The dog park, reinterpreted

[1]Mallory Ballard can now enjoy a stroll with her dog through 14 area parks (Franco Latona / Madison Commons)

Dog owners can now walk their pets through 14 additional Madison parks after the city approved the Dogs in Parks Pilot Program in late July.

“This has been years in the making,” said Ann Shea, the Park Division's Public Information Officer.  “The ordinance hasn't been touched in over a decade.”

She said the city lagged behind national trends allowing more dogs in public places.  So the park's division created a public survey to gauge support for a change in city regulations.  Shea said  feedback was overwhelmingly positive. 

All parks included in the program have designated trails; dog owners must keep their pets on leashes no more than six-feet long and can not venture off the trails.  Additionally, owners must clean up after their dogs to avoid fines upwards of $200, according to Shea.  She said rangers will increase patrol of participating parks to enforce the rules and educate the public on the new regulations.

Mallory Ballard was out waking her dog last Thursday evening in James Madison Park, one of the parks included in the pilot program. She said she responded to the park's survey and now enjoys walking her dog through the park instead of the surrounding sidewalks. 

Stephanie Sullivan and Robin Edmiston brought their kids to James Madison Park last Thursday to utilize the play equipment.  Neither woman is a dog owner, but both said they have no problem with people walking their pets through the park, “as long as they clean up after their business,” Sullivan said. 

“If I can walk my my baby through the park, they should be able to walk their dogs,” Edmiston said.

The pilot program ends April 16, 2016.  The park's division will collect data through another public survey and determine the program's success, according to Shea.   

“The only way this is going to succeed is by making dog and non-dog owners happy,” Shea said.