Illustration by Rich Hauck
Citations for off-leash dogs are on the rise in Harrisburg, but some residents want the city to do more to enforce leash laws.
Animal control officers working for the Harrisburg Police Bureau have cited 22 dog owners so far in 2017 for letting their animals run off-leash. That figure is up from 14 in 2016, 15 in 2015, and zero in 2014, according to data from the Harrisburg Police Bureau.
But many dog owners say that off-leash dogs remain a problem in certain neighborhoods of the city, particularly Italian Lake and the former William Penn High School. Dogs must be restrained on a leash in all public places, including parks, according to Harrisburg City Ordinance 33.
The issue surfaced at an Oct. 10 City Council meeting. One resident said her service dog was attacked by unrestrained dogs at the State Hospital Grounds in Susquehanna Township, where she started going to avoid off-leash dogs in Harrisburg.
“I don’t think this problem is being taken seriously,” she said, adding that an attack like the one her service dog suffered could ruin its training.
Randall Gooding, a Wormleysburg resident who walks his dog on City Island and in Riverfront Park, said that he encounters many more off-leash dogs in Harrisburg than in his home borough. He wants stricter leash enforcement to keep people and animals safe.
“I get so frustrated when unattended, off-leash dogs come running up to me and my dog while the owner [says] that the dog is friendly,” Gooding said. “I can’t protect their dog while handling my own.”
Unsupervised dogs appear to be a problem in residential areas as well as parks. Naomi Reyes used to walk from her home on 3rd street to her workplace on 7th street, until too many neighbors started letting their dogs outside unsupervised.
“I had to stop doing my walks because of loose dogs that didn’t look friendly,” Reyes said.
City Councilman Cornelius Johnson, chair of the Public Safety Committee, said he spoke about the issue with animal enforcement officers this week. The city currently employs two animal enforcement officers.
Johnson said that one possible solution is increased cooperation between animal enforcement officers and the city park rangers, who are responsible for patrolling Harrisburg’s 26 parks.
Mayor Eric Papenfuse said on Friday that the city hopes to budget for another park ranger in 2018, bringing the total rank to three.
Park rangers cannot write tickets, but they make ticket referrals to the police or report stray dogs, Papenfuse said. Animal enforcement officers are also responsible for collecting stray animals, and have picked up 78 this year.
Above all, Johnson said, communication is key. He asks residents to report off-leash dog violations when they see them.
“The best thing a resident can do when they come across an issue is call it in,” Johnson said on Thursday. “When we get calls, there’s accountability.”
