Hello City of Boston,

Dog ownership has risen over 11% since Covid hit, with a year over year growth in pet care and pet businesses profits, with no decrease in sight.

Similar to a request for a dog park in 2014, Orient Heights in East Boston faces the same dilemma of not having a place to take their dogs and thus upsetting neighbors unintentionally in public spaces.

We love our community, we want to be a part of it; yet owning dogs without a great space to take them upsets our neighbors. We also love and care for our neighbors and want to respect their space. It is difficult when encountering situations on the sidewalk or other public spaces where dogs are allowed on leash. We want our own dog park so we can have our own space with our dogs and not unintentionally disrupt other public spaces.

This is a win-win for dog owners, and non dog owners alike.

We have a designated space for our dogs to play and learn, while the community does not have to worry about us walking in other public spaces as often, potentially disrupting their space. The exercise need of dogs will be fulfilled better and longer by creating a dog park.

There is no designated space for recreational dog use in East Boston other than the Bremen Street dog park (created 2015) only recognized by Massport and not the city of Boston.

Those of us who follow the rules should be allowed a space for dogs, just as children and adults have rules to follow in the recreational spaces they use, also provided by the city.

 We ask for a turf or grass based dog park in Orient Heights, East Boston. It should be gated for safety of animals and people alike with access to dog waste bags and a trash can.

We are asking that as we follow the same rules as others in our community and society, that we also be offered the same opportunity to have a designated space for recreation time and learning as our peers do for their personal activities and/or children. Specifically we want a sustainable, turf/grass based dog park, requiring less maintenance for our dogs to enjoy healthy play and exercise in a space for them.

We want to support a sustainable and clean community for ourselves and our neighbors.

Rules responsible dog owners follow as part of city regulations:

Spay/neuter dog before entering dog park
Vaccinated pets enter the dog park
Yearly Licensed with the city dogs enter the dog park
Always clean up after your dog whether it is poop, vomit, and accident.

These rules are not unlike those that children and adults must follow for their kids:

Yearly vaccines to attend school
School registration
Always cleaning up after your kids and teaching them the tools to do so themselves.

Our activity involves caring for another living creature and having them as a part of our families but also communities.

Thank you,

Eastie Residents