We recently moved to Ashland and LOVE it. We’re about 40 mins from Boston and surrounded by farms. Some of the swankier towns in MetroWest (Sherborn, Natick, Wellesley) border us, but we have the benefit of paying cheaper taxes than those towns. We bought a beautiful home for around $700k. Like you, we have a bunch of dogs and no kids, so schools aren’t an issue. Ashland has some awesome state forests to take the pups. 10/10 recommend. Feel free to DM me with any questions!