Dogs may be returning to downtown Santa Cruz as the board of the Downtown Association prepares to vote on whether to ask the city to repeal its longtime ban on dogs along Pacific Avenue. Until now dog owners have been forced to take their pets to more canine-friendly spots on the Westside and the Harbor.
Dogs have been banned on Pacific Avenue since 1976 and on feeder streets since 1985. Opponents of the ban say that it drives away business from the downtown area, since people cannot go there with their pets. They often cite Los Gatos as a city with more lax regulations, which has experienced a boon in the so-called “dog-friendly tourism market.”
Not everyone agrees. Larry Pearson of the Pacific Cookie Co. worries that dogs on the streets will frighten young children—who happen to love cookies almost as much as they love puppies—and affect the general cleanliness of the street. One the other hand, advocates of lifting the ban agree that it would come with some strict regulations, including short leashes and a $500 fine for dog-owners who fail to pick up any feces their dog leaves.
Besides, dogs already live downtown, though these are mostly owned by homeless people who claim they need them as service dogs. They claim their pets are protected by federal disability laws, though many downtown advocates suspect that they are exploiting a legal loophole. Chip, who heads the Downtown Association, suggests that that under the current conditions, the law seems to be enforced selectively, turning off tourists while encouraging homeless people. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
