CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 18: A dog yawns while walking along the Boulevard de la Croisette during the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2017 in Cannes, France. Celebrities, fans and the film world have flocked to Cannes for this year’s screen festival. For seventy years, The Croisette Boulevard has always been the center of a place where the rich, the dandy, and people from all walks of life stroll. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
(KTXL) — Sacramento is a dog-friendly city with many dog parks throughout the city.
When taking your furry friends for a walk, the City of Sacramento and Sacramento County have guidelines for keeping your dog on a leash.
In both the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County, the laws say that dogs must be restrained and if you are caught with your dog off leash, you could be fined.
These are the dog leash rules for Sacramento County and the City of Sacramento.
Sacramento County
Dogs must be kept on a leash in Sacramento County, unless an area is designated as an off-leash area, Luna Anona, a spokeswoman for the Bradshaw Animal Shelter, told FOX40 News in an email.
If an owner doesn’t have a leash for the dog, animal control officers are equipped with spare leashes to give to owners in those situations, Anona said.
Whenever an officer sees a dog owner with an off-leash dog, they will ask the officer to put the leash on, offer a spare, and educate the owner on leash laws.
If that owner refuses, the dog is considered a “free range dog” and officers have the ability to issue a $50 citation, Anona said.
Leashes should not exceed eight feet in length, Anona said.
city of sacramento
Dogs are not allowed to be “on the loose” in the city of Sacramento, which means a dog is not on a leash, Front Street Animal spokesman Ryan Hinderman told FOX40 News in an email.
In the city of Sacramento, leashes must not exceed eight feet in length and be “sufficient in strength to restrain the dog should it attempt to run away from the owner or handler,” according to city law.
According to the city, a dog is considered “at large” in the following situations:
•When it is outside the premises of its owner, not subject to a leash, tie or adequate enclosure
•When on the owner’s premises and not on a leash, leash, fence or adequate fencing, or not under the owner’s control and immediate presence
“In terms of consequences, this could range from a written warning letter to a $500 fine depending on the situation and prior history of violations,” Hinderman said.
Where can you have a dog without a leash?
There are several off-leash dog parks in the city of Sacramento, as they are all fenced with a double gate system for security.
Click here to view a list of leash-free dog parks.
Before you visit a Sacramento dog park, here are the rules you need to follow, according to the city website:
•Dog owners/handlers are personally and legally responsible for their animals
• Dogs may be off leash only within the designated fenced area.
•Dogs must have a current license, license must be on dog’s collar, collar must be on dog
•Aggressive dogs are not allowed. The owner/handler of any dog displaying aggressive or unruly behavior is required to immediately remove the offending animal.
•For every two dogs brought to the park, there must be at least one owner/handler
•Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult
• Females in season are not allowed on the premises.