Ask NOW: What are the rules for bringing a dog to the park?

Is there a rumor you've heard that you would like to track down? Is there something in the community that needs to get fixed? Mary Malahy explains some of the mysteries of life in the Tosa area.

What are rules for bringing a dog into the park?

Issue: A reader wants to know if dogs are allowed to run free in the parks or if they are required to be on a leash. The reader also wants to know if there are designated areas for dogs.

Status: I talked to Ken Walbrant, Wauwatosa's superintendent of parks and forestry, and he explained that dogs are required to be under control and on a leash when in a city park. Before last year, dogs were not allowed in the parks at all, but the Park Board changed that rule so people could walk their dogs on the Oak Leaf Trail, which runs through Hart Park. There is no designated area for dogs, he added.

Police are able to enforce the leash law, so call if you see a violation.

Milwaukee County parks also allow dogs in the park, as long as the dog is on a strong leash and under the owner's control, according to the county parks website. There are portions of these parks that are posted "no dogs allowed," beaches, athletic fields, etc. Dog owners are expected to clean up after their pets and dispose of pet waste at their homes - not in the parks.

Milwaukee County also allows leashed dogs on the Menomonee River Parkway, from Grantosa to Concordia and Center to Church Streets. Dogs are not allowed on the parkway from Grantosa to Silver Spring Drive.

The cost of breaking any of the county's dogs-in-the-park rules can be a $200 fine.

Wauwatosa NOW .com

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