Beverly dog park: the airport site, resident tags and the two areas

The first rule is about the people. The Beverly Dog Park is for Beverly residents only, and the city's FAQ says plainly that non-residents cannot get a tag at present. The second rule is about the dog. Each one must wear an official Beverly Dog Park tag inside the fence, separate from the city license tag, and the city warns that a dog without one can earn its owner a citation. The tag is free to registered Beverly dog owners, and a lost one costs $5 to replace.

To qualify, a dog needs four things on record: a current Beverly dog license, a current rabies vaccination tag, proof of spaying or neutering, and an age of at least six months. The rules add that it must be healthy and free of parasites, and sick or injured dogs stay home. Applications go by email to the Dog Park Committee at beverlydogpark@gmail.com. Sort out the license first: Beverly expects dogs six months and older to be licensed by April 1, through the City Clerk at 191 Cabot Street.

The leash rule has a precise edge. Dogs stay leashed all the way into the double-gated holding area, come off the leash there, and go back on it in the same pen before leaving. Inside, owners must keep verbal control and be able to see their dogs, and a dog that causes trouble has to be taken out at once; the Animal Control Officer can ban an aggressive dog. The city's ordinance also expects you to carry your own waste bags, even though biodegradable bags are stocked inside.

Several rules surprise first-time visitors. No food inside, for people or dogs, and that includes training treats; owners may not bring drinks in either. No digging, and whoever's dog dug a hole fills it. Sticks, balls and Chuckits belong in the back area, where a throw will not hit anyone, while children's toys and sports balls such as footballs and soccer balls are banned from the fenced area. Smoking is discouraged, and leftover smoking items can be fined as litter.

The tag rules leave plenty of dogs outside: puppies under six months and every dog that lives in Wenham, Hamilton or anywhere else past the city line. For a North Shore dog that needs to play, daycare at Dogtown, 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester, puts it in a playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, watched by our trained team, with rest breaks and water stations through the day. A full day is $42 and a half day $33, and the code FIRST15 takes 15 percent off the first daycare visit.

Every new dog starts with a free evaluation, a temperament test and a few supervised hours in a group, on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by appointment, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records and a current town license. If your dog is intact, ask us before you book; we confirm intake at the evaluation. Beverly sits outside the Pup Van towns, so ask us about pick-up or plan the drive up Route 128. A puppy too young for a park tag can start in Tiny Tails Puppy School, for pups of 8 to 16 weeks.