Leash law problems lead to the creation of a dog park

Dogs now have a place of their own to mark their territory. Oxford recently opened its first dog park, and city officials are working with the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society on the details of the upkeep and operations of the park. Currently, 1,000 square feet of land has been set aside next to the Humane Society for the new dog park, where dog owners can let loose their pooch sans leash.

“We felt like it’d be good if people had a place for their animals, dogs in particular, to go and run,” Mayor Pat Patterson said. The city had received complaints about dogs running free and causing disturbances, forcing the city to enforce a stricter leash law.

Currently, the leash law requires that dogs be kept on a leash and kept under direct control by their owner. This applies to public and private property. The previous law stated that dogs were to be kept under control by their owners, which left gray areas.

Police Chief Mike Martin said the new leash law was brought about due to a roaming dog in Lamar Park, which knocked a lady down, causing her to break her wrist. That incident was the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” Martin said. Before, there had been complaints of dogs without leashes on city property, but that attack put the new changes in motion.

“This dog park will be beneficial to dogs and dog-lovers,” Kesha Rena, Oxford resident, said. “Oxford was in desperate need for a place for dogs and their owners to go to relax and have fun, especially due to the new leash laws.”

Officials are unsure as to who will be responsible for certain aspects of the park, but they are working to develop a plan. As of right now, the Humane Society is responsible for it. Most other parks are under the jurisdiction of the Park Commission, which is part of the city government. It has been stated by city officials that the operations of the park will be a combination of the city and Humane Society.

Rules and regulations are still being discussed for the park. One of the proposed rules is that only friendly dogs with all immunizations be allowed to pad through the gates of the park, but there remains no way of enforcing it.

Occasionally there are dogs who roam the city that do not have an owner. This is when animal control officers step in, find the dogs and bring them to the Humane Society. For information on adopting one of these dogs, visit www.oxfordpets.com or call the Humane Society at 662-801-6788.