Seattle…dog friendly, but cautious!
Off-leash dogs...beware!!!
Seattle is known as one of the most dog friendly cities in the country. They love their pooches in that city and to prove it they tout 11 dog off leash areas in the city where dogs can run free and play and are not subject to the constriction of being kept on a leash.
However, lately, the Parks Department in Seattle has become concerned because people seem to be taking excessive liberties with their dogs and allowing them to go leash free in areas that are not designated as such.
While many people love dogs, there are people who don’t and this has led to complaints to the Parks Department. The Parks Department has teamed up with the Seattle Animal Shelter to insure that people who violate the leash laws are fined appropriately. Of course there is a source of controversy here. More citations are being issued to people who have their dogs off-leash in areas that are not designated to be so. This has led to a response by Russell Harley who part of the COLA non profit organization. COLA stands for Citizens for Off-Leash Areas. This organization was put into place to help create and support these off-leash areas. Harley feels that there is a need for more of the off-leash parks in the Seattle area. More of these areas would lead to a decrease in the amount of violators. Since most people walk their dogs and would love to be able to walk the dog to an off-leash park or area, Harley feels that an off-leash area should be within 5 miles of a person’s home. That means that a lot more off-leash areas are needed in Seattle. Violators of this law can be fined anywhere from $54-$162 dollars and if found at the beach off-leash in a leash area, the fine can be as high as $500.00. So keep your money in your pocket and your dog on a leash when he/she is meant to be!!!
March 28th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Good post