After giving its thousands of dog walkers a year to adjust to a new ordinance redirecting dogs to paved trails, Three Rivers Park District will start writing $65 tickets this spring for those found off leash or on turf trails.

"There are a large number of dog walkers who persist in letting their dogs off leash," said Tom McDowell, Three Rivers associate superintendent.

Last spring the park district switched from a longtime policy of designating a single dog-walking trail in each park -- mostly turf trails -- to allowing dogs on paved trails throughout the parks. The change doubled the miles open to dog walking.

The goal was to reduce confusion about where dogs were allowed, improve compliance with leash rules by having dogs on visible, more heavily used paved trails, and protect animals and natural areas from damage by dogs running free, McDowell said.

Park police spent last season educating park users about the new ordinance and issuing warnings. Last year police wrote 22 warnings for retractable leashes, four warnings for dogs in undesignated areas, 72 citations for dogs off leash and 15 citations for dogs in undesignated areas.

Reaction to the change was mild. The park district estimates that 7,000 people regularly walk their dogs in the parks and 142 people contacted the district about the change.

The 97 of those who objected to the change wanted to be able to keep using a turf trail most convenient for them. Some wanted to continue walking their dogs on turf trails never intended for dog walking, McDowell said.

Many dog walkers "chose not to follow the rules when they perceived themselves to be alone on the turf trails," he said, "and we often heard of dogs off leash in environmentally sensitive areas."

McDowell said he was surprised to hear people argue "What could be more natural than a dog running through the woods?"

Unlike coyotes, dogs aren't part of the natural landscape and they can disrupt plants and ground-nesting birds, and chase rabbits and deer, he said.

For people who want their dogs to run free, the park district has seven off-leash dog areas, ranging from 10 to 30 acres.

One big question about the Three Rivers switch to paved trails was whether dogs and leashes would mix safely with bikers and hikers.

McDowell said there were no reported accidents on park district trails last summer and no indication of a problem on busy regional trails where dog walking has been permitted for years. Pet owners are required to use a six-foot leash. Retractable leashes are prohibited.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711