By Bryan Boggiano
Dogs have a new “leash” on life in Coral Springs. Well, sort of.
At their Nov. 17 meeting, the city commission approved an ordinance that allows dogs in most city parks under certain conditions.
The updated rules apply to the 44 neighborhood parks in Coral Springs. However, they would not include major parks such as Cypress Park, Betti Stradling Park, North Community Park, Sportsplex, or Mullins Park.
At the 44 parks, dogs must be on non-retractable leashes no more than six feet long. They will not be allowed on athletic fields, courts, or playgrounds. Dogs are also not allowed in buildings, water, or bleachers.
Other domesticated animals will not be allowed in parks, but there are exceptions for police and service dogs. The new rules go into effect on Jan. 1.
Dogs were allowed in parks during COVID-19 and monitored closely, said Robert Hunter, director of parks and recreation, adding it was important to keep families active and let them walk their dogs outside.
Hunter said that park rangers worked with the city during a 16-month timespan and that the city received only six complaints about pets in parks. One of them was a goat, which he discussed in an interview with Coral Springs Talk. Before the new ordinance, the city received about four or five complaints per month.
He told commission members that enforcement would be “soft” and start with Coral Springs police handing cards out to pet owners in parks, notifying them of the rule changes.
Commissioner Shawn Cerra made the motion to pass the ordinance, which Mayor Scott Brook seconded. It passed unanimously.
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