Lisa Unleashed: Newtown's Natural Beauty
Recently, an old book, The Dog Lover’s Companion to New England, surfaced in my office begging to be flipped through. This collection of dog-friendly parks, beaches, and recreation areas was ranked by one to five paw prints to guide you where to take your dog for a walk, hike, or swim.
I decided to flip to Connecticut and found the Newtown page. Top ranked was the 1,935-acre Paugussett State Park, split into upper and lower regions. This state forest, located off Great Quarter Road and Route 34, includes the Lillinonah Hiking Trial among the 794-acre upper tract.
The authors warned me that parts of the trail were closed from December 15 through March 15, so as not to disturb the nesting bald eagles, who call this place home in the winter. The lower trails were open, with their ups and downs as well as back and forths along the steep Housatonic River bank. And for good measure, they warned that the forest is open for hunting season from October through February. Either way, it seemed like the Paugussett wasn’t the best place to take dogs for walks in the winter months.
I had been to these wild acres before, in the late-1990s, on horseback, so I knew how challenging these trails could be to man and beast. It made me miss all the places I used to walk my dogs in Newtown.
Where to Go?
After years of my dogs’ getting all forms of tick-borne illnesses, our walks in the woods ceased. No longer did we visit our favorite haunts, like the Newtown Forest Association properties of Holcombe Hill and the Brunot and Greenleaf preserves. I especially liked the walks around the open fields of Fairfield Hills that now house the horse guard and military dog facility.
While I found these areas safe to ride horses, because I figured we could gallop faster than the ticks could catch us, my heavy-coated Elkhounds seemed to give a tick a ride every time they trotted through deep grass or forest trails. Our walks also ceased due to thoughtless owners, and a few bite attacks, from dogs who were in violation of posted leash rules.
Thankfully, Newtown dog owners now have the option of the new Park and Bark off-leash dog park at Fairfield Hills to safely let their dogs run free.
As it happens, a long-lost place to walk dogs reemerged for us this weekend. A place visited by earlier generations of Elkhounds. Just off Mile Hill South Road, we parked near Cochrane House on the FFH campus. Catching a glimpse of the old wooden pavilion with picnic tables, reminded me of the visits made in the mid-1980s with Newtown Kennel Club members and their dogs to visit with the residents of Fairfield Hills. We were bringing our “therapy dogs” out for a visit long before anyone had invented that moniker. We just thought it would be nice for those who had no access to dogs, to enjoy an afternoon spent with our beloved companions.
After reliving that satisfying memory, my husband and our dogs set out on the perimeter trail that runs around the NYA Sports & Fitness Center, up the hill, with a loop or an extended walk down to the turn-around. To our delight, the trail was paved, which was a great deterrent against ticks.
Trail Blazing
We got maybe 10 yards down the road and it was time to pull out the poop bags. I guess our old dog was excited to be back trail blazing again. As we continued our walk, we notice that many other dogs were equally excited to be out among nature at the trail’s edge. The more we walked, the more evidence of excited dogs we encountered. If we fell off the beaten paved path, we’d have to navigate a mine field of poops! It was an unwelcomed site among the natural beauty of the trail.
There are no pooper scooper laws in Newtown, but the trail entrances do provide ample opportunity for owners to pick up after their dogs. There are poop bag dispensers and trash cans for their disposal. On future walks, owners might think about, what’s that camping phrase used at national parks? “pack it in, pack it out.”
All responsible dog owners should join the “leave no trace” movement when it comes to walking their dogs on shared trails, parks, and other natural landscapes. Just because it’s outdoors, in a natural setting, doesn’t mean we should use it as an excuse not to pick it up. If we don’t police ourselves now, we may end up having to register our dog’s DNA with PooPrints in order to catch the next “poopetrator” in town when those pooper scooper laws are a reality.
Lisa Peterson, a lifelong dog and horse lover, has worn many hats as a communications professional: writer, journalist, columnist, blogger, podcast host, pet safety and dog breed expert. She has won numerous writing, public relations and journalism awards. She lives in Newtown with her husband and three Norwegian Elkhounds. Contact Lisa via Twitter @LisaNPeterson or elvemel@gmail.com or visit her blog lisaunleashed.com.