Newton Residents Waging War Against Mini LabraDoodles, Jettas

It may be the namesake for the sweet and delicious Fig Newton, but Newton is currently the battlefield of a bitter conflict. It's not about health care, Iran, or cash for clunkers. No, Newton is fighting a much scarier spectre: the mini LabraDoodle.

While this Bostonist is partial to large dogs, and generally disdains pups small enough to be beaten up by cats, she has no beef with the LabraDoodle. Newton residents, though, live in fear of the doodle, and this fear has driven them to anger—and action.

This Globe article describes the months of fallout from an off-leash area in Cold Spring Park in Newton, which opened in March. Leashless pups are restricted to just two of the park's 67 acres, and previously rational Newtonians have become paranoid freaks about monitoring dogs and their owners for leash violations. People are taking down physical descriptions, leaving angry notes, recording license plate numbers of cars suspected of dog transport, and even photographing dog owners suspected of taking leashes off two seconds too soon.

Concerned citizens have now hired attorney Peter F. Harrington to help them harass the city over the off-leash area, which apparently needs to be approved by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. On behalf of his clients, Harrington also alleges that the dogs' presence has ruined the ability of regular folks to enjoy the park. The dog terror is so deep-seated that one resident freaked upon spotting an out-of-state Jetta, with no dog in sight:

What is that plate? Vermont? For all I know, that’s a dog-walker. Now they’re getting out and the radio is blaring. I don’t want to be a meanie and call the cops. But really.

Really what, we ask? Granted, the off-leash area of the park should have the proper government approval, dog owners should be responsible for leashing their dogs outside of the off-leash area, and persistent leash offenders should be reprimanded. But creating a culture of mutual suspicion and hatred is absurd and unnecessary, and some residents' actions are bordering on harassment. Newton should be spending its time on more important endeavors—like bringing us a bigger, better, Fig Newton.