Dogs Downtown Get a Good Report Card

After a three-month trial period, dogs have gotten a pretty good report card from the Santa Cruz City Manager's office.

"The negative impacts of dogs in the Downtown have been minimal," wrote Assistant City Manger Scott Collins in a report to the council. "With the exception of one dog-on-dog attack that occurred before the dog prohibition was lifted there have been no major public safety or health incidents involving dogs in the Downtown area."

Police have issued nine citations to dog owners, four for not having a leash or having one that was too long and three for tying dogs up to poles, which is forbidden.Two others were for having a sign and using the dogs to beg for money.

They have also warned others not to have the dogs out after hours. Dogs are only allowed on Pacific Avenue from sunrise to sunset.

Other complaints came from the city's Parks and Recreation and Parking departments, which noted that it has had to clean up dog feces and urine on the street and in parking structures several times a week.

Collins suggests a dog bag program, similar to that in city and state parks. Local dog organizations have offerred to provide the bags.

The Downtown Association and City Hosts reported that most people seem happy to bring their dogs downtown during shopping trips.

If there are no objections to the ordinance allowing dogs by Tuesday, it will go into effect permanently. Dogs had been banned from the city's downtown for 35 years. That was reversed in an effort to encourage more shopping there during the economic downturn.