El Paso County Parks Advisory Board voted unanimously at their last meeting to support fining dog owners whose dogs are off leash in county parks.
The fine would be $50.
Signs in county parks and on county trails specify that dogs are to be leashed at all times, except in fenced dog park areas. Both Bear Creek and Fox Run Parks contain fenced dog parks. The county has not enforced the rule, and instead has encouraged users to contact the Humane Society and report violations.
Members of the Bear Creek Garden Association attended the meeting and encouraged the Board to support enforcement. Off-leash dogs threatened goats brought in for weed control last fall, leading the herd owner to cut short the weed project and remove the goats.
The change will go before El Paso County Commissioners for a vote in March.