Providence reconsiders dog ban at parks

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RI banned pooches in the parks in
1914

Updated: Monday, 13 Apr 2009, 7:23 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 13 Apr 2009, 7:20 AM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - While hundreds of people walk their dogs in Rhode Island’s capital city every day, local officials say it may be time to reverse Providence’s 1914 ban on pooches in the parks.

Mayor David Cicilline’s administration is considering overturning the ban—which also prohibits cats, fowl, goats, swine and cattle—and replacing it with individual dog policies for each of the city’s 112 parks.

Dog walkers are so regular at Wanskuck Park that many know each other’s first names, and they try to avoid city enforcement officers by getting out early in the morning or later in the day.

City Parks Department Superintendent Robert McMahon says Providence needs an enforceable policy and needs to recognize that dog walking is a legitimate recreational activity.