No Dogs Allowed

At their meeting Tuesday night, members of the town's Recreation and Parks Commission brainstormed ways to remind local residents about dog restrictions at local parks and athletic fields.

According to the town's posted bylaws, dogs out with their owners must be leashed unless they are inside the confines of the Town designated dog park on Lime Street near .

Dogs aren't allowed to be on any public cemetery at any time during the year or any public beach, athletic area, playground or park between May 1 and Oct. 1 of each year, provided, however, that this prohibition shall not apply to , , , , Upper , Riverhead Beach or the Dog Park. Whoever violates these rules will be faced with a $25 fine for a first offense and a $50 for a subsequent offense.

There are also fines for dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs or do not have adequate means to clean up after them while out for a walk.

In addition to trying to get the word out through local media outlets, members decided to schedule a sit-down with the Board of Health and hope to arrange for an informational pamphlet to be handed out when a dog license is renewed at the town clerk's office.

"The hardest thing about this is the enforcement and part of the process should be having meetings with the (police) chief and encouraging him to encourage the dog officer to be more proactive," member Sam Ganglani said.

Commission members also discussed purchasing and posting more prominent "No Dogs Allowed" signs at and at athletic fields across Marblehead.

"We see them out there at Piper, at Gatchell's, at Seaside," commission Chair Chip Osborne said. "You got a guy in right field at Seaside throwing a ball into the center field and the dog runs out there, stops, squats, and the mess stays there because they don't clean it up."

In addition to the health and safety hazards associated with having dogs on restricted playing fields, commission members noted the damage they cause to the fields themselves ends up costing the town money.

"You've got a bunch of dogs racing back and forth with a tennis ball, you got dirt flying up and them changing directions and the fact of the matter is they are doing just as much damage as the athletes," Osborne said.

Dogs are also prohibited from the grounds of any public school in Marblehead. All of these restrictions do not pertain to seeing-eye dogs or other helper dogs.

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The Marblehead Dog Park is located on Lime Street, off of Tioga Way, near .

Dog Park Rules:

1. Dog Park hours are sunrise to sunset
2. Dog Park users and dog owners assume all risks related to dog park use
3. Owners must remain with and watch their dog(s) at all times
4. Dogs must be restrained on a leash when arriving and leaving the dog park and park gates must remain closed except when entering and leaving
5. Dogs must be unleashed in the dog park, and prong, spike or choke collars must be removed

Dogs

1. Dogs must be healthy, fully immunized and licensed in the town of Marblehead with the registration tag displayed on the collar
2. Female dogs in heat, injured dogs or dogs with open wounds are not allowed
3. Intact male dogs must be closely supervised
4. Dogs with a known history of, or exhibiting dangerous behavior are prohibited
5. Dogs showing aggressive behavior must be immediately removed
6. Puppies must be at least 4 months of age
7. The dog park is divided into a smaller area for little and sedentary dogs and a larger area for big dogs, active dogs and tough little dogs

Owners

1. Owners must immediately clean up after their dogs. Owners who do not are subject to a fine of $50 per Town Ordinance
2. No smoking or eating is permitted within the fenced area (cigarette butts and wrappers are tempting treats for dogs but may be harmful)
3. Children under 10 are not allowed in the park. No carriages/strollers are allowed.
4. Children must not run or chase after dogs in the park
5. Shoes must be worn and no glass containers or toys are permitted
6. No dog grooming or professional dog training are permitted
7. No animals other than dogs are allowed
8. No digging is allowed. Owners must fill in any holes or repair any surface damage caused by their dogs
9. No more than 3 dogs are allowed per person