There could be new restrictions on dog owners in Clarkesville in the coming months.
During a work session on Monday, September 16, city council members briefly discussed the future adoption of a leash ordinance to better control canines that otherwise, under current law, can roam alongside their owners in parks and recreation spaces throughout the city.
Habersham County’s existing ordinance permits unleashed animals “as long as they’re under control,” City Manager Keith Dickerson explained.
“But if you’re playing catch with your dog, is it really under control?” Dickerson said during Monday’s work session. “In the meantime, we’re going to add signs at the park saying, ‘Your dog must be on a leash.’”
Clarkesville City Attorney Matt Skilling then recited the county ordinance verbatim – which, in part, states: “An animal is deemed under control when it is confined within a vehicle, is under restraint by a competent person, is under voice control or is properly confined within an enclosure…”
Dickerson said additional signage and more specific language contained in a new ordinance would enhance the public’s safety.
“We’ve had a couple situations with dogs getting too close to the playground,” he said. “They may have been under control, but we would feel more comfortable if people had them on a leash…I don’t think the (existing ordinance) went far enough – in the parks for sure.”
Dickerson said additional signage will be posted in recreation areas throughout the city prior to the passage of a new ordinance, which would also give law enforcement officers a basis for citing those who allow dogs to wander without a leash.
City officials are now in the process of drafting a leash ordinance for council to consider later this year.
