Mike Hoerres and his wife love bringing their dog Sophie to the dog beach in Ocean Beach.
“The dogs love being free, and I think they’re happier,” Hoerres said.
While dogs are allowed off their leashes at the dog beach, they’re not allowed at other public parks like Robb Athletic Field, just a few miles down.
San Diego County leash laws state that dog owners must restrain their dog using a hand-held leash no longer than 6 feet and that the person holding the leash must be able to control the dog.
A grand jury visited 12 parks across the county to investigate how well the leash laws are enforced. The report found the city’s oversight by the San Diego Humane Society could do a lot better to protect people and other dogs from getting hurt.
Several people who frequent Robb Athletic Field told NBC 7 they sometimes see dog owners with their fogs on a leash and other times without one. However, there is a sign at the park that encourages people to always keep their dogs on a leash, and if not, they ask people to call the SDHS to report anyone who is not abiding by that policy.
The grand jury report recommends the city step up its leash law enforcement by making sure four park patrol officers are on duty, standardizing park signage and developing a system to evaluate its leash-enforcement activities.
In a statement to NBC 7, the humane society said, in part, “We are committed to transparency, accountability and improvement, and we welcome the opportunity to partner with city leaders to address any substantiated concerns and to clarify roles, expectations and opportunities for constructive progress.”
Eliana Montes spends a lot of time at Robb Athletic Field for softball practice.
“We see a bunch of people running around with their dog, throwing tennis balls, playing fetch with them,” Montes said.
She understands the safety concerns. That’s why she always keeps her dog Valkeryie on a leash.
“I think it’s a good idea if you keep them on leash. You never know if they might even run up to another dog and either injure the walker or the dog,” she said.
Others believe tighter leash enforcement laws are unnecessary.
“Honestly, it’s not a big deal to me, as long as the dog is recall. My dog is not recall, so I don’t have him off leash, but he’s also slow,” Shannon Waltz said.
“I just don’t think more regulation is needed. Maybe it’s park specific, but I’d hate to be forced to do that. If you have a well-trained dog, there shouldn’t be any issue,” Hoerres said.
But they say they will follow them, if that means keeping everyone safe.
In a statement to NBC 7, the city of San Diego said, “The City of San Diego is in receipt of the recent San Diego County Grand Jury report regarding administration of leash-law enforcement and are in the process of preparing our response, which will be issued within the required timeframe.”
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