Panel Seeks to Establish Dog Runs for Parks

The Los Angeles Recreation and Park Commission on Friday asked the City Council for authority to set up areas in parks for unleashed dogs to run.

But the action did not completely satisfy about 50 dog owners at the City Hall meeting, who failed to win a commitment from the commission to specify that a section of Laurel Canyon Park be set aside as one of the city’s first dog runs.

The tiny park at the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains above Studio City has been the scene of confrontations between dog owners who let their pets run free and animal control officers sent there to enforce the leash law.

In a separate development, a report on a city investigation into leash-law enforcement at the park concludes that “animal control officers may have contributed to the hostility of the situation in two instances.”

‘Insensitivity’ of Officers

But the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, says that, in the two unspecified instances, “we have not found abuse (either physical or verbal), rather discourteousness and insensitivity that should not have been present in the officers’ actions while enforcing the law.”

The report was written by Robert Rush, general manager of the city’s Department of Animal Regulation. His investigation was requested in April by the city’s Animal Regulation Commission, a citizens’ advisory panel, after dog owners accused animal control officers of using what were described as storm-trooper tactics in enforcing the leash law.

The report also said that an unnamed department supervisor who was responsible for leash-law enforcement at Laurel Canyon Park has been replaced for sending six animal control officers into the park on June 20. Rush earlier had ordered that the enforcement effort there be limited to two officers.

In an interview Friday, Rush said problems at the park have “diminished substantially,” and that animal control officers have issued only two citations in the last three weeks for violations of the leash law at the park.

70 Citations Issued

Before Rush ordered his staff to relax its enforcement effort, animal control officers had issued 70 citations at the park over 10 weekends.

But Brian Petrunich, a Sherman Oaks attorney and dog owner, said problems at the park have diminished because dog owners no longer can use it for fear of being harassed by animal control officers.

Friday’s commission action consisted of a request to the City Council to amend the leash law in order to allow the commission to set up areas where dogs can run free. The law now requires owners to keep dogs on a leash at all times on public property.

Commissioners did not indicate the size of the proposed dog runs or whether they would be fenced.

Two-Acre Areas Urged

Councilman Joel Wachs, whose district includes Laurel Canyon Park, suggested to the commission that the areas consist of at least two acres, and that at least four be established in the city. He also said a 25-cent to 50-cent surcharge on dog-license fees should be considered to pay for maintenance of the areas.

Commissioner William Robertson, a labor leader, said it would be premature for the commission to decide where to locate the runs before it has the authority.

But, he added, “I can’t believe we’re not going to be in favor of Laurel Canyon Park.”

The Animal Regulation Commission has recommended that two-thirds of the 12-acre park be fenced off for use by dogs.

‘Pandora’s Box’

Commission President J. Stanley Sanders was the lone dissenter in the 4-1 vote, saying the commission was changing citywide policy to deal with a problem in one park.

He also said the action would open up a “Pandora’s box,” pitting dog owners against other park users for space.”

Sanders, a lawyer, also said he is concerned about the cost to the city of cleaning up after dogs. “Aren’t we really just shifting the cost of cleaning poop from the private to the public sector?” he asked.

Some other cities, including San Diego and San Francisco, already have dog runs in public parks.