Abington Dog Park

441 Summer St, Abington, MA 02351, USA

abingtondogpark@gmail.com

https://www.abingtondogpark.com

Owned By: Town of Abington

• Directions

The town-owned Abington Dog Park has separate areas for small and large dogs. Abington residency is not required for entry. The 1-acre fenced-in property features sprinklers shaped like fire hydrants, mounds of dirt for digging, and tunnels.

Features

This park opened in 2019, primarily funded by the Stanton Foundation. Located close to the MBTA railroad tracks, patrons may hear the trains passing!

Dogs must be under voice control while in the park. Children under 16 require adult supervision. Dogs must be licensed and vaccinated. Limit 2 dogs per adult. No smoking, alcohol or food (including dog treats). A full set of rules are posted outside the park and on the park’s website.

This land is within the region of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe. According to Martha Campbell’s Remembering Old Abington, the original town of Abington included today’s Abington and Rockland as well as most of Whitman. in the 1660s, European settlers from Weymouth began establishing homesteads within the town. While the settlers came from Massachusetts Bay Colony, the land was part of Plymouth Colony. All of the 18 original land grants were along the Satucket Path, a trail established by Native Americans that extended from Wessagusset Beach in North Weymouth to Robbins Pond in East Bridgewater. Campbell also explains how the Native American name for the town was Manamooskeagin, translated from the Algonquin as “great green place of shaking grass.” The Abington town seal incorporates its Algonquian name.

To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett, and the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag, both share information on their websites. 

Habitats and Wildlife

The fenced and graveled park is surrounded by woodlands, with oak, pine, birch, maple and sumac. The land here drains to the Shumatuscacant River.

The Shumatuscacant River flows for 8.8 miles through Abington and Whitman. In Hanson’s Poor Meadow Brook Conservation Area, it joins with Poor Meadow Brook. The stream continues to Robbins Pond in East Bridgewater, where it empties into the Satucket River, part of the Taunton River watershed.

The word “Schumatuscacant” has been translated from the Algonquin as “beaver stream with the stepping-over place.” It originally referred to a specific spot on the Satucket Path where the river could be crossed easily. A similar word, “Schumacastcacut,” has been translated as “beaver stream always dependable.”