This is a petition to ask the Conservatory Board of Boston, Masssachusetts to establish a designated off-leash dog area at the Rose Kennedy Greenway. 

According to city data, the number of registered dogs has more than doubled in the past few years, from around 2,700 in 2012 to more than 7,000 in 2019, alone.

Those numbers do not include the recent influx of new dog owners that have brought a puppy into their home due to COVID-19. The dog economy has been flourishing since social distancing is the new norm, and we as a community have witnessed it firsthand, as more and more puppies are seen in Boston.

Despite the steep increase in dog ownership over the past two years, there is only one dog park within the surrounding neighborhoods: "RUFF", located on Prince Street in the North End. However, the walk is inconvenient for our neighborhood dog owners and it is often overwhelmed, as it is the only location designated for dogs to be allowed off leash. With COVID-19, overcrowding of any kind, including outside, poses as a serious health risk.

We do not believe that every dog owner within a two-mile radius has to go to one small park in order for allow their dogs to run freely. 

With the exception of "RUFF",  there is no legitimate  space for dog owners of the Seaport District, Rowes Wharf, the Financial District, and the surrounding areas, to let their dogs off-leash and play. The two green spaces nearby that do "allow dogs":  i.e. Christopher Columbus Park and the Rose Kennedy Greenway penalize dog owners for allowing their dogs to be dogs and play with one another.

On one account, a park ranger of the Greenway has allegedly threatened to ban a resident of the neighborhood, citing the leash city ordinance. These kind of interactions are frustrating for both the dog owners and employees of the parks, creating uneccesary tension in an already tense world.

The Boston Common has successfully implemented a system in which dog owners are allowed to freely off-leash their dogs in one area of the park, and we propose that its time our neighborhood has one as well.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced an overwhelming percentage of the population to work from home. Working from home brings its own set of distractions, including dogs. We want to be able to let our dogs run, play, and take some stress off without fear of penalization. 

We are proposing an off-leash dog area with limited hours on the corner of Atlantic/surface and seaport blvd. subject to the Conservatory's input. 
we chose this location because it’s already minimally fenced in and won’t disrupt local businesses, and has plenty of room for the dogs to run around and play. 

An off-leash dog area can:

1. Set clear boundaries for the dogs and their owners to stay in one designated area as well as clear boundaries for park go-ers who do not like dogs to stay away from that area. 

2. Attract more footwork to the Greenway.

3. Lessening the stress of the park rangers to displine dog owners, and focus on more crucial tasks, such as drug use or homelessness that disrupts the Greenway.

100% of the funding raised towards this cause goes towards one of the following, including but not limited to: 

1. Matienance and upkeep of the area, including routine gardening, planting, and other landscape-related tasks.

2. Dog bag dispensaries

3. Water bowls

4. a simple fence, or structure of some sort, to keep the dogs at said location. 

In turn, the dog owners agree that:

1. Their dog is well-trained and well-mannered with park guests.

2. They will clean up any waste that is left behind by our dogs.

3. To respect the boundaries of the off-leash area. 

4. Their dog is up to date with all vaccinations and is registered with the city of Boston.

Let's make this happen dog owners!