The city of Clarkesville could potentially adopt an ordinance that would implement new requirements for leashes for dogs within city limits on Monday.
The regular meeting will take place at Clarkesville City Hall at 6 p.m. Monday, May 5.
During a work session in September of last year, city officials discussed future adoption of such an 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 in September.
“But if you’re playing catch with your dog, is it really under control?” Dickerson said. “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 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.”
In September, Dickerson said that signage would be posted in recreation areas throughout the city, and that a new ordinance would also give law enforcement officers a basis for citing those who allow dogs to wander without a leash.
