Many say the park was only place to take their dogs off-leash. County says rules never changed, just signs went up.
Lisa Baer, (left), Leigh Neumann (center) and Kathy Coffin walk their dogs in a designated area at Jamesville Beach Park. Over the summer, Onondaga County installed signs reminding people that dogs are required to be on a leash at the park.For several years, Megan Leach and numerous others have hiked the back trails at Jamesville Beach Park with their dogs running alongside them, off their leashes.
Onondaga County this summer installed signs telling people to keep their dogs on their leashes. It’s not a change in policy, just a reminder of what the park rules are, county officials say.
Dozens of dog owners, however, say they’re upset and frustrated that they can’t run their dogs off leash anymore.
“We go to Jamesville because we like to hike the trails with our dogs off leash,” said Leach, of DeWitt. “It’s so much better exercise, and we have no other area to go. There’s a million other places people can go to walk, jog or cycle, but nowhere else for us.”
Leach and a group of supporters sent a letter to the county, asking for some type of mutually agreeable solution. Leach said they’re suggesting people register their dogs and pay a fee to hike with them off-leash on the trails. Then, if there’s any incident, the dogs can be tracked.
Onondaga County Parks Commissioner Bill Lansley said dogs have never been permitted to run off-leash along those trails, but many people started doing it and nothing was said. Recently, some neighbors and other park-goers have complained, and the county decided the new signs were necessary to enforce the regulations, he said.
“There are two large fields in the park that are designed where dogs can run off their leashes,” Lansley said. “After we got some complaints, we decided to put up the signs to indicate where the boundaries are. We realize people who were using the trails this way might be surprised, but it’s not a change.”
Mark Orr, of Syracuse, who brings Shelby and Greta, his two Chocolate Labrador retrievers, to the trails to run with him, is disappointed.
“It’s the most wonderful place for the dogs, and I really like hiking the trails with my dogs,” Orr said. “I always thought it was a given we could be there.”
Orr said some people have reported they’ve been issued tickets by park police for being on the trails with their dogs off-leash.
Lansley said his office is willing to talk with the park users about the issue, but made no promises.
Roni Morgenstern, of Chittenango, hopes something can be worked out. She said it’s therapy for her to walk along the trails with Remy, her Labrador.
“I go during all the seasons, and I was so surprised when suddenly the signs went up with no discussion,” she said. “I just don’t like the process. I think together we could sit down and solve a problem, and have a discussion about how we can all share the park.”
Marilyn Lerman, who will soon be 80, said Jamesville is the only place where she can exercise her dog.
“The field they want us to go in with our dogs off leash is too breezy in the winter,” she said. “The dogs aren’t aggressive; they just like to run on the trails with their owners. This is the only place we had.”
Contact Elizabeth Doran at edoran@syracuse.com or 470-3012