or next. A few years ago, we had over 20 volunteers and removed every piece of trash we could find from the rear section of the park. Broken glass, empty alcohol bottles, syringes, herion bags, used condoms etc. We filled14 33 gallon bags of human litter. We only found 3 piles of dog waste.

I will post to this forum when we finalize a date and time that is best. Please let us all be civil. If a compromise is in order, I will support it.

I like that I was called young!

No unleashed dogs at 959am. No sign of coyote.

One dog walker advised of leash requirements at 906am.

No unleashed dogs at 249pm.

No unleashed dogs at 1003am.

Thanks for fixing this issue!

No unleashed dogs at 848am.

No unleashed dogs at 205pm.

Advised one dog walker of leash requirements at 1132am.

No unleashed dogs at 430pm.

No unleashed dogs at 1054am.

No unleashed dogs at 1029am.

No unleashed dogs from 1029am to 1053am.

Dues animal control only look for dogs during business hours? Seem to skip weekends when I usually go and are always did off leash. Usually not a huge problem but some really should not be.

Issue 2384741 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue.