Wachs Proposes Leash-Free Dog Runs in Some City Parks

Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs proposed Thursday that the city build an unspecified number of dog runs in public parks where dog owners could let their animals run free, exempt from the leash law.

There are nearly 200,000 licensed dogs in the city but not a single place for them to run loose legally, Wachs said.

Because there are no public dog runs, violations of the city’s leash laws are rampant in city parks, Wachs said. Those cited must pay a $43 fine.

Wachs said he planned to introduce a motion to the City Council today asking the departments of Recreation and Parks and Animal Regulation and the city attorney’s office to jointly study the possibility of creating “an appropriate number” of dog runs.

He said he did not know how many might be appropriate, but expected one or two pilot parks might be built first.

In the past, the city attorney has rejected the idea of free-run areas for dogs in public parks on the grounds that the city could be held liable for injuries caused by unleashed dogs.

However, Wachs said his office has learned that other cities such as Palo Alto, Berkeley and Louisville, Ky., have established dog parks, apparently overcoming any liability problems.

Wachs said he became aware of the acute demand for a dog park through a bitter neighborhood battle over the use of Laurel Canyon Park by dog owners in his East San Fernando Valley council district.