South Newton Dog Park

Welcome to Supporters of South Newton Dog Park!

Join Us!

Click here to support us & fill out our survey

We need your support! Please fill out this survey to join us and help get a dog park built in South Newton! Click the link above or scan the QR code to get the survey link.

Our neighborhood dogs would be so grateful for your support!
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Our Goal

South Newton has no fenced-in off-leash dog parks–and Oak Hill Park is the furthest of any Newton neighborhood from any off-leash dog park! Many families don't have fenced yards large enough to allow adequate exercise for their dogs, never mind the need for canine sociability. Let's change that and make a space for our community to gather and for our four-legged companions to play safely.The aim of this group is to create a fenced-in, off-leash dog park in Oak Hill Park, ideally on the field behind Solomon Schechter next to the Memorial Playground, which is owned by the city. The address is Stein Circle, but the space is easily reached with a quick walk from many adjacent streets down OHP's paths, making it insulated from car traffic. Thanks to this accessibility from many points, parking is not a concern..Newton's Park & Recreation Department is in the process of improving Memorial Playground & the adjacent tennis courts anyway. Let's make sure they provide areas for all our residents, whether they use 2 or 4 legs! We have started the conversation with the department, and they have informed us that local support is what will make this happen. And they are looking for input from more neighbors and potential users!

FAQ

Question: Why the need for a dog park?
Answer: In all of Newton, there are only three fully fenced-in dog parks, and they are all at least a 10-15 minute drive from Oak Hill Park. Cabot Dog Park, for instance, is a small triangle of poorly-kept gravel with one tree for shade, with a grim view of warehouses and the Mass Pike. The others are both north of the Pike. We deserve better!
This park will offer a safe, clean, and inclusive space for owners & pets to exercise and socialize, fulfilling a vital need in our community. There are dozens of dogs just in our area of Newton.
Further, dog parks are an area of high sociability among humans as well, and are a wonderful place to gather and meet neighbors.Question: Why not somewhere else in South Newton?
Answer: This park is located smack in the middle of one of the most dense areas of Southern Newton. Oak Hill Park's field is uniquely suited for a dog park, given the small lots of land, underused land, and access from multiple pathways. Walkability and community-centered design are both important. Some proposed alternatives are nowhere near anyone's house, resulting in decreased use and forcing people to drive to get there.
That being said, we also think there should be more fenced-in dog parks around Newton! It is a resource our city needs and our citizens deserve. But let's start with this one!Question: Who owns the field?
Answer: The City of Newton owns the field.Question: Can the city build a dog park here, given the proximity to a school?
Answer: The City of Newton has an agreement that the school has "unimpeded access" to the playground until 5pm. A dog park would not impede their access to the playground, but would allow neighbors to take full advantage of this large, shared open space.
The field could either be subdivided to leave the school some space, with a dog park on a portion of the field. Alternatively, the field could be fully-fenced in and allow for use as a dog park during part of the day —Brookline, for instance, does this in most of its dog parks. Sharing is caring!
Sharing the field, while reducing the number of hours, has the added advantage of ensuring the city and other users care more about the field and potentially the city could ask the school to chip in for the maintenance of the grass, which they have been using for free for 40+ years.Question: What will the dog park look like (design, size, etc)?
TBD! This is the exciting part! We have spoken with the city about a few options and hope to come to a reasonable solution—with your help, of course!
For the design, most of us would like to see a fully fenced-in area with two gates (to allow for safe entry / exit), grass, seating and shade. Others have proposed separate areas for small & big dogs.Question: What about noise?
Answer: This has been a park for more than 50 years; noise laws do not go away just because of a dog park. People can make noise, too—nobody has advocated for the closure of the park because of the sporadic use by people!Question: What about the increase in car traffic?
Answer: Parks are mean to be used, not sit empty and underutilized by our community. Some increase in cars parking near the pathways may happen, and thankfully we do not have a problem with a lack of on-street parking in Oak Hill Park.Question: How will people get to the park? What about parking?
Answer: Many Oak Hill Park residents already walk to the field daily. It is a 10 minute
walk from the furthest point of Oak Hill Park.
For drivers, there is street parking available at the intersections of Wiswall & Chinian Path, Wiswall & Kerr Path, Wiswall & Shumaker Path, Hanson & Osborne Path, Hanson & O'Rourke Path, Van Roosen & Osborne Path, Colella & Early Path, and along Stein Circle. All are less than a one minute walk from the field. This is similar or better than other dog parks in Newton and a completely normal setup for such a resource.Question: What about private use by organizations such as sports groups?
Answer: There is definitely a solution to this! As mentioned, this is a public field and private groups are just one type of user. The city should ensure that all of the citizens and folks who could use this field are being heard and their needs addressed.
Brookline shares its fields with dog owners and other users. The field is also large enough to easily be subdivided so that all residents can use it, regardless if they are a member of a youth organization, a family with children looking to use a playground or grassy area, or dog owners without children!

Thank you

Thank you so much for visiting and supporting the creation of a fenced-in dog park for our community!