LAGUNA BEACH : City Gets Tough With Pet Leash Law

Sixteen months after opening the only park in Orange County where dogs can run freely, Laguna Beach is now cracking down on pet owners who allow their animals off the leash elsewhere in the city.

Not only must violators now pay five times more for a first violation--from $5 to $25--but they also must dodge animal control officers who have been popping up on beaches at unexpected hours to nab scofflaws.

Over the past month, the number of citations issued jumped from about 20 to 50, animal control officer Joy Lingenfelter said Monday.

While the unexpected attention has raised the ire of some dog owners, Lingenfelter maintains the time was ripe for Laguna Beach to rein in residents who ignore the city’s leash law.

“The beaches had gotten to a point where there were just dogs everywhere, and we have the dog park for that reason,” she said. “There were certain beaches that looked like a three-ring circus . . . and a lot of the joggers were not happy with it.

“There’s a lot of discontent among the dog owners about this, and I anticipate some type of backlash,” she added. “But it was really getting out of hand and we really needed to get down there more often.”

On rainy days such as Monday, Lingenfelter admits the pet owners’ options are limited since the “Bark Park,” a two-acre fenced strip of grass alongside Laguna Canyon Road, automatically closes when the ground gets soggy.

“The top portion of the grass gets real loose and it tends to damage the turf,” she said. “If you had much traffic out there at all it would just turn into a mudhole.”

The controversy over whether to leash or not to leash is not a new one for Laguna Beach. In fact, the city opened the dog park in 1992 after animal lovers lobbied for specific hours during which pets could run freely on the beach while opponents demanded that the animals be restrained.

The dog park has been a huge success, drawing canines from across the county and prompting other cities to consider opening such facilities. However, some Laguna Beach residents have balked from the beginning at having to load their dogs into the car and drive them down a busy, winding road so they could run free.

As part of the more stringent measures now in place to keep dogs on leashes outside the park, violators will pay $50 for a second offense and $75 for the third. The higher fees became effective last month.

In addition, animal control officers who previously patrolled the beaches from 6 a.m. to about 4 p.m. are now rechecking the coastal areas until 6 p.m. or later, Lingenfelter said. Other areas of the city are also monitored.

“Some of the people are more angry than usual because of the crackdown and because they’re seeing us down there so much,” she said.

The increased patrols were requested by the City Council, Lingenfelter said.