Have you tried speaking with the owner(s) directly? I use the Tufts park daily and I have not seen any dogs out of control or causing issues. If anything the dogs that are at Tufts are always friendly and the owners are responsible picking up after their pets and keeping an eye on them. Please understand that not all dog owners will want to use dog parks due to the current crisis and not being able to maintain the social distancing protocols. I think we should be more concerned with the amount of trash that is around And in the the park. Dogs need some freedom to be off leash especially if they don’t have a backyard to run around in. Everyone is doing the best they can during this difficult time.

Agree with the OP. Unfortunately, these laws are in place for the lowest common denominator. Most owners and dogs are lovely but my (leashed) dog and I were attacked by an off leash dog in tufts park last summer. It is not a dog park.

I wish you luck. I have reported a dog being left outside in the cold/heat three times to the Medford police and the only thing they did was leave a note on MY door with a warning about the dog. Hmmm. Hopefully they will do something about the Tufts park - I passed there today and know what you are referring to!

As a South Medford resident that frequents Tufts Park with my dog, daily, I wholly reject this assessment. Tufts Park is a home for responsible dog owners, during current shelter-in-place protocols, passive use and social distancing is employed consistently. Owners who elect to allow their dog's off-leash do so with discerning experience and care for those around them. To medfordPuny18's point, if you or your dog has had a negative experience, please engage that owner in a dialogue from a safe distance since we're all neighbors. This park belongs to all of us, we and our dogs should all be able to enjoy it, together.

As someone who also uses Tufts park to walk my dogs on leash, I have seen dog owners who can't control their dog more than once. When I have engaged with that specific owner he's verbally attacked me and told me to walk elsewhere and sworn at me when in fact the posted signs actually say LEASH YOUR DOGS. So, to the person who posted this, I feel your concern. Sometimes, Unleashed, its hard for someone to approach another owner, so maybe instead of brushing the concern off, consider taking a moment to understand where some of us are coming from if our dogs are for whatever reason aggressive, dealing with underlying issues, etc. We don't want to put anyone else at risk. Its ok for us to get out too and want to feel safe doing it..

I don’t understand how content is blocked by rejections? Everyone should be able to accept the positive and negative comments about the issue.

I empathize with all dog owners and users of Tufts Park who have had bad experiences with off leash dogs. I am a central figure in the off leash dog community. Please reach out to me personally about any negative experience you have had at or around the park. I will do my best to correct the issue.

I have been visiting Tufts Park almost every day for 16 years. I have done my best to keep the park a safe, clean and comfortable place for every visitor. I am very dedicated to this cause, as are many others.

I believe in integrating, not separating dogs from society. Dogs that get no outdoor life experience without a rope around their neck or a fence surrounding them develop fear/aggression. They become a danger to society. They bite.

Dogs that get regular positive interactions with other dogs and humans are not dangerous. They are relaxed and happy. They have no motive to attack anyone.

We regularly have children from 10 months old to high school age come to the park specifically to spend time with the dogs.

If I thought it wasn’t a safe place, I wouldn’t ever go. Nor would any of the other dog owners. We go every day.

I have watched, in the 9,000 hours of my life that I have spent there, many rescue dogs grow from totally antisocial and scared of dogs and humans, to socialized, free loving happy dogs.

I see joggers, walkers, cyclists, people playing frisbee, soccer, softball, football etc, all ignored by the dogs. The dogs see them every day and they don’t react, don’t even seem to notice them.

Dogs love open spaces. They are so much more relaxed in a wide open space than a fenced in area. We almost never have a dog related injury at Tufts Park. I can only think of about 5 incidents in 16 years. That’s not a 100% guarantee, but it’s 99.99999%.

So, I say. Please reach out to me if you have an issue. I’ll do my best to resolve it.

lvngstndvd@icloud.com

Some of the dogs on the field are not friendly and someone with a child should not have to watch out for them. Why can't the back field become a fenced dog park?

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