Karen of the BoulevardNeighbors Yahoo! Group shared the news today that the city is planning to increase patrols in Mt. Lake Park this week in an effort to better enforce leash laws.
If you’re walking your dog in Mt. Lake Park, it is required by law to be kept on leash. At the east end of the park (near 8th Avenue entrance), there is a designated dog run area where owners can let their canine friends run free. But all other areas of the park require that a dog be on leash.
This week, the city will be watching dog owners in the park more closely, and issuing warnings if they are in violation of the leash law. Next week, things will get a little tougher on violators.
“Next week, I heard the City will be giving out tickets if you are walking/playing with your dog off leash in the unmarked areas,” Karen wrote.
Karen said she heard the news from another neighbor, who saw a sign posted in the park. Have you seen any signs about this? Have you had issues with dogs off leash in Mt. Lake Park?
Sarah B.
I am not surprised that this is a spot where they are threatening to crack down. There are a number of people that let their dogs swim in Mt. lake which is a blatant and very high profile violation. My dog would love nothing better than to swim there but it always struck me as a really bad idea given they have been trying to restore the natural flora and fauna of that habitat. The area where I hope they take a more relaxed position would be the pavement and gravel path (West Pacific Avenue?) that runs between the Presidio golf course parking lot and Mt. lake. There is no habitat that needs protecting there and its a great spot for well trained and controlled dogs to run.
I see dogs off leash in the main meadow area of Mt Lake park, but usually at less crowded times like late afternoon. It has never bothered me, but I’m sure some have complained.
I have always assumed that the path Tom mentioned is part of the Presidio, but I could be wrong. If the city cracked down in that area, it could generate some serious revenue. I have jogged past individual ‘dog walkers’ on that path with 10+ dogs on the loose!
Justin is right, the road that runs north of the park and that connects the Presidio golf course parking lot and MLP is part of the Presidio, not Mountain Lake Park. City enforcement only covers the park. We walk our dogs off leash on that part of the road all of the time. I also sometimes have my dogs off leash in MLP but have them under voice command. If there are children or other dogs around I will leash them up. I try to walk them at odd hours of the day so they have the freedom to roam. I sometimes throw the ball in the meadow but this is usually after the 6:30 witching hour when everyone has gone in for dinner. I used to take my dogs to the dog run but, unfortunately, over the past few years, the owners who use the run are not responsible about their dogs’ behavior so I stopped going. If someone complains about my dog being off-leash, I respect their feelings and put them on leash.
Finally.
I heard it’s because there’s a new gardener there who’s a meanie and was moved there because no one likes to work with that gardener at other parks. Don’t cops have more important things to worry about?
@Amerkiwi – Huh, there was a meanie that used to bark at us when we worked out at the Concourse in GGP. Wonder if he just moved across the neighborhood, LOL
I run here a lot and there are always tons of dogs off-leash. As a cautious runner, I would feel better knowing owners have their dogs under their control. While I’ve never been chased, it always crosses my mind in this area.