The council ultimately decided to put off taking any action on the issue, which interim City Administrator Bob Galusha said was raised by citizens.
“Current code prohibits dogs in any of the parks or on the public beaches,” said Galusha, adding that county and state codes require that animals not be within 20 feet of areas where food is sold or distributed.
Galusha said he had City Clerk Melissa Swanson do an online survey of other cities and counties, and the rules about dogs “vary all over the place,” he said, with about half not allowing them in parks at all, and others allowing them so long as they are on leashes or electronic control collars.
Galusha noted that the city of Lakeport and the county of Lake both allow leashed dogs in parks.
The issue, said Galusha, came down to whether or not the council wanted to change the rules. He said city staff had concerns about potential changes, mostly revolving around health and safety.
If someone at a park were to be bitten by a dog, it would create potential liability, he said.
Then there was the issue of dog feces being left in parks, he said.
Council member Jeri Spittler wanted city ordinances to reflect the reality. “On any given day you can drive along here and everyone's walking their dogs.”
Spittler said volunteers have offered to raise money for bag dispensers.
She said the majority of people who enjoy outdoor events like to take along their entire family – which includes their pets. To her, an ordinance that was both pet friendly and family friendly would include the ability to visit local parks with dogs on leashes.
Vice Mayor Joey Luiz said he agreed with most of Spittler's points, but after talking about the matter with interim Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen he was concerned that they needed to give tools to police and animal control officers for dealing with irresponsible pet owners. Luiz said he favored an ordinance that included fines for not picking up feces.
Luiz added that he thought that Redbud Park was not particularly tourist friendly, especially because it banned dogs. He added that he didn't think dogs should be allowed in some park areas, like the playground at Austin Park.
Councilman Curt Giambruno opposed changing the municipal code to allow dogs, recounting an experience at Redbud Park where he saw two different children step in dog feces left behind by loose dogs that had been roaming through the park. Giambruno called those circumstances “unacceptable.”
“I don't believe in this community that people will really pay attention to when the dog messes,” he said. He said he believed the matter would end up with Clearlake Public Works having to be responsible for the cleanup, otherwise city phones would be ringing off the hook.
Several community members spoke about the proposal, with the feedback leaning mostly against allowing dogs due to concerns that dog owners would not be responsible enough to clean up after their pets.
However, city resident Jim Honegger was emphatic in his support of making city parks more welcoming to dogs.
Honegger, who became a dog owner last year when he took in a rescue dog, told the council, “This town is not children friendly or pet friendly.”
He said he carries bags with him when he and his dog are out on the town. “Most responsible dog owners do.”
While traveling this summer, he said he visited many places where dogs and children are welcome. He added that he didn't feel the city needed to reinvent the wheel.
Spittler said the current ordinance isn't working, since people already are walking their dogs at the parks. “Let's go at this intelligently so responsible dog owners can comply with the ordinance and have the health benefits for themselves and their pet,” she said.
Luiz, who also has lived in Oregon, said parks there are very dog friendly. He also pointed to San Diego's famed Balboa Park, known for its dog friendly activities.
“This is going to be a little bit of work,” said Luiz, who added he wasn't comfortable going forward until they had a city administrator in place and the city's attorney had considered how to protect the city from liability.
He asked to table the matter for the time being, adding he had received e-mail and Facebook messages in support of making city parks dog-friendly.
Mayor Joyce Overton also supported tabling the matter temporarily and looking into the possibility of creating a park just for dogs either on a new property or fencing off a section of a current park. She said that the city couldn't change health codes to allow dogs at farmers' markets.
She also wanted to explore if additional fees could be tacked onto dog licenses to help cover costs.
“You cannot make irresponsible people responsible,” she said. “It is going to be an expense if we do this.”
Giambruno said changing the ordinance would result in “another piece of bureaucracy,” and that Public Works would have to take care of it, just as they had to do with the city's skate park, after he said parents and children were supposed to help care for that facility.
The council agreed to consider the matter again at a future time.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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