TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Unleashed dogs at Tucson parks are a rising concern for some neighbors, especially on the Eastside. Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) and its Animal Protection Service (APS) Unit have come up with a solution to help inform pet owners about leash laws.
PACC recently formed a Volunteer Auxiliary Education Unit to visit parks to talk with dog owners about leash laws and even hand out free leashes to anybody who needs one.
Arizona leash laws state that your dog must be on a leash at all times when outside of a confined area, which would be your home, and the leash must be six feet in length.
“It's the law, it's courteous, it's simply the right thing to do," said the director of PACC, Steve Kozachik.
Kozachik says PACC's APS Unit has about 1,700 backlogged calls.
“About 900 of those calls are simply people calling about a stray dog or people walking their dogs off leash in a park," Kozachik said.
PACC's APS unit has 18 officers who serve all of Pima County. Kozachik says they can’t respond to every call when higher priority emergencies are coming in.
“In order to be responsive to the public and to our constituents, we formed this volunteer unit who is going to go into the parks. They'll be dressed appropriately so that they're identified as a volunteer. They're not out there writing citations. They're not out there with a heavy hand," shared Kozachik.
Kozachik says the calls are coming from all over the county, but currently, a high number are calling from the Eastside regarding Udall Park and Jesse Owens Park.
Ward 2 Councilmember, Paul Cunningham, is addressing the issue as his office has received a large number of calls concerned about unleashed dogs.
Cunningham's statement is as follows:
"While it seems most people know to call PACC to report off-leash dogs, over the last year or so, my office has had an increase of calls or emails reporting them as well. Tucson Parks and Recreation has been running an education campaign about keeping your dog on a leash and cleaning up after your pet. However, enforcement of leash laws is a county responsibility and I'm glad that PACC is trying something new to educate dog owners since they always have a backlog of calls about off leash dogs across our large county."
Taylor Miranda is part of the volunteer team.
“We as this group are just sort of trying to be out here educating folks on what the leash law means, providing resources to individuals who may not have a leash or may not be aware of some of the resources that are available in the county," Miranda said.
Miranda stopped to chat with Yvette Darby, who frequents Udall Park with her dog Sophia. Darby tells me she has encountered unleashed dogs while walking Sophia.
“A little dog attacked Sophia. And so, it's kind of scary," Darby said. "So, I picked her up right away, and when you do say something to someone, hey, you know you're supposed to have your dog on a leash? They get upset.”
Kozachik confirms volunteers won’t cite someone, but APS officers can, adding that this law is not only for aggressive dogs.
“And even if it's playful and it runs up and jumps up on somebody to try and play it and knocks that person over and they get injured, you could be sued by that person as a result of that fall and that incident," Kozachik said.
If you’re interested in volunteering, reach out to the team at paccauxteam@gmail.com.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
