Local News in Brief : Laurel Canyon Park Officially Goes to the Dogs

Laurel Canyon Park has officially become the first park in Los Angeles where dogs are permitted to run free.

Although dog owners for years have used the park atop the Santa Monica Mountains as a leash-free haven for their pets--and city signs for several months have announced that dogs can run free there during certain hours--the six-month pilot project did not officially start until Friday.

The program, approved by the City Council in April after a heated debate among area residents, allows dogs at the park off Mulholland Drive to run unleashed from sunup to 9 a.m. and between 4 p.m and 10 p.m. seven days a week.

The hours will be strictly enforced and dog owners caught violating the policy will be subject to fines ranging from $62 to $150, according to Larry Kaplan, chief deputy for Councilman Michael Woo, whose district includes the park.

After the trial period, an extension will be considered, and the program may even be expanded to other city parks, Kaplan said. “It’s up to the dog owners to make it work,” he said.