Dogs in Massachusetts state parks: the DCR rules

Section 12.13(2) of DCR's Parks and Recreation Rules says that, unless an area is designated and posted otherwise, nobody may have a pet on DCR property unless it is 'restrained within a cage, or is bridled, or is restrained on a tether or leash no greater in length than ten feet.' Subsection (1) also bars letting any pet be unattended, roam or be at large. The leash rule does not apply to hunting, the training of hunting dogs, dog sledding, or the training of sled or search dogs.

Where DCR has designated an off-leash area, subsection (3) still requires the owner to accompany the dog 'with leash in hand' and keep effective control by voice, by electronic training collar, or as a ranger or officer directs. DCR's dogs guide translates that into plain terms: the dog stays in sight, comes immediately when called, stays on command, does not charge or chase people, dogs, horses or wildlife, and is leashed entering and leaving the area, with one leash in hand for each dog.

DCR's location pages for Halibut Point State Park, Bradley Palmer State Park and Willowdale State Forest each list dogs as allowed, so the ten-foot rule applies on their trails. DCR's off-leash list for its North Region names Georgetown-Rowley State Forest on its trails, Harold Parker State Forest on trails outside the recreation area and campgrounds, and Breakheart Reservation at Bark Place in Saugus. The guide adds that rules may vary at each off-leash area, so the posted rules come first.

Halibut Point is the one Cape Ann owners know best: DCR describes it as a granite edge between the Atlantic and the mainland, with trails, tide pools, rocky ledges and an old quarry, and its park rules prohibit swimming in or entering the quarry. A ten-foot leash there is a practical rule as much as a legal one, so keep a water-loving dog close at the rim and on the ledges. On the coastal beaches DCR runs south of Cape Ann, the summer closure is the rule to remember.

The state closure on coastal beaches overlaps the local ones. Gloucester bars dogs from Good Harbor from April 1 and from its other beaches, Crab Beach aside, from May 1; Rockport keeps them off from June 1 to September 15; and Essex closes its beaches in June, July and August. A summer dog on Cape Ann needs somewhere to run that is not sand, and a leashed walk in the heat is a short outing at best.

A daycare day at Dogtown gives that run inside a fence: a playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, splash pools on the turf yard, and indoor play floors for the hottest hours. Full days are $42 and half days $33, the code FIRST15 takes 15 percent off a new customer's first daycare visit, and the free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 comes first, with Rabies, DHPP, Bordetella and a current license on file.