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Dog owners and dog walkers who frequent Walpole's Adams Farm should be aware that dogs can be banned at Adams Farm, subject to the discretion of Adams Farm Committee, the Walpole Select Board unanimously decided at the end of March. The Walpole Select Board made its decision following a request from Jack Wiley on behalf of Adams Farm Committee, regarding the issue of unleashed dogs around the property where leashing is required.
Friends of Adams Farm announced the Select Board's decision in a Facebook post on April 8th. Adams Farm Committee’s post states that “After a reasonable time to get the word out, an assessment will be made to determine if dog owners are observing the leash law. If dog owners continue to violate the leash law and the requirement to pick up after their pets, dogs will be banned with fines for violators. Appropriate signage will be posted.”
Currently, volunteers are handing out notices at the Farm about the possible ban and the reasons for it, says a representative of Friends of Adams Farms.
The committee cites issues of personal safety, public health concerns from dog poop left on the ground, undisposed bags of dog poop, and violation of the Town of Walpole’s leash law. It also states the concern of harm to the Monarch butterfly population in the farm’s Butterfly Garden and field, areas of Adams Farm which are designated as a Monarch Waystation.
Community reaction to Walpole Select Board’s decision included varying levels of support and understanding for the idea of a potential dog ban, along with surprise and dismay. Some people relayed their experiences of being attacked by or jumped on by dogs and support a ban. Others stated that they responsibly use leashes and pick up dog waste, and complained about being lumped together with the same treatment as those who allow their dogs to go unleashed and fail to pick up.
Community suggestions short of a ban included:
- Targeted enforcement against violators rather than a blanket prohibition
- A dog park or designated sections of the Adams Farm property as off-leash areas
- Installing off-the-ground receptacles for dog waste throughout the trails to encourage proper dog waste disposal.
The issue with dogs on Adams Farm property is not new. Minutes from a May 15, 2018 Adams Farm Committee meeting, that Mr. Wiley led as chair of the committee, summarized a similar discussion.
According to those meeting minutes, “several” people had been bitten by off-leash dogs at the farm. Discussion items from the May 2018 meeting included a range of ideas from keeping the status quo of continuing the on-leash policy to instituting a dog ban. They were:
- Continuing the on-leash policy
- Raising fines for violations
- Alternating “dogs/no dogs” days on the property
- Establishing a dog park within Adams Farm
- Establishing a volunteer enforcement group
The idea of a volunteer enforcement group included the suggestion that volunteers would encourage dog walkers to observe the leash law and pick up their dog waste. Another idea was requiring that dog walkers at Adams Farm must volunteer time to pick up dog waste and enforce the leash law.
The Adams Farm Committee May 2018 meeting minutes ended with the note that some meeting attendees intended to spread notice of the problem. It stated that “those who violate the leash by-law and persist in not picking up after their dogs may cause dog walking privileges to be taken away at the Farm.”
Updated 5/7/2023 at 4:26 p.m. Information about current notice efforts have been added.
