Unlike the vast majority of cities in San Diego County, dog walkers in Carlsbad have walked the other way for decades when their fur babies pulled on their leashes, straining to get into a city park or onto its beaches.
Those dog days may over.
Last week the city council took up the matter of whether leashed dogs should be allowed in public parks, something that Kyle Lancaster, Carlsbad’s Parks & Recreation department director, said is legal in every other city in the county, with the exception of Coronado and Escondido. The reality in Carlsbad, however, is that dogs and their owners are spotted in city parks regularyly, according to Carlbad PD assistant chief Reid Shipley: “I would say it’s a daily occurrence.”
Dogs are, of course, allowed in parks for common-sense exceptions, including guide dogs and service dogs, for people with medical necessities, assisting a law enforcement officer or when participating in authorized shows or obedience classes.
Those two officials were at city hall on March 18 when the city council convened, taking up a topic first broached at last November’s meeting in which city staff were directed to research issues “related to leashed and unleashed dogs in the city and where enforcement occurs.”
The city has three dog parks that pet owners can bring their pooches, and leashed animals are also allowed on the upper seawall walkway above the beach, but not on the pedestrian-only lower seawall walkway. However, the balance of public city parks — not to be confused with private parks in apartment complexes, where dogs are often permitted — are off-limits to the four-legged friends, off-leash or otherwise.
March’s council meeting was not the first time city officials have considered relaxing the restrictions for dogs in public parks. In fact, the city looked at the issue three years ago, when they determined that costs associated with such a municipal-code move would be about $50,000 for signage and installing dog-waste stations and a quarter of a million dollars “ongoing for various types of sanitation necessary, and stocking these dog-waste stations, emptying the containers, etc.” That additional quarter-million dollars may have been why officials did not approve the change at that time.
Last week, Carlsbad’s mayor Keith Blackburn was, at least preliminarily, in favor of the change, despite occasional negative feedback from residents.
“I’ve heard moms say, ‘I don’t want my kids playing in a lawn area of the park and then have to deal with dog poop,’ ” Blackburn said. “On the other side, I’ve had a lot of people say, ‘Look at how many people have dogs. We’d like to be able to take them with us when we go walk through the park.’ And I agree. I’m probably a big dog advocate.”
Blackburn said he thought the changes would be manageable if leashed dogs were kept off playground areas and sports fields, or where there were organized programs, like a soccer practice area or something similar, and the owners cleaned up after their animals.
For the most part in Carlsbad, though, beaches will remain a no-go, since the majority of that North County city’s shoreline is made up of state-owned beaches, and Carlsbad doesn’t control access or restrictions on them.
Associated costs could prevent approval again this year, though. Both Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel, citing upcoming budgetary concerns and Councilman Kevin Shin directed Lancaster and city staff to update estimated costs prior to the council voted on permitting the pup-loving municipal code change.
Bhat-Patel, a dog owner herself, said it was “a want and a desire” of many city residents, and not necessarily something the city needs.
Oh, and if you’re wondering: A dog in a stroller is still a dog in the park, according to Assistant Chief Shipley.
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