The City of Eugene is considering a new policy that would prevent pet owners from tying up their dogs in public parks.
City Parks and Open Space policy already requires dogs to be leashed and attended to, and bars owners from hitching their animal to a tree or shrub if it would damage the plant.
But new rules would go further, requiring pet owners to keep their leashes in their hands at all times. Animals also explicitly couldn't be tied to any park structure.
Eugene Public Works spokesperson Marion Suitor Barnes said the change would promote public safety, while bringing park rules in line with existing city code—which already defines a dog tied to an object as "at-large."
However, homeless outreach worker Jetty Etty said the change could have consequences for people living on the street.
“A huge complaint within the housed community is they don’t like the homeless because there’s too much trash," said Etty. "Well, if they can't put their dog on their bike or their trailers or anything like that, they can't clean up their trash because they've got to have their dog’s leash in their hand. That seems kind of silly and ridiculous to me.”
The new park rules would also restrict bicycles or other "micro-mobility devices" on foot-trails, would ban people from washing up in fountains or water features, and would prohibit walking or sitting on vegetation aside from grass.
Boats also wouldn't be allowed in Golden Gardens Pond and Delta Ponds, except during designated events.
Suitor Barnes said the city is now reviewing public feedback on the proposed policies, before deciding whether or not to make adjustments. After that point, the City Manager would need to sign off on the order.
