An ordinance that’s been in place since 1984 prohibits dogs from being on the grounds of public city parks in Paso Robles with enforcement up to the seizure and impoundment of the dog. On Tuesday, the Paso Robles City Council plans to revisit that ordinance.
Paso Robles has 13 city parks and it's not uncommon to see people walking their dogs through those parks.
“We were actually here on Saturday and there was a Safety Fest going on and we were walking around the park," said San Diego resident Allison Folker. "There were plenty of other dogs enjoying the day and nobody stopped us and I think that was the whole city that was here.”
Repealing the ordinance would allow dogs in city parks. However, all state and local laws relating to animal control, like keeping dogs on-leash, would remain in place.
"We come from a very dog-friendly city and I was shocked when I learned that we were not allowed to have dogs because this has been a very dog-friendly place," Folker said of Paso Robles.
According to city council agenda documents, the city recognizes that the use of parks has evolved since the ordinance was put into place in 1984, and city parks have become a common place for dog walking.
“I don't like to leave a dog at home, which, you know, after an hour or two, they're not happy with it," said Paso Robles resident Jim Mikkelson.
Mikkelson likes to bring his dogs to Concerts in the Park, and it starts back up again on June 13.
"There are always dogs down there," Mikkelson added. "We've taken Tyler there and I think even the previous dogs that we had.”
The city council is expected to either update the ordinance or repeal it at Tuesday night's city council meeting held on the first floor of the library at 5:30 p.m.
