Leash Law and Dogs at Parks

I support the changes to the ordinances. These changes are overdue. The vast majority of metro cities have leash ordinances to support public safety, I know of people who don't feel safe in our parks due to off leash dogs. These ordinances will go a long way to ensure that all of our citizens feel safe coming to our parks and trails.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue,

I would like to reiterate that having dogs on leashes in our parks allows for equal access to our public spaces. Having leashed dogs is not the same as banning dogs from parks. It is creating regulations that improve public safety and ensures equal access. Our public parks should strive for equal access and not be carved up for special interest recreational groups to the detriment of other user groups.

I am strongly opposed to the new ordinances.

Some have argued that other dog parks, like Bryant Lake, already fulfill the needs of dog owners. But these parks are far smaller and offer much less of a pleasant outdoor experience to either the dogs or the owners.

Purgatory Park is big enough for both off-leash pets and people— I’ve never seen a negative interaction in my many years going to the park, especially because individuals who are uncomfortable with off-leash pets can simply use the trails where dogs are already required to be leashed. Please don’t ruin a beautiful space because of the complaints from a loud minority.

I would prefer that we not enact the first ordinance. Dogs who are allowed to be off leash while under their owner's voice control are happier and mentally healthier dogs. That said we do not want off leash dogs scaring people or other dogs in Minnetonka nor do we want our deer or turkeys harassed by loose dogs. Minnetonka should strictly enforce dogs who had been deemed to be "dangerous dogs" and we should have regulations protecting our wildlife.

Purgatory park is a jewel the way it is. I have been going there for years, year around, and always experienced nature at its best: a clean park, friendly people, and happy dogs. Enclosed areas for dogs make them aggressive, the area dirty and smelly, and are not conducive to experience nature. I have never witnessed a problem at Purgatory and I made many friends. There is a community there that cares for the park and looks after each other. As for all communities, not everyone fits in. It is impossible to have a single park accommodating the preferences of everyone. That's why Minnetonka has many beautiful parks. And Purgatory is loved by many the way it is. Thank you for not changing it!

I am in favor of the two city ordinances with one exception. Retractable leashes are dangerous for many reasons already stated in the feedback and should not be allowed anywhere.

As an avid visitor of the Jidana park with my own dog, I have observed that there have been no incidents or negative experiences related to off-leash dogs. The atmosphere remains friendly and enjoyable for everyone, including those without pets. I believe we can work together with all dog owners to ensure off-leash areas continues and are still save. Thank you!

My family of four moved to Minnetonka almost five years ago. We love the community and the many beautiful parks!

The majority of the times I go for walks with my children and my own dog, we have positive experiences. But we have also had many negative interactions with irresponsible dog owners in city parks, on city sidewalks, and in our own neighborhood. We have had dogs come racing up to my children, or up to our own dog. We are always told the dogs are “friendly”, but some have definitely not been. When I have gently asked that a dog that is not under voice command be leashed, I am always confronted with defensiveness and anger.

In my experience, there are very few unleashed dogs in the city that walk reliably on a heel, and are truly under voice command. This has lead my family to avoid walking in certain parks and neighborhoods all together—especially Purgatory Park.

I’m all for providing pet owners with places that are like Bryant Lake dog park. Where pet owners can hike with their dog off-leash in an enclosed area, and other people can still enjoy the remainder of the park if they don’t want to interact with off-leash dogs.

Please help all residents in Minnetonka feel safe when out for walks, by implementing this new ordinance.

We have been going to purgatory park for over 5 years, several times a week and it is a perfect example of happy coexistence of dog owners and park users. Never experienced an accident/confrontation/altercation between dog owners and non dog owners nor between dog owners. On the contrary I have experienced many accidents in fenced dog parks like Edina or Bryant Lake. Please do not change the current rules, Purgatory park is jewel for our community, don't ruin it!

I oppose these new restrictive ordinances as a responsible dog owner and MTKA resident for 25 years. The attempt here to micro manage citizens under the guise of safety is absurd and unneeded. The laws in place are adequate to address the concerns of most folks, but to "muzzle" residents who are following the existing rules is classic bureaucratic overreach.

Me and my partner moved from Minneapolis to Minnetonka about 1.5 years ago. We are a young couple, and thoroughly enjoy walking our dog off leash in the parks here. This was one the reasons for us to move to beautiful Minnetonka.

I am against this new ordinance. I do not see a true business case or even any numbers to back up this ordinance. Were the right parties (for example, the police) even consulted and did we do research into the true numbers? What has changed that we need to revise this ordinance now? Sure, it seems we got increased complaints regarding Purgatory Park, but that is not a reason to implement a city-wide ordinance.

The Minnetonka tax burden is increasing, but this ordinance is taking away from quality of life in Minnetonka for dog owners. People already have limited availability to walk their dogs in Minnetonka, where people often have to walk on the street, with cars speeding right alongside. Not safe at all, for our people and dogs. I appreciate the increased build of trails and paths along the streets, but we are not where we should be yet. As of today, with this ordinance going into effect, there are no off-leash areas to walk our dogs anymore in Minnetonka. The closest off leash area is Bryant Park, which is technically outside of our city. We need to have a solid plan of what areas will change and what areas will be designated off-leash areas, before we can further discuss this ordinance.

