No More Running Free for Fido in Sarasota City Parks

The Sarasota City Commission voted Monday that dogs can no longer run free a Payne Park, they must be leashed at all times.

 Payne Park was one of four parks in the city where dogs must be on a leash; the others include Bayfront and Island Park, Gillespie and Arlington Park.

 Carla Lilly, who occasionally brings her dog there, said she thinks the ordinance is a good decision in parks where children play.

 “If it’s a dog park then I think dogs should be allowed to run free, but I think they should be on a leash when children are playing because you never know how the dogs will react,” she said.

According to the ordinance, dogs must be leased to a tether no longer than 26 feet. However, at Bayfront an Island Park, owners are allowed to unleash their pups at the water’s edge so they can swim, the document states.

Dogs must stay on a walking trail, while visiting Arlington Park, the report states.