Park Program Allowing Dogs to Run Unleashed Extended 6 Months by Panel

The Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission on Monday extended for six months a pilot program allowing dogs to run off-leash in Laurel Canyon Park, and recommended that the City Council set up new dog parks in Griffith Park and the Sepulveda Basin.

The commission extended the program, scheduled to expire in March, after dog owners and city staff members gave enthusiastic reports on the success of the controversial pilot project that began in the spring of 1988.

“You should be very proud of what you have done. I bring my dog there five times a week,” said Howard Bragman, a member of Parkwatch, a group that has lobbied heavily for the off-leash park.

“If you measure the program by volume, it has been an extraordinary success,” Bragman said, saying that there are not enough parking spaces to accommodate the waves of dog owners wanting to use the park.

Supporters called for the establishment of more such parks, and one elected official, Councilman Joel Wachs, predicted Monday that his colleagues will easily vote for new dog runs at Griffith Park and the Sepulveda Basin.

Wachs, chairman of the council’s Arts, Health and Humanities Committee, made his observation as the committee directed city parks officials to prepare a detailed proposal for two new dog runs

“I’m sure that it’s going to be approved,” said Wachs, noting new dog parks are needed to lessen canine crowding at Laurel Canyon Park.

Since April, 1988, Laurel Canyon Park has been the only city park where dogs may run unleashed, although only during certain hours. The council approved it as an experiment after a three-year controversy that began in 1985 when Wachs, who represented the area at the time, cracked down on unleashed pets in the park.

But the four-acre park’s growing popularity among dog owners from elsewhere in the city has prompted Councilman Michael Woo, who now represents the area, to seek the additional dog space in Griffith Park and the Sepulveda Basin.

The two extra dog runs, Woo said, “would significantly reduce the burden on Laurel Canyon Park.”

Not everyone has been pleased with what has happened at Laurel Canyon Park.

“Our community would like our park back,” Janja Vujovich, a vocal opponent, testified at the parks commission meeting. Vujovich told the commission that trash cans in which dog feces were disposed of were left uncovered by dog owners, and she questioned whether the commission could extend the program legally without a full review of its environmental impact.

The locations of the proposed new dog runs in the Griffith Park and Sepulveda Basin have yet to be determined, said Jim Hadaway, general manager of the Department of Recreation and Parks.

Wachs told Hadaway to return to the council committee within the next month with a more precise proposal. Building fenced dog exercise areas at both parks is expected to cost about $60,000.

Wachs also suggested that Hadaway find locations elsewhere in the city for dog parks.