Town takes lead on tougher island leash laws for pets

Commissioner Pat Zunz wants the town to take the lead in keeping Longboat Key’s four-legged citizens on a tighter leash when it comes to leash law requirements.

At the Longboat Key Town Commission’s July 6 regular meeting, Town Attorney Maggie Mooney-Portale brought language modifying and relaxing the town’s leash law to make it comparable to restrictions in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

But the commission reigned in the town attorney, directing her to keep the town’s leash law as-is.

Due to an influx of dog owners who now walk their dogs in strollers or carry them in purses, leash law requirements around the country are morphing into “under control laws.”

“The reality is many people no longer use leashes,” Mooney-Portale said. “The traditional 6-foot leash isn’t used anymore, so we’re following what the counties have done and turned it into an under physical control ordinance.”

The ordinance, which applies to dogs and cats, now states that pet owners must have physical control of their animals at all times. It doesn’t specifically say a leash needs to be used to keep your pet under physical control.

“So it’s not a leash law anymore?” Zunz said. “It’s absurd.”

Other commissioners agreed with Zunz.

“I think residents have an expectation if they see a dog with an owner,” Gans said. “They expect it to be on a leash.”

Gans said it’s too fine of a line to suggest a dog is under control if it’s not leashed.

“I know owners will say, ‘The dog obeys me off a leash,’” Gans said. “Well, some do, and most don’t. I’d be more comfortable with physical control than direct control.”

Commissioner Phill Younger suggested Mooney-Portale change the ordinance to mandate leashes or some other form of physical constraint that keeps dogs from lunging at others.

“I don’t believe there’s a problem if we use the words ‘leash-controlled,’” Mooney-Portale said.

Language was approved that will soon read: “The owner/custodian of a dog or cat must have tangible physical control of such animals at all times, i.e. leash or other tangible physical constraint.”

When the commission discussed eliminating a decades-old pet license requirement that made outlaws out of the majority of Longboat Key’s dogs and cats in February, Bullock and town staff had no idea it would open up a Pandora’s box of issues.

“When we got rid of pet licensing, we started looking at the ordinance and we have tar all over it,” Bullock said. “There’s a long list of items in the ordinance we’ve cleaned up.”

The pet license requirement was originally enforced to help control a rabies outbreak brought on by rabid raccoons.