Forest Lake Park in Methuen with your dog: leashed, residents only

Methuen's park ordinance starts from a ban and then makes one exception. Section 18-11(b) makes it unlawful to bring any animal into the City Forest area, then permits leashed dogs in Forest Lake Park, excepting the swimming area and the boat ramp. The same clause admits horses to the park, but only on its horse trails. A dog is therefore legal on the park's grounds and paths when it is leashed, and illegal on the beach where people swim and on the ramp where boats go in.

The leash itself is defined elsewhere in the code. Section 23-46 says a dog outside its owner's or keeper's property must be held firmly on a leash no longer than six feet, and section 23-48 makes owners pick up after a dog in any public park or on any beach, at $100 per offense. A breach of the park chapter can bring a fine of up to $100, each day counting as a separate offense, and a city police officer may enforce it.

The city's directions start on Route 93, from the north or the south. Take Exit 47, bear left onto Pelham Street and follow it to the end, turn left onto Hampshire Road, then take the first left at the bend into a large entrance with no sign. Keeping right at the fork leads to the public boat ramp and the beach, the two places a dog may not go, so a dog walker has reason to remember that fork. From the south, the page also routes drivers up I-495 North to Exit 40B.

The city's park list places Forest Lake on Ridgewood Lane. The lake page describes swimming, fishing and recreation and says nothing about named trails or distances, so we will not name a loop here. Water quality questions go to the Health Department at 978-983-8655 or the Conservation Department at 978-983-8650, and the page links the state's beach water quality dashboard. Hours and fees go to the Recreation Department at 978-983-8590.

For non-residents, and for everyone once the gate shuts, the Methuen Rail Trail is the leashed walk in town: 2.4 paved miles that the city lists among its parks, on Railroad Street, with its own page here. The city's park list also names a Gill Ave Dog Park, but the listing gives no rules, hours or fencing, so ask the city before you rely on it. Riverside Park is not an option, because the code bars animals there, leashed or not.

A lakeside walk that ends in shoreline mud is what our bath and brush is for. At 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester it is a warm bath, blow-dry and brush-out priced by size, from $55 for a dog of 25 pounds or less to $95 for an extra-large long coat, and grooming needs no evaluation. Methuen is outside the Pup Van towns, and the drive is about an hour by our estimate, so book it for a day you are heading to Cape Ann anyway.

If what your dog misses is the water, remember that Forest Lake's swimming area is off limits to dogs in every season. Our daycare play yard has splash pools on the turf, and dogs play in groups of 7 to 10 matched by size and temperament for $42 a full day or $33 a half day. Daycare starts with a free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM.