Hi Michelle,

Thanks for your email and for posting your concerns on cambridgedog.org.

After reading your posting, one of our city liaisons immediately contacted Mr. Greg Garber, the superintendent of Cambridge parks. In the past, Mr. Garber has responded to our emails in a timely way, so we expect to hear from him shortly. We will then provide more information on this site.

In the meantime, I will tell you that the situation you have described is not unexpected. CDOG as well as Mr. Garber were concerned about the possibility of dogs slipping underneath the fence. It was our understanding that the city had a "temporary" solution in place. Temporary-- in that we are waiting for approval from the Historical Commission regarding the possibility of installing a permanent fixture or "skirt" to prevent the problem.

However, the Historical Commission must approve the design and placement of any structure installed. Mr. Garber has not only been working with the Historical Commision about "skirt" but has also been working to find suitable permenant gates that will meet the requirements of the Historical Commission; the ones that are there now are temporary until the HC approves the appropriate permanent ones.

I'm not sure what to suggest in the meantime, regarding the safety of your quadruped. It makes me nervous to think about him slipping under there... You may have to keep him on leash or become a scofflaw in the fully-fenced parks. I'm not recommending either, necessarily. This is the unfortunate situation in Cambridge. Responsible dog owners are caught between being responsible dog owners (providing safe, off-leash exercise and socialization for thier dogs) and being law abiding citizens. In Cambridge, you can't be both. This very dilemma is what motivated us to organize together and become the Cambridge Dog Owners Group. For us, it all started with the removal of gates in the park we came to rely upon for dog (and human) socialization.

CDOG represents responsible dog owners on the city's "Working Group On Dog Parks." This task force is chaired by Councillor Brian Murphy. Councillor Craig Kelley has also been participating, along with Mr. Garber and other key members of the city's Parks Department. We will be certain to put this item on the agenda for our July meeting.

I noticed that in additon to writing to CDOG, you wrote a letter to city councillors as well. GREAT! The councillors who are working with us on the task force for dog parks are Brian Murphy and Craig Kelley. However, Henrietta Davis has expressed interest in our cause and has met with us in efforts to speed the process along. If you want to know more about where councillors stand on this (and other issues) feel free to check out our city councillor survey we did last summer. It's on the cambridgedog.org website.

I encourage you (and your neighbors and friends who may be experiencing this problem as well) to write to the Historical Commission as well as the city Councillors.

Charles Sullivan: Executive Director Historical Commission
Phone: 617-349-4684
Fax: 617-349-3116
csullivan@cambridgema.gov

Kathleen L. Rawlins: Assistant Director Historical Commission
Phone: 617-349-4685
Fax: 617- 349-3116
krawlins@cambridgema.gov

Councillor Kelley:
Craig@CraigKelley.org

Councillor Murphy:
bmurphy@cambridgema.gov
Brian@BrianMurphy.org

Councillor Davis:
hdavis@cambridgema.gov
henrietta@henriettadavis.org (AIM)

CDOG and the city met with the members of the commission last year, we found them to be very kind, compassionate people who were as concerned about the safety of our dogs and our quality time with them as they were about preserving historical property. That was refreshing! It also sped up the process of getting the gates. I think it would be important for you to write your letter directly to particular members of the Historical Commission.

Check back on our website for our posting of Mr. Garber's response regarding Fort Washington Park. Meantime, please write to us (info@cambridgedog.org) to let us know if you would like to participate more actively in CDOG activities and our slow steady work with the city in making Cambridge more friendly and safe for responsible dog owners and their canine companions. We can use LOTS AND LOTS of help!

Thanks!
Catherine