Davis may be referred to as a cow town, but there are plenty of dogs too.
Barraged with calls with questions about laws for dogs, the City of Davis parks and general services department issued a notice to all residents last month. The notice clarifies any confusion about where in the city dogs can and cannot be off-leash.
Dogs can only be off-leash in designated areas. Otherwise, they must be tethered to a leash, said Pat Riley, Davis’ parks manager, in a press release.
Within Davis, parks and open spaces where dogs can be leash-free include: the Aspen Greenbelt near Glacier Drive, Pioneer Park on 5035 Hamel St., Slide Hill Park on 1525 Tulip Ln., Sycamore Park on 1313 Sycamore Ln., Walnut Park on 2700 Lillard Dr. and John Barovetto Park on 4400 Alhambra Dr.
Two fenced off-leash areas include Community Park on 1405 F St. and Toad Hollow Dog Park on 1919 Second St.
Toad Hollow Dog Park, between L Street and Pole Line on Second Street, is a two-and-a-half acre dog park dedicated solely to dog activities. There is also an area for small dogs to keep them separate from bigger dogs.
Parks supervisor Sandy Dietrich said the Davis parks have signage with rules and laws to help dog owners be mindful of the dog rules.
“In the City of Davis, to protect your own dog and other people’s dogs, they are required to be on leash,” Dietrich said. “The enforcement of Davis leash laws is Yolo County Animal Control.”
The dog community wants dogs and residents to stay safe.
“We encourage everyone to follow leash laws,” said Yolo County SPCA executive director Kim Kinney. “When out and about with your pets, have them on leash.”
Although the policies are simple – keep dogs on leashes – it can be easy for dog owners to break the rules.
“Sometimes there are signs that say dogs must be on a leash,” said dog owner and senior exercise biology major Danielle Payne. “But there’s no one really there to enforce it.”
Payne said she sees dogs off-leash all over Davis. Sometimes it can be scary since she has a small Yorkshire terrier and a miniature poodle.
“Most dogs should be on a leash because you don’t know how other dogs or a small child will react to them,” Payne said.
SASHA LEKACH can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
