Mark down an initial battle victory to the owners in the long and strained D.C. doggy wars. The Examiner reports on a change in the regulations governing the establishment of off-leash dog parks in the District that should make it easier to create fenced-in spaces for dogs to play.

Dog owners in the city have long complained about a dearth of spaces where they could legally let dogs off their leashes to get exercise. Among many reasons for this, one was an arcane statute still on the books that required that a dog exercise area’s sponsor group obtain a written certification from the Department of Health’s rodent control division that the nearby area is free of rats. This proved so difficult to achieve that the creation of a new dog park was virtually impossible. This provision has now been removed.

Don’t expect dozens of brand-new off-leash dog parks to pop up all over the city right away, though. It’s still going to be an uphill regulatory battle to establish new parks, with the typical fight at the ANC level likely to take around one year. A proposed dog park must be sponsored by a community group which would partner with DPR for maintenance of the park and enforcement of its rules. However, community groups no longer need be registered non-profits, and are no longer required to finance the parks all by themselves. Anyone interested in creating a fenced-in dog exercise area should contact DPR to get the ball rolling.

Photo by Kyle Gustafson