Additionally, I see two safety risks to the ordinance. Firstly, as a vet highlighted during the Purgatory Park city council meeting previously, fenced-in areas and leashed dogs in narrow trails may actually increase dog aggression as they feel 'trapped'. I see this will actually increase problems in such areas.

Secondly, there are many areas/trails that are hard to walk on if you have to hold your dog leashed. Unmaintained areas are muddy, can be slippery (especially in winter), there are roots, stumps, and stones you need to look out for. Having both hands free to keep ourselves balanced is important for safety.

Dear city of Minnetonka Staff, City Council and Park Board,

Thank you for having the courage to address the off-leash dog issue in our city.

My wife and I have lived in Minnetonka for over 25 years and have always shared our home with at least one large dog. Our pets are walked at least twice a day, always on a six-foot leash. We understand that not everyone loves our dogs as we do!

To better align with most neighboring communities as well as the Three Rivers Park LRT which traverses Minnetonka, the ordinance should require six-foot non-retractable leashes. The fact that a 20-foot leash gives an animal the freedom to cross the width of any trail or residential street with no warning or control makes them dangerous. Some of them are also very hard to see from a distance.

The “off-leash dog community” is aware of this proposed change due to the debate over the Purgatory Park master plan. You’ll hear from a lot of residents who want to keep the status quo. They like that in Minnetonka they can let their dogs off-leash and take liberty to do so, even when outside the current ordinance. You won’t hear a proportional response from the much larger community of residents uncomfortable with walking in their neighborhood or going to their parks because of off-leash dogs. Thank you for putting people first!

I moved my family to Minnetonka 30+ year ago for the schools, the large, wooded lots and the abundance of parkland where I can run my dog. In those 30 years of almost daily off leash walks at Jidana, Purgatory and/or Victoria Parks, I have NEVER witnessed an altercation between an off-leash dog and a human, NEVER. That said, I have seen a few altercations between trail bike riders and people walking the park trails.

I am also a real estate broker with my company based in Minnetonka and a great number of my clients are looking for the exact same things we looked for in a Minnetonka property. Large, wooded lots and the abundance of parkland are huge reasons why dog owners want to live in Minnetonka. The city should think twice about changing the current laws and the police should stop harassing people walking their dogs as I’m sure they have more important items to attend too.

In my view the ordinance changes are driven by unsafe conditions caused by off-leash dogs in the parks and an existing ordinance that was difficult to enforce. First and foremost I hope that the Minnetonka Police Department, and any other department that enforces ordinances, was thoroughly consulted on the proposed changes. In Section 3.d of the proposed changes it allows for off-leash areas to be designated by signage. If fencing is not used it already seems like we will have the same problem as we have now; park users telling officers, and judges, that they did not see the signs and that there was not enough signage for them to reasonably know where the off-leash area was. The same issue applies for the proposed change in Section 3.d.(3) regarding the posted rules.

The proposed ordinance does take care of the safety issue, but only if no areas are designated as off-leash if they do not have a fence. The unsafe conditions arise because some people do not have control of their off-leash dog(s). Inevitably this happens when there are no police around to actually see it happen. In those instances it is one person's word against the others. Without physical barriers there will always be the possibility of uncontrolled dogs, which does not lead to a feeling of safety for all of the people who have shared their feelings of being unsafe at the parks.

I agree with others who think that retractable leashes should not be allowed. If it says that no retractable leashes are allowed, it is easy to enforce. If a retractable leash causes an accident it will be easy for the owner of the dog to say that their leash was retracted, even if it wasn't.

I am definitely in favor of bringing our leash ordinance in line with other surrounding cities. I find the wording of this ordinance continues to be confusing and so it will be open to interpretation and difficulty abiding by the new ordinance. I also wonder why there is a new category of trail and how this impacts the ordinance. This seems to be unnecessary and misleading. And in the last paragraph about cleaning up after your dog, please be more specific as to what constitutes "hygienic". Why not just say "must be deposited in the recepticle provided"? There are those who feel it is hygienic to let their dog's feces remain in the field. Let's get this right and be absolutely clear about what is expected.

Just put up new signage to clarify existing dog rules at Purgatory. Leave the Off-Leash areas alone. Adopt Volunteer Ambassadors for Purgatory.

OFF LEASE is GOOD. Thats what parks are for. Please do not change. Have NEVER is 30 plus years had a problem with an off leash dog

I have a fear of water and I'm allergic to fish. Maybe all lakes & streams in Mtka should be fenced in to accomodate me & make Mtka a safer city in the same manner that we leash our dogs. Life becomes very constrained & dull when we demand that authority protect us from perceived danger. A modest proposal: Issue bear spray to all park goers that fear off leash dogs. If a dog is sprayed, that is the fault of its owner for not controlling their dog.

I see from the Purgatory Park survey that 2 out of 3 respondents said that current dog leash rules are appropriate, and 2 out of 3 respondents disagree that leash laws should be changed. Is the City listening to the input it has received?

We prefer fewer rules and the historical off leash capabilities any where in Minnetonka subject to voice command and/or in our case the the use of a beep/vibrate/shock collar and a wireless remote control. Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback.