We also have the most restrictive dogs laws anywhere. Why on leash dogs are not allowed in public parks (not just the one dog park in the entire city as far as I am aware) is beyond me. Ball fields are a different story of course. But the problem is that there is nowhere for a resonsible dog owner to take a dog. To make matters worse, many of our city officials seem to have no understanding of the ADA as it relates to service dogs. In fact, the city has not even bothered to fill the position of ADA Compliance Officer. As the parent of an adolescent with a visual impairment, and as the owner of a service animal I find the city's approach to dogs, and service animals in particular to be nothing short of deplorable. At the same time, I completely understand your frustration. That park was absolutely horribly planned and poorly maintained. It is bad for local residents like you. So, as usual, the city is working for no one. I hope that you would agree that the city needs to look at its dog ordinances and policies top to bottom, including ensuring peace and quiet for residents like you, the rights of dog owners, and the rights of disabled citizens, like my son. We're all on the same team. City government is the problem.

ML - untill this post, I hadnt considered what it might be like to neighboor the dog park!

I cant speak for how the park came to be, but I can see how this topic is a "LOOSE LOOSE" for everyone involved: good dog owners that work and want to get an early walk/play with their pets before going to work, means they might be a disturbance to your peace. NOT having access to the park has the obvious impact to owner/dog, but diminishes the community value of having an amenity that would appeal to so many of us that work early and love their pets.

I dont envy your position, nor do I see an easy, long term solution to your issue. Even if the police enforce the posted hours "today", I suspect by "tomorrow", people would eventually slip back into old habits. Might this fall under the same category as living next to a fire station, commercial location, or pizza/restaurant? City sounds, lights, and smells that are inherent to living in the city.

G, you make mention that the city's approach to Service dogs is deplorable. If you could please give specific examples of your experiences, and how the city failed, I think it would be helpful to not only let others know of your plight, but for the city to know that there is/are ADA specific issues that need to be addressed.

If I were in a similar position, I would take the time to make the above reply in a new, dedicated "see click fix" issue. Posting as and afterthought in another citizens issue, isn't the most effective way to bring your points up to the city with an eye towards resolution. You have some excellent points that would be more of an influence for change if not so polarizing or diluted by the undertone of negativity within your comments.

Well said. The problem is that the city's ridiculously restrictive dog laws force everyone to that location right by this person's house. The whole thing is an unrealistic mess. It's another great example of city government not working for the people.

I am a neighbor to the dog park and would like to second the request for the drive-bys! Not only before 8am but also after 8pm, please and thank you. Dogs are awesome and the dog park is awesome, but being respectful of the people who live there would also be awesome.

Mcc I appreciate your comments but the difference from living next to a fire station or whatever is we have been here for 35 years. The park was put in @ 6 years ago under the cover of darkness due to a councilman having a different agenda. None of the abutters were ever notified in advance.
Don't get me wrong , I love dogs. We have two. But you don't realize the inconsiderate people that visit. Trash left , cars parked on the sidewalk and yes even in front of our driveways. If the problem is people have to work different hours and use the park during the night , then they shouldn't have dogs. Bottom line is rules are clearly posted but people are too inconsiderate to obey them. It also says Police Take Notice but that doesn't happen either.

ML, I get it...I would not want to be in your shoes. I again dont know about any of the " under cover of darkness" stuff, but that doesn't change your current situation. I dont know what will. And for what its worth, I am very aware of how inconsiderate people can be unfortunately.

We have some dog walkers that seem to think its ok to use the sidewalk on mingo between home/durso as their dog's potty place. I created issue # 3882872, but short of setting up a camera to catch them in the act, there's nothing that can be done except to WATCH YOUR STEP if you go for a walk!

One bad/lazy pet owner ruins it for all the other reasonable pet owners.

https://seeclickfix.com/issues/3882872-animal-pets-or-wildlife

Tried to respond directly Mcc, with specific examples, but it's being held for some reason. Hopefully it will be up soon. In the meantime, I'd be happy to speak with you to share my experiences. Just search my name and "malden" and you'll get my office number.

BTW it's funny how every time I post something about a specific action of a city official it gets held for moderator approval.

I believe the see click fix program monitors the posts for keywords that trigger a moderators review. Specific names are likely to trigger the moderator review as citizens and even some city workers, have a right to privacy. You may be referencing a city official, but the system does not know that for sure, so better to error towards caution.

May i suggest you open a new "ticket" (allowing ML's post to remain focused on his ticket issue), and to replace names with city titles to see if that is more successful.

Oh, believe me Mcc, I can. In April, my wife was forced from Devir Park while escorting our dog, who was at the time a service dog in training for my visually impaired son (and we have the hundreds of hours recorded in training logs that prove it). MA state law specifically extends ADA protection to handlers such as my wife. Eventually, she was allowed to return but not until multiple violations of the law were committed and she was brought to the verge of tears during this very public spectacle. She was interrogated and lectured in a manner specifically prohibited by the ADA and told she could return, but just for that day -- again, in violation of the law. The officer made numerous statements regarding the law that were blatantly erroneous. The experience was humiliating and degrading. Given the horror stories that many service dog owners have experienced in interactions with law enforecment, it is a real concern going forward. The law is very clear in this regard. Once someone is told a dog is a service animal, only one further inquiry may be made: "what task(s) does the animal perform?" Period. End of discussion. Unfortunately, I have zero confidence that the city has properly trained law enforcement in this area. More recently, I reviewed the city's service dog licensing fee exemption. It is in blatant violation of state law by improperly restricting the definition of disability, by requiring medical documentation, by applying only to a small subset of service dogs, and by requiring proof of "certification" which anyone who knows the first thing about the ADA knows is NOT required. When I tried to track down the city's ADA Compliance Officer, a position established by city ordinance, to discuss both concerns, I learned that the position has been vacant for some time. When I emailed the city's Human Rights Commission 10 days ago to follow up, I received no response. I have spoken with the mayor's assistant about these concerns. She was very understanding and assured me she would look further into these issues. I appreciate that and truly believe she shares my concerns. But it does not change the ongoing nature of the problem. We still don't have an ADA Compliance Officer to whom these concerns can be addressed. And that is an affront to every disabled resident of this city. So this is about the intersection of a number of areas of concern from unnecessarily restrictive ordinances pertaining to all dogs, poor design, planning, and maintenance of the dog park, a lack of consideration for the input of community members, and a disregard for the rights of the disabled. Now that I have explained, I would hope that you might consider spending less time pushing back against me, and more holding your broken city government accountable. As for the appropriateness of this forum, I respectfully disagree. The city council has specifically rejected allowing citizens to speak at its meetings. And the fact of the matter is that only public comments are likely to achieve progress. If you have another forum to suggest, by all means let me know.

Nothing has changed. Still no monitoring of the park. People there as early as 5:30 - 6 am. Cars park on the sidewalk usually late afternoon or early evening.

will increase patrols of dog park thank you for reporting

Thank you