If you’re in the habit of walking your dog around Hellertown borough unleashed, you might want to reconsider doing that.
Police Chief Robert Shupp told council his department will be stepping up its enforcement of the borough’s leash law, after a resident told borough council Monday that he and his service dog are encountering dogs off leashes around town.
“It’s a crime,” said Rich Hanner, who said he is afraid something could happen if a dog is unfriendly. “Something should be done.”
Since the leash law can’t be enforced selectively, Shupp said people who unleash their dogs in borough parks can also expect to receive citations.
He noted that there have been dogs off leashes at recent outdoor concerts in Dimmick Park.
Dogs aren’t permitted in Dimmick Park, although they are allowed in all of the borough’s other parks.
Borough manager Cathy Hartranft said the canine prohibition in Dimmick Park was originally intended as a means of keeping the animals off the ballfields there.
Borough officials acknowledged that the ban on dogs in Dimmick Park has not been consistently enforced, and said they will re-examine it in the future.
Council members and Mayor David Heintzelman voiced support for enforcing the leash law.
“You don’t know what the animal is going to think of someone coming close to their master,” Heintzelman said.
“It’s not really a dog issue,” commented councilman Phil Weber. “It’s a people issue.”
Shupp said his department will work to raise awareness of the leash law via educational posts on its Facebook page and at upcoming events such as Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Day. They will also advise residents not to bring their pets to the upcoming Music in the Park concerts, he said.
Tell Us: What do you think of the police department’s plans to step up enforcement of Hellertown borough’s leash law?
