THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505230120
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Taking the dog for a walk in the park has some pet owners lighter in the pocket and hot under the collar.
In recent weeks, city animal control officers have given out more than 50 tickets. Offenses include failing to have an animal on a leash, failing to display dog tags and not picking up feces. Fines range from $25 to $250, and must be paid in court. A few chronic offenders have been sentenced to cleaning up animal cages at the SPCA.
Some people feel the laws are unreasonable.
Ghent resident Bill O'Connor had to pay $25 for not having his golden retriever on a leash in Stockley Gardens.
``There's a group of about 14 Ghent residents who feel we should be able to let our animals run loose because the parks in Stockley Gardens are fenced in,'' O'Connor said. ``We all have our pooper-scoopers and pick up trash left by other people.''
Nancy Kline, who lives two blocks away from Stockley Gardens, received a ticket for failing to have her sheltie on a leash.
``My roommate and I have no yard to let our dogs run in, and they need exercise,'' Kline said. ``I've got plastic bags in every jacket I own. It's pretty silly to get a ticket for running your dog in the park. I think the city could spend its tax dollars in a better way.''
But senior humane officer Mark Kumpf said that the laws are there for a reason.
``The ordinances are in place for public safety concerns, and it's our job to enforce them,'' Kumpf said. ``The signs are posted, and people just weren't heeding our warnings.''
The city ordinances mandate that all pets must be under the direct control of the owner when off private property. Animals are required to be on a leash while being walked in public parks but not while being walked along streets.
The defecation ordinance requires owners to pick up their pet's feces.
The animal control dispatcher said she receives a considerable number of calls about free-running dogs and the smell of feces. Although complaints are phoned in from throughout the city, a large volume come from around Stockley Gardens and Botetourt Gardens.
``The law is kind of backward,'' said Dan Cantley, a Ghent resident who uses the parks. ``When we walk on the street, we have our pets on a leash, but once you enter the park, that's when you should be able to take them off the leash. . . . We're responsible citizens and do help keep the parks clean.
``I haven't gotten a ticket, but sending the officers around in unmarked cars to hunt us down seems a little ridiculous with all the other problems out there.''
Kumpf said that leashes are required in the park in part for for children's safety.
One Ghent mother said she ``has no problem'' with dogs running free in the park.
``My kids call it the `dog park,' '' Laura Bonini said. ``Most of the dogs are friendly, and the owners are sensitive about picking up after them.''
O'Connor has asked Mayor Paul Fraim to make an exception in the law and allow dogs to run free in any one of the three fenced-in areas at Stockley Gardens.
``Just give us one section, and our group will put up a waste recycler there,'' O'Connor said.
Fraim said he will consider the proposal.
Meanwhile, Kumpf and his team of six officers will continue to do their job.
Kumpf said that they are responding to where the complaints are coming from and that it's nothing personal.
``We've gotten a lot grief recently, but we've already seen improvement,'' Kumpf said. ``A lot of the same faces are now complying with the law. It's the most expensive pay toilet in town.''
KEYWORDS: LEASH LAW DOGS by CNB