Update: Dogs Roam Free in CT

This weekend, I found an alternative to walking the woods of Bedford and Pound Ridge with my dog. The beach on Tod's Point in Old Greenwich, CT, is a welcome respite from the increasing snootiness and hostility toward dogs in the Town of Bedford. The atmosphere on the beach this weekend--which was full of dogs running off-leash with their owners--was open, comfortable and totally welcoming. Literally, a breath of fresh air! The wonderful community of Old Greenwich opens this beautiful park to everyone, with or without dogs, during the winter months. So, people and dogs can and do frolic on the beach together. Many dogs are in the water, despite the chilly temperatures, chasing balls or sticks. I did not witness one unpleasant confrontation the entire two hours we were there, probably because dogs are so much happier when able to run off-leash and get some real exercise. In Bedford, however, residents are made to feel like criminals for letting their dogs off-leash, like they're doing something horribly wrong. The attitude is totally out of proportion and bizarre, compared with the pleasant beach experience just a village away.

Dogs frolicking at Tod's Point beach in Greenwich, CT

Wagon ride on the beach, anyone?

Tod's Point is a large recreation area, surrounded by water, and within it are many habitats and trails. There is a bird sanctuary area around a large pond; a holly forest, with a trail through enormous holly trees; a butterfly garden, maintained by the Greenwich Garden Club, where snowdrops and a few crocuses were spotted, and the daffodils are all sprouting early. At this rate, they'll be blooming in mid-March instead of mid-April. We'll be there every chance we get from now until March 31st.

Dogs Leashed or Unleashed--Continued

The latest sally in a series of letters appearing in the local Bedford/Pound Ridge newspaper about leashing dogs is fueling the fire for those who believe that dogs deserve to run somewhere off-leash. Perhaps the furor is due to the incredibly mild winter we've had in the northeast, which is causing more dog owners to get outside and walk their dogs in public parks and on hiking trails. There is so much open space in this area compared with southern Westchester, which is one reason it appealed to us as an ideal place to settle down. But lately, just having a large dog is becoming something of a liability. Large dogs need to run off-leash--it keeps them happy and slim--but the laws and restrictions keep expanding to the point of absurdity.

Do we have to go to Pennsylvania to let this dog run free?

The latest 'Letter to the Editor' published in our local paper is titled "Land Conservancy clarifies rules for pet owners in preserves." Despite boasting that the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy owns "over 375 acres in a total of 17 preserves," not one inch of that open space seems to be available to off-leash dogs. It boggles the mind. A myriad of different conservation organizations tout the local dog park as the only place left to go. They threaten dog owners with fines, summoning the dog warden, all sorts of dire consequences. The fact is, you can no longer go for a peaceful walk in the woods with your dog without feeling like a criminal in Bedford, NY! It's starting to remind me of the vitriolic feelings between Republicans and Democrats. There just doesn't seem to be any room for compromise, and that's a huge problem on both a local and national scale. Once again, I refer to the article in The New York Times Metropolitan Section, on Sunday, Feb. 12, aptly titled "A Yearning for Dogs To Run Free." Is this any way to treat man's best friend?

Herb Garden at John Jay Homestead

A few years ago, I became a member of the New York Unit of the Herb Society of America, the local branch of a national network that is dedicated to furthering the use of and knowledge about herbs. Herbs have many uses, and each use has a labeled section in the local herb garden at John Jay Homestead. The garden, designed in the early 1990s by N.Y. Unit member, Page Dickey, is divided into four main sections of culinary, fragrances, medicinal and pest repellents. In addition, there is a section containing dye plants, another with roses and another border of ground covers and shrubs. Each section is maintained by a "Bed Head" and several other members. The workers meet every Thursday during the growing season at the herb garden to weed or otherwise improve the garden's appearance, planting new items while maintaining the old. Every year, it looks and smells more beautiful.

In addition to maintaining this lovely garden, the Unit also supports several public gardens and environmental projects, including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the N.Y. Botanical Garden and the Cloisters. Every Fall, the Unit has an Herb Fair in mid-September, which features fresh herbs and plants from members' gardens, hand-made wreaths and fragrance items, home-made jams, jellies, chutneys and mustards, a large selection of herbal and plant books and cookbooks, baked goods and many other items for sale. It is the highlight of the year for the herbies, since it occurs at the end of the growing season. If you want more information about the New York Unit, perhaps the best way is to drop by the Herb Garden some Thursday when members are there to meet. It's a great discovery--enjoy!

Centerpiece of John Jay Homestead Herb Garden.

Herb Garden views with Potting Sheds in background.

Photos by Nancy Dexter.

Walking Dogs Off-Leash

In my first blog post, I want to address the issue of dogs and their owners being able to walk freely in the local woods. Since it is a natural thing for dog owners to occasionally want to walk their dogs without a leash, many residents of Bedford, NY, are having difficulty with the expanding insistence on enforcing leash laws, or the incidence of dogs being banned altogether. In my childhood, dogs were free to roam the neighborhood, usually in search of food. There was no such thing as an Invisible Fence system, and we rarely needed a leash. Ginger created a well-worn trail from our back door to the neighbor's back door, with a lovely garden in between. No one ever complained about her being off-leash. She was a sweetheart.

But now, people with dogs off-leash are often confronted with extreme hostility--so surprising in local parks that have hiking trails set up specifically for walking the beautiful woods. When you own a dog that needs to run, you're hard pressed to take a hike without including this family member. The conflicts seem to be escalating between those who expect dogs to be leashed and those who believe dogs need to run free, as evidenced by a story that ran on the cover of The New York Times Metropolitan Section on Sunday, February 12, titled "A Yearning for Dogs To Run Free," by Lisa Foderaro. The topic is also a hot one in our local newspaper, with many letters to the editor appearing because another favorite spot for people and their dogs was recently closed off, complete with big, ugly signs and fencing. The Morgenthau Preserve and an adjoining 70-acre property owned by a private individual in Pound Ridge, NY, was a haven for dog-lovers, particularly for dogs who love to swim since there are two lakes in those woods, not to mention a three-hole private golf course. Most of the people we saw there had their dogs along, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the outdoors and the beauty of the scenery.

Does this dog look like he would thrive on a leash?

Suddenly, the Board of Directors of the Morgenthau Preserve decided they would not just enforce the leash law for dogs, but close the preserve to dogs altogether. Ostensibly, this move was to preserve wildlife and flora and fauna. However, the main obstacle to preserving plants in this area is the large deer population. The deer have basically consumed the entire understory of the forest, and new plants cannot take hold. However, the board is blaming loose dogs, not deer, for this development. We feel it's just an excuse, and perhaps property owners adjoining the preserve want to exclude others and have the land to themselves. It's a huge loss for many, and there must be some viable compromise. Both sides of the story need to be heard!