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PROVO — Dog owners could face fines for not keeping their pets on leashes or not cleaning up after them.
The Provo City Council is drafting such an ordinance. Council intern Abi Maccabee presented potential penalties for dog waste and dogs not on leashes in public places to the council Tuesday during a work session.
She said the city has received a lot of complaints in the last few months about unleashed dogs and increased dog waste at parks, on trails and on sidewalks. Councilwoman Katrice MacKay frequents the Provo Farmers Market and said a lot of dog waste has been left behind, and the sidewalks are narrow so she is concerned about having so many big dogs around children and food being prepared.
City officials started discussions over the dog complaints in August and asked the council to look at city code and come up with penalty options and potential bans on dogs at events.
The city code currently says an animal control officer can issue citations for owners who don't have their dogs restrained in public places, either with a leash or some other restraint, or owners who leave dog waste on any property that isn't their own. Maccabee, however, said the code's language is "very vague" and doesn't have enough detail, so she was interested in implementing more specific stipulations.
Maccabee researched what policies other cities around the country have put in place for dog issues and proposed soft, medium and hard penalties for off-leash and dog waste violations.
The council unanimously approved a motion to prepare an ordinance with the proposed soft penalties for violations. Details on how these violations would be enforced have not been decided yet, but council members discussed having officers in areas that are known for violations at times that violations occur the most.
The off-leash violation penalties would start at $25 for a first offense, $50 for the second offense and $100 and $150 for third and fourth violations, respectively. A fifth offense could mean seizure of the animal.
For dog waste violations, penalties would start at $50 then increase to $100, $150 and $200 for subsequent offenses with potential seizure on the fifth offense, as well.
"I definitely think the proposed penalty fee schedule will help keep the public safer and will help keep the city cleaner. I think it's an important issue. Not everyone loves dogs, and I think it's a way to keep everyone happy while enjoying our dogs and our pets," Maccabee said.
Once the ordinance drafting process is completed, the City Council will meet again to consider making the ordinance official.
Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi said she feels that by using "heavy enforcement" for these violations at the different parks, "the word will get out" and dog owners will start abiding by the policy.
Maccabee also brought up potential bans on dogs at public city events, such as the farmers market, due to concerns of child safety, contamination with food being prepped and the increased amounts of dog waste being left at the park.
She recommended the council consider a ban on dogs from public events or city-sponsored events on city property. All service dogs would be exempt from such a policy.
"I hope Provo residents take notice of the issue that's going on in Provo. And for those who are dog owners, just be smart and be responsible dog owners so we can all enjoy our pets in our own spaces," Maccabee said. "I love dogs, but I think people need to understand that dogs aren't people and sometimes we need to lay down boundaries in terms of people's spaces and dogs."
Councilman George Handley voiced concern that banning dogs at public events might be unnecessary if dogs are already required to be leashed.
"In terms of public events, part of me wonders: If we were to adopt something that prohibited all dogs at public events, are we trying to solve a problem we don't have, or is this actually an issue as well?" Handley said.
Council members said other solutions could include changes to city event layouts where dogs would only allowed in areas where food isn't being prepared.
The council decided to push discussion on dogs at public events to a future meeting.
