Baldwin Park is a popular place to walk your dog. ​An issue in many parks is the lack of dog etiquette. Some dog owners know the rules and refuse to abide by them (everyone knows the woman with the French bulldog). Most dog owners are not so antisocial but just need some education.

 

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​Leash Laws

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Off-leash dogs. Dogs must be on a leash everywhere in Philadelphia except in approved dog parks. There is a member dog park on the 1800 block of Green Street and a free dog park just north of the Franklin Institute on Winter Street. Off-leash dogs are allowed there. Baldwin Park is not an approved dog park. Dogs must be on a leash. This is the law. Violation of this law is a summary offense subject to a ticket and fine. Education about the need for leash laws is better than involving the police. Here are some reasons to keep your dog leashed in the park:

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• Some folks are afraid of dogs, either themselves or their children. Some have had past traumatic experiences with dogs and will not come into the park if they see an off-leash dog. They don't know whether your dog is friendly or not from a distance. They feel unwelcome in the park if there is an off-leash dog. That is unfair to them;

• Some folks just don't like dogs and don't want to take the risk of a dog coming up to them. Certain cultures brand dogs as dirty animals, the same way many folks look upon rats. They are horrified to hear that some owners allow their dogs to sleep in the owner's bed. Respect other cultures and keep your dog leashed (and maybe even keep the dog off the park benches);

• Some folks have reactive dogs that they walk in the park. Your off-leash dog may approach such dogs and get torn to shreds. It is the reactive dog that will be punished or put down. Please respect the unpredictability of dog behavior and keep your dog leashed and under control on a leash of no more than six feet;

• Some folks let their off-leash dogs wander the park, even going out of sight of the owner. They do this intentionally to let the dog poop out of sight to avoid cleaning it up. Some owners even  encourage their dogs to go into the central planting beds to relieve themselves and the owners avoid cleaning up after their dog has trampled the plants. If you see someone with an off-leash dog, ask them to please keep their dog on a leash. If you see someone not picking up dog poop, kindly inform them that there are dog poop bags in the southwest corner of the Park. If you want to go above and beyond simple etiquette into the realm of altruism, feel free to cover your hand with your dog poop bag and pick up litter and cigarette butts before you use the bag for your dog. Making the world a nicer place generates good karma!

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Grass and Plants

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There are several newly planted trees in the park. These are marked by being small, being surrounded by obstacles to keep dogs away, and some being marked with signs stating "No Dogs." This is often still not enough to keep dogs from urinating on the trees. Dog urine and feces contain concentrated fertilizer that is toxic to young saplings. Please keep your dogs away. Dogs can quickly go from sniffing a young tree to urinating on it. Pull your dog away from our baby trees please.

Dogs like to paw the ground after doing their business. Big dogs, and strong small dogs, can throw clods of turf into the air leaving bald patches in the lawn. If you can train your dog not to do this (A stern NO and tug on leash) the lawn will be better off.

Likewise, please don't let your dog dig holes in the lawn. It seems cute, but these holes cause people to twist their ankles, or worse.

A mulched planting bed anywhere in the City should be an alert to keep your dog out of that planting bed. People are taking care of that small plot to beautify the neighborhood. Some folks allow their dog to trample the plants, urinate on the new plantings and then paw the mulch throwing it out of the planting bed. The mulch is there to protect the plants and make a more attractive bed.

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The Central Planting Bed

 

Dogs and people should stay out of the central raised planting beds for the following reasons:

• Your neighbors, via membership in the Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park, pay for the plants in the central beds. The City does not put in those plants. The beds are beautiful and over the last six years the Friends have spent close to $25,000 to keep them so. These new plantings are fragile and do not tolerate foot or paw traffic;

• There is rat poison in containers in the central area. Poison may spread outside the containers and be dangerous for pets and children. Signs are posted asking people to stay out of the raised beds;

• Walking on the mortarless stone walls may loosen the stones and cause someone to fall;

• If one person hangs out in the central raised beds, others soon follow.​​

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Miscellaneous Pet Peeves

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