PRINCETON: Borough OKs leashed dogs in 3 parks

By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
   The weather is warmer, the bulbs and trees are blossoming, and you feel the urge to take a bucolic stroll through one of Princeton’s public parks. Now your dog will be able to join you.
   Dogs on leashes will be permitted in three borough parks — Harrison Street Park, Marquand Park and Quarry Park — following action taken at Tuesday evening’s Princeton Borough Council meeting.
   Borough Council introduced an ordinance to allow leashed dogs at the three parks, overturning a longstanding ban on pooches in parks here. Princeton Township already allows leashed dogs in most of its parks.
   Council President Andrew Koontz said the change was OK’d by Princeton’s Health Commission and even in the three listed parks dogs will still not be allowed in playground areas.
   Mr. Koontz said the new ordinance would address an issue he brought before Borough Council several months ago. A dog owner with a leashed dog was in a borough park when the dog was attacked by an unleashed dog. Both unleashed and leashed dog owners were fined in a situation that appeared to punish the leashed dog owner twofold, he said.
   Mr. Koontz said people do walk their dogs in borough parks regularly, and the new ordinance would recognize their ability to do so responsibly. It would also give them no reason not to report incidents like the one he described, which was a concern if they feared being fined (the current fine is in excess of $100), he said.
   Princeton has also scheduled a free rabies clinic for pet owners. The clinic, where owners can obtain free rabies vaccinations, will be held Saturday, April 25, from 9 to 10 a.m. at Community Park Pool.
   ”All dogs, cats and ferrets are welcome,” said Mark Johnson, Princeton’s animal control officer. Princeton can administer the rabies vaccine to these pets. It can also administer the vaccine to chinchillas, but “I’ve never had one,” Mr. Johnson said. He does see the occasional ferret, in addition to dogs and cats, he said.
   Princeton holds three such rabies clinics a year, Mr. Johnson said, in large part to ensure that borough and township residents have appropriate vaccinations for their pets prior to receiving licenses for them.