Town of Snow Hill, MD Article III Dog Park

[Adopted 4-13-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-01]

§ 48-8 Dog park rules.

The Snow Hill Dog Park is hereby established and designated as such at the following Town property: Byrd Park on W. Market Street. The Snow Hill Dog Park shall be available for public use, subject to the following rules, which shall be observed at all times by persons bringing dogs within the confines of the Snow Hill Dog Park:

A. Hours: sunrise to sunset.

B. Dogs must be current on all vaccinations.

C. Dogs must have a current dog license. Dogs should also wear an owner identification tag at all times.

D. Dogs must be leashed when entering and exiting the dog park.

E. For the safety of your dog(s) and other park visitors, choke, prong (pinch) and spike collars are strictly prohibited. Any such collar must be removed from dogs, and replaced with a collar that is not of such type, before entering the dog park.

F. No children under the age of 16 are permitted in the dog park unless accompanied and supervised by an adult. Children have a tendency to scream and run when excited, which can trigger a dog's natural instinct to chase. For this reason and for the safety of your children, we do not recommend bringing small children and infants into the dog park.

G. Aggressive dogs are not permitted on the premises. Dogs must be leashed and removed from the park by their owner(s)/keeper(s) at the first sign of aggression. Any dog which has been determined at any time by law enforcement, judicial, administrative or animal control authorities, in any jurisdiction, to be dangerous, potentially dangerous, or any similar or equivalent categorization constituting a threat of any kind to public or private person(s) or property shall be barred from entering the dog park at any time, whether leashed or unleashed.

H. Female dogs in heat are prohibited from entering the park.

I. Dog owners must be in the park and within close proximity (no more than 100 feet) of their dogs at all times.

J. All off-leash dogs must be under voice control of their owners. Any dog that is not subject to reasonable control by voice command(s) of its owner or keeper shall remain leashed within the park at all times.

K. Dog owners/keepers must keep their leash in hand at all times.

L. Dog food is not permitted within the dog park at any time.

M. Dog owners/keepers must clean up dog feces. All owners/keepers bringing dogs to the dog park shall have with them adequate means for cleaning up dog waste and removing it from the dog park or depositing it in designated receptacles in sealed plastic bags.

N. Owners/keepers shall take immediate steps to fill any holes dug or otherwise created by his/her/their dog(s). Furthermore, owners/keepers bringing dog(s) to the dog park shall be responsible for any and all damage caused to the park or facilities within the park by his/her/their dog(s) or by such owner/keeper.

O. Owners/keepers of dogs shall immediately produce proof of current and valid rabies vaccination and license upon request by a law enforcement and/or animal control officer, as well as authorized Town staff. Tags may serve as proof.

P. Failure to abide by the dog park rules may result in loss of dog park privileges and/or municipal infraction citation (as provided in § 48-9 of the Code).

§ 48-9 Violations and penalties.

A. Any person violating the provisions of § 48-8 of this chapter (including but not limited to the dog park rules set forth therein) shall be guilty of a municipal infraction and shall be issued a civil citation for $25 for a first offense and a fine of $50 for each subsequent offense. All fines imposed hereunder are payable to the Town of Snow Hill within 20 calendar days of service of the citation. Citations issued hereunder shall be served in accordance with Maryland law. Any person served with a citation hereunder may elect to stand trial for the infraction by notifying the Town of Snow Hill in writing, at least five days prior to the required deadline for payment of the fine, of such person's intent to stand trial. Upon timely receipt of such notice, the Town of Snow Hill shall forward to the Worcester County District Court a copy of the citation and the written notice. If a person charged in a citation fails to pay the fine by the date of payment set forth on the citation and fails to deliver to the Town of Snow Hill the written notice of intent to stand trial or fails to appear for a scheduled trial date, the person shall be liable for double the amount of the assessed fine. Citations issued hereunder shall contain the following: a certification by the issuing officer certifying and attesting to the truth of the matters set forth therein or that the citation is based on an affidavit; the name and address of the person charged; the nature of the infraction; the location and time of the occurrence of the infraction; the amount of the fine being imposed; the manner, location, and time within which the fine must be paid; the person's right to elect to stand trial for the infraction; and the effect of failing to pay the assessed fine or demand trial within the prescribed time period. The issuing officer shall retain a copy of the citation to be kept in the records of the Town of Snow Hill. In the event that a violator receiving a citation is found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction of a municipal infraction hereunder, such violator shall be liable for reimbursement of the Town's reasonable legal fees incurred in the proceeding (if any).

B. Repeated violations by any individual of the rules for the dog park may result in a temporary or permanent prohibition of such person entering the dog park.