Framingham Dog Park Group Calls It Quits

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A group organized five years ago to build a dog park in Framingham said Friday that it would shut down before achieving its goal. FramBARK founder Shannon Stevens made the announcement in a Facebook post.

"I started FramBARK with a vision of a dog park that would give dogs a safe place to play, to meet members of the community, provide local business opportunities. We leave the city of Framingham with research, grant opportunities and plans, and we hope that our officials will eventually realize the value of establishing a dog park," she wrote.

FramBARK began organizing to create an enclosed dog park in September 2015. Stevens got the idea from a Natick resident who was organizing around a similar effort.

Framingham remains one of the largest cities in the area without an enclosed dog park. Meanwhile, residents in Ashland are raising money to build an off-leash park, which one day might be located in an area northwest of the middle school.

Communities likes Newton, Medway, and Worcester offer the closest formal off-leash areas near Framingham.