DoggieFest Boston

Off-leash recreation at Bunker Hill Community College. Free for dogs. Adults $15.00; Children (8 yrs. and under) $8. One day only: Saturday, August 06, 2005, 10.00 am - 5.00 pm. Rain Date: August 13, 2005.

DoggieFest Boston will feature four fully enclosed leash-free playgrounds:

  • Puppy Playground - for dogs less than 6 months
  • Small Dog Playground - for dogs less than 30 pounds
  • Medium Dog Playground - for dogs weighing between 30-59 pounds
  • Large Dog Playground - for dogs weighing over 60 pounds

UPDATE 01 August 2005: I received additional information today from info at doggiefest dot com.

The following rescue organizations will be present at Doggiefest: Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue, Greyhounds of Amercia, Colonial Basset Hound Rescue, Underdog RESQ. The organizers are waiting to hear back from others and encourage nonprofit organizations that would like to participate to e-mail info at doggiefest dot com as soon as possible. There is no charge for non-profit sponsors to have a booth at Doggiefest Boston. All non-profit organizations present at Doggiefest Boston are eligible to receive a donation from the proceeds from the admission fees. The amount of the donations will be announced and the donations will be presented at Doggiefest Boston immediately following the Waggin' Wear Adopt-a-Dog Fashion Show.

I have also been informed that

Certain vendors have elected to charge a nominal fee to attendees to offset their cost. However, the vast majority of activities at Doggiefest Boston are offered for free. You can enjoy a great day without spending any money once you get into Doggiefest Boston or you can elect to receive personalized instruction and use the dog agility course for $5.

The founders of Doggiefest Boston promote the event as a way "to address their concern with the lack of available leash-free park space and other opportunities to socialize their dogs." Lots of other dog owners who share this concern are working with our local govenrments to redress the lack of off-leash recreational opportunities in public open space. If you can afford to spend $15 to take your dog to DoggieFest Boston to enjoy off-leash recreation for one day, why not donate $15 dollars as well to a local dog owners group that is working for safe and legal options for off-leash recreation in our communities? Why not donate $15 to the City of Somerville's Somerville Unleashed fund?

Posted by Michèle on July 25, 2005 12:18 AM

Comments

susan, on bostonpooch.com, cautions: Buyer beware!

While the entrance fees for DoggieFest Boston are somewhat restrictive, dog lovers at a local dog training center observed that the kind of dog that may well end up in the off-leash playgrounds is the kind of dog that, otherwise, may have never been outside of her/his house.

The real price of freedom—even your dog's freedom from a leash—is eternal vigilance.

Posted by: Canis Major on July 29, 2005 10:24 AM

I went to Doggiefest and had a good time without my dog. I was there in the afternoon, and the off-leash areas were well-fenced and monitored by staff with walkie-talkies. I saw only 1 instance of aggressive behavior while I was there, and that was over quickly with no harm done. The aggressor was immediately leashed and taken out of there by the owner.I left my dog home because I was afraid it might be a zoo, but overall the dogs were well-behaved. A friend from dog training was there with her dog and had no problems. Not allowing toys or balls in the off-leash areas meant that dogs could play with each other without trying to grab stuff away from each other, and the 3 size ranges kept the big dogs away from the little ones. I brought my SomDog material into the off-leash areas but didn't find anyone from Somerville while I was there. Overall, though, there was support for the idea of off-leash areas in parks and some people took brochures with the idea of trying to get dog parks in their areas. One guy mentioned that there was a dog park in Sharon. Later that afternoon, I spoke with one of the organizers and gave him a brochure. They are trying to get a dog park in Jamaica Plain and may want to share ideas with SomDog. He told me they had people there from Somerville, maybe they had gone home by the time I got there as it was a warm day. We may be able to get that info from Doggiefest as part of an info exchange. They did announce that they would give part of the proceeds to the rescue groups who participated, didn't say how much, though. They are planning to do it again next year. Maybe this would be a good place for Som dog to do more outreach next year, especially if someone could be there in the morning.
Jean Berman (& Victor the Greyhound)

Posted by: Jean Berman on August 10, 2005 11:12 AM