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Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The Snowmass Village Town Council is considering giving dog owners more autonomy over leash laws that are rarely enforced as it stands, according to the town’s police chief.
The City Council took up the topic again at its Sept. 18 meeting and will continue the discussion at its Oct. 2 meeting, giving city staff time to add language to the ordinance about allowing associations to owners and other interested parties to request a mandatory leash. areas.
Currently, municipal code requires dogs to be leashed when on publicly accessible property. Failure to comply with this restriction constitutes a “loose” running dog.
However, Police Chief Brian Olson said leash laws are rarely enforced when a dog is off-leash in public, and city staff believe the laws should be changed to better accommodate to the dog lover community.
“I found it entirely possible to support the idea of relaxing the leash law to somehow emulate the way dog owners manage their animals on a regular basis – successfully, I think – in all the village of Snowmass,” he said.
Ordinance 7, which changes leash laws, would ensure that a dog on a leash or subject to voice, visual or electronic commands would not be considered “at large.”
“At first reading, as you may recall, we had some good discussions about the ability to control dogs through voice, visual and electronic commands, and the possibility of strengthening standards when a dog is not under control. One of the two main changes between the first and second reading is to try to create a better standard of review,” said Attorney General Jeff Conklin.
He said a dog is considered under control if it is within a “circle of control” by the owner through on-leash, voice, visual or electronic commands. A “circle of control” is defined as an area within 10 feet of the dog owner’s feet. This creates a clear standard for determining whether a dog is under control or not.
“The logic to get to that circle of control went through a progression of whether it should be 3 feet, 5 feet, but our current ordinance allows a 10 foot leash and has done so for 30 years, and that had to meaning if we’re going to require this circle of control for (a dog) off leash, we should give the same latitude of 10 feet, which isn’t particularly huge if you have a 3 foot dog. So, (a dog ) on leash and (a dog) off leash basically have a 10-foot circle around the dog owner’s foot to maintain control,” Olson said. “At least it’s something we can visualize and see s ‘there is a violation or not.’
The second change to the ordinance requires dog owners to carry a leash and dog waste bags with them when walking their dogs. Even though the dog can be controlled by visual, voice or electronic commands, owners will still need to wear a leash.
“I think, for me, this (conversation) just helps refine what reasonable, responsible dog ownership should be, and I think it’s a really positive opportunity that our council has brought into the public sphere ” said Councilor Britta Gustafson. “I think our circle of control ideas will primarily control all concerns, and those that cannot be controlled within that circle of control will cause problems anyway.”
While some public comments support the changes, others question why it was necessary to change a law that works.
“I’m not convinced our system works,” Mayor Bill Madsen said. “Really, in my mind, it’s less about a leash law and more about free-running enforcement, and that’s where we have the problem. All the examples we were given were of loose dogs, and that’s really what we want to try to control.
At the Aug. 21 meeting, council members agreed they were not comfortable passing a new leash ordinance without first developing a preliminary list of leash-required areas . At the Sept. 18 meeting, council gave a first reading of Ordinance 10, also known as the “supplemental ordinance” to Ordinance 7, the leash law ordinance.
The required leash areas designated in Order 10 include the Rim Trail Area, Base Village Area, Village Mall Area, Snowmass Center Area, Fanny Hill Area, Elk Camp Restaurant and Recreation Area, and the Vista Trail area.
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“I think it’s really important to recognize the areas that we designated in the second order, … as mandatory areas, are very high traffic, high population areas – which makes perfect sense for very large wildlife preserves, like the Rim Trail,” said Councilor Alyssa Shenk.
Olson said most leash areas are commercial cores. He said he contacted the owners and management of the various businesses to explain the proposed new leash ordinance and what it would mean if it passed.
“I offered them the opportunity to request a mandatory leash area designation, and obviously all of these places responded positively,” he said.
Separate from the leash law discussion, Snowmass police were talking about designating the South Rim Trail to the Yin Yang as a leash-required area.
“Visitors do a lot of hiking there. Dogs off leash, bikes, the interaction was relatively complicated. Then you look at North Rim, and because of North Rim’s proximity to Sky Mountain, it’s already been designated as a leash trail – with the county we’ve agreed to do that. That left a section in the middle, and it just made sense to go from tip to tail,” Olson said.
No one recorded public comments on Ordinance 10 and the council unanimously approved the first reading. The second reading of Order 10 will take place on Monday, October 2, as will the second reading of Order 7 continue, with public comment once again offered.
To reach Audrey Ryan, email her at aryan@aspentimes.com.