by Brendan Sample

In the wake of two reported dog bite attacks in Pastorius Park since October, dog owners in Chestnut Hill shared their views with the Chestnut Hill Local. For them, the advantage of Pastorius Park is that it’s a special place where dogs can run free and that only a few irresponsible owners now threaten the privileges of the many.

Though they were separated by several months, both attacks were reportedly caused by pit bulls that bit people in the arm. While neither event caused any serious injuries, they still brought up the question of what would have happened if the bites had been more serious or if perhaps a child had been attacked.

The Friends of Pastorius Park group has been working with the city’s Parks and Recreation department to implement a number of features designed to raise awareness of the issue, though many residents have still been passionately debating about what specific measures to take.

Owners have continued to take their dogs to Pastorius, where most of them still run around unleashed. While some residents have expressed concern that this has created an unsafe environment in the park, the owners believe that nearly every person who comes to Pastorius with a dog does so in a responsible manner.

“I know what the law is, but I think 99 percent of the dog owners who use the park are extremely responsible and involved in policing not only their own dogs but maintaining the cleanliness of the park,” said Eric Hanson, a local resident and dog owner himself.

One of the most prominent ideas that has been suggested by residents is that of a fenced off area specifically meant for dogs to play and run around. While nothing like that has been officially proposed at this point, it’s something that would likely receive plenty of support from the community, including some dog owners themselves.

“I really love the beauty of it, but I understand why they would do that,” said one resident at the park with her dog who declined to provide her name. “I’d be happy with either decision.”

On the other hand, there are also some in the area who would be distinctly opposed to such an area at the park. One Chestnut Hill resident of 17 years, who also declined to be named, has never owned a dog himself, but has had plenty of negative experiences with them, and feels that a fenced off space only for dogs would simply make things worse.

“A whole area of dogs will just create barking, so there’s a noise pollution issue,” he said. “My preference is that it wouldn’t be there since it’s unnatural to the setting. It’s a park for people not dogs, and if someone wants to walk their dog, they should walk it on a leash.”

Looking beyond just Pastorius, the larger issue at play is that the city of Philadelphia does have a law requiring all animals to be on a leash when outside of the owner’s property. The leash law states that “No person shall permit any animal other than a sterilized cat to go at large upon any street, public place or private property other than the property of the owner of the animal.” A notice that all dogs must be on a leash is posted at the edge of Pastorius.

With this law on the books for the entire city, the question of why so many dogs run free at the park remains unanswered. In addition to not having any police that regularly patrol Pastorius, some owners feel that the law is something that is necessary to have in place, but will ultimately not be enforced to the letter.

“I see it being enforced kind of the same way speeding is enforced,” said one resident who wished to be identified only as Brian, his first name. “If you’re outrageous and you’re going 20 over you’re gonna get pulled over, but if you’re going five over, well everybody goes five over. You probably have to have something on the books, but if you get a ticket for that, especially at a place like this, then I think that’s kind of garbage.”

Whatever changes may or may not come to Pastorius in response to the recent attacks, it’s clear that the dog owners who frequent the park consider it a special place unlike any other in the area.

“It’s amazing to be in a beautiful place where dogs can run free,” Hanson said. “The joy that they bring to people, you can’t experience it anywhere else.”

Brendan Sample can be reached at brendan@chestnuthilllocal.com