by Nathan Boddy
Amy Fox, Hamilton Director of Parks and Urban Forestry, says that she can sympathize with people who don’t want to keep their dog on a leash while walking them in the city parks. “I understand why people want to let their dogs off leash,” she says. “Dogs like to run.” Still, Fox is caught fielding numerous ongoing complaints from both park users and adjacent neighbors about the tremendous lack of attention that many dog owners give to one very straightforward law in the City of Hamilton:
Dogs in the city parks, (except the dog park at the west end of New York Avenue) must be on leashes. “I understand that the dog park is not the same as taking your dog for a hike off leash,” she explains, but adds that having dogs leashed is the law. And while many people do keep their dogs on leashes, so many fail to follow this rather mild seeming regulation, that newly worded signs have been installed at park entrances so that people can more easily report violations directly to The Hamilton Police Department. Having those numbers would allow the Police Department to make valuable decisions about how to allocate time and efforts of the town’s Code Enforcement Officer.
Fox knows that most people may be hesitant to make a report, even to a non-emergency number for the Police Department. “It’s annoying, but maybe not something that rises to the level of pulling a police officer from something of higher importance to come and cite somebody for having their dog off a leash.” But, Fox hopes that park users will consider the reasons for keeping their dogs on leashes that go beyond a potential citation. For example, in parks that are as highly frequented by wildlife as are Steve Powell and Skalkaho Bend Parks, off-leash dogs can have an enormously negative impact. Of course, even people have an impact on the wildlife in the park, but people, for the most part, don’t sprint off the trail after birds and other animals, which is illegal under state law. Water quality, safety of park visitors (including other dogs), and the simple fact that some people just don’t want to be approached by dogs are all factors. Additionally, leashed dogs are less likely to leave behind excrement without the notice of their owners. “I feel like we provide plenty of bags,” says Fox, but adds that the Parks Department does not hold responsibility for picking up dog droppings, and wouldn’t want people to get the impression that the job has been taken care of.
One of Fox’s most pressing concerns involves the legal transfer agreements that the city used when incorporating Steve Powell and Skalkaho Bend Parks into its holdings. Those transfer agreements stipulated that the city’s park management plan on parks (including dogs being on leash) would be followed. She fears that, if landowners or other entities had reason to doubt that the City of Hamilton would uphold the transfer agreements as stipulated, people may be hesitant to enter into agreements that result in increased city park space.
Ultimately, dog owners can be faced with tough decisions, especially during winter months when other trailheads or public space can be hard to reach. Those realities, especially combined with what Fox says can be somewhat of a “social license,” that people adopt with their own dogs when seeing other dogs off leash, has led to a very high number of people who ignore the town’s leash laws. However, with new signage, and improved access to the Hamilton Police Department’s Code Enforcement Officer, perhaps the leash-option will get more attention.
John Doe says
One of the worst offenders is the city’s own Jenny West and her partner. Their dog is in Steve Powell park at least once a day and is never leashed. If the city wanted to set an example of how to abide by the law, Jenny West would be a great place to start.
Park user says
There’s a big difference between off-leash dogs that cause problems and off-leash dogs that follow voice commands and don’t bother people or wildlife. I’ve seen plenty of untrained, leashed dogs with poor manners, lunging after deer on 20-foot retractable lines, and whose owners won’t pick up their poop. Yes, dogs chasing after wildlife or jumping on people in the parks is unacceptable, but leash laws alone don’t fix the issue, and only punish those of us who are responsible dog owners.
Give park users a place (or perhaps a time?) to have their dogs legally off-leash because the dog park–which attracts ill-mannered dogs and lazy owners–is not a viable alternative. Or perhaps change the rule to “dogs must be under physical or voice control”. There are many examples of dog-friendly city parks in other cities that do it this way.