NORTHAMPTON — Users of the Northampton “dog park” aren’t happy about a new policy proposed by the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School trustees that would require dogs to be leashed at the park.
The 283-acre Smith Farm Fields property off Burts Pit Road popularly referred to as the “dog park” is owned by the state, leased by the city, and run by the school. The dog leash policy was passed Tuesday as part of a new land-use plan the board of trustees must submit to the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture to renew the lease.
According to Superintendent Jeffrey Peterson, the board submitted a land-use plan to the state in 2015 allowing for “passive recreation” including off-leash dog walking. The state rejected the plan, saying it lacked structure.
The new, stricter land-use policy written by lands manager Tim Smith and Peterson requires dogs to remain on leashes when on the property and establishes a no-trespassing order to allow the school “recourse” if an individual continues to ignore the policy.
The new policy is a disappointment to dog owners and runners who were interviewed at the property and by telephone Wednesday, who say they do not mind the free-roaming dogs and hope to see the practice continue.
“There has been too much black-and-white thinking,” said Northampton resident Carol Owen. “We need to think imaginatively about multi-use state land.”
Owen, a dog owner, walks her two retrievers at the park regularly. She says the dogs are “not as satisfied” when she walks them elsewhere on leashes and she is “frustrated” with the board’s decision.
“I understand the pressure they’re under,” Owen said. “But they have been limited in thinking with public desires in mind.”
Owen suggested the board take cues from other communities dealing with off-leash dog park issues and regulate the practice rather than ban it. She plans to call her city councilor and ask that the issue be put on the agenda at the next meeting.
Northampton resident Tamara Kupfer, who was running with a friend at Smith Farm Fields Wednesday, said she also brings her dog to socialize on the property.
“I feel like it’s been the place you can come where people are respectful,” Kupfer said. “Dogs have to learn to socialize off-leash.”
Maureen Etchells of Westhampton, who was running with a friend Wednesday evening, said she understands the reasoning behind the policy.
“I can see both sides of it,” said Etchells. “If people get hurt, dogs should be on leashes.”
The board of trustees pointed to dog attacks and an abundance of dog waste on the property as reasons for the policy.
Although only one out of 34 dog bites reported in Northampton since 2010 took place on the property, trustees Chairman Michael T. Cahillane said the school receives email complaints about “threatening” dog attacks that go unreported to police.
“People have been scratched, nipped and attacked,” Cahillane said.
Cahillane said the emails are typically fielded by Smith Vocational employee Kevin Brown, who could not be reached for comment.
Sarah St. Germain of Northampton said she has walked and jogged almost daily at Smith Farm Fields for eight years. She said bad encounters with dogs are “rare,” having experienced only one.
“There was one aggressive dog, but the owner was really good about it and got it under control,” St. Germain said. She explained the owner took control of the dog by commanding it to sit and giving it a treat.
St. Germain used to walk her dog off-leash at Smith Farm Fields regularly before it went to live with a new family while she was traveling. She said it is “awful” to hear about the leash policy.
“The park is a beautiful thing. It is a really special place and I hope it doesn’t get taken away,” she said.
Dave Musante, a dog owner and runner from Hatfield, said he has never been hurt by a free-roaming dog on the property.
“I’ve run about 400 miles here and I have never been accosted by a dog. It has never even remotely been an issue,” Musante said as he ran through the property Wednesday afternoon.
Disc golfers Eddie Ferrara and Kyle Rowan of Northampton do not own dogs, but they said they do not mind the free-roaming dogs. They called the new policy “harsh” and said they get in the dogs’ way when they throw their discs, not the other way around.
The property appeared clean Wednesday morning, with only two small piles of dog waste on the trail.
But according to Cahillane, the problem lies in the fields where the waste is not as easily seen.
Cahillane said that although the school noticed more people are using plastic bags provided by a community-organized committee to clean up dog waste, many of those plastic bags filled with waste end up in the fields on the property rather than in the designated trash can. The bags then pose a problem because the school uses the hay from the fields to feed to its cows.
“They’re picking it up, but they’re throwing it into the field,” Cahillane said. “The cows can’t have that mixed in.”
The plan stated “recurring dog issues will be greatly reduced if not eliminated when the owner has them on a leash.”
Robert Harris, a Northampton resident and dog owner, said the dog waste cleanup has “improved tremendously” in the past year due to the committee providing waste bags and a place to dispose of the bags.
“The volunteers made a big difference,” Harris said.
Harris, who has walked his dogs on the property for years, said he would like to see the park stay open the way it is.
“I think the whole area is a valuable resource for the larger community. Not just for dogs, but runners and others.”