The Barrington Town Council showed its love for dogs and dog owners during Monday night’s meeting.

Councilors abandoned a proposed ordinance that would have banned dogs from parks and athletic fields in town. Instead, the council called for signs to be installed at parks and fields clearly listing the existing laws that require dogs be kept on-leash on public property and that owners pick up after their dogs. 

Kate Berard and other councilors listened to a handful of residents voice their opposition to the proposed ordinance. Some said the amendment made it seem like Barrington was unfriendly to dogs or opposed to dogs. 

Berard said there were issues with the language of the proposed ordinance. She was also upset with the fact that the town had installed signs at local parks stating that dogs were banned from athletic fields before the council had even discussed the law change. 

“That really bugs me,” Berard said.

The councilor also questioned why Barrington would leap to the ordinance change if the community is already failing to enforce other related laws. The town currently has a leash law requiring owners keep their dogs on-leash when they have their pets on public property. There is also a law requiring owners to pick up after their dogs. 

The proposed ordinance amendment surfaced shortly after an incident occurred at the Chianese Park Little League baseball field in May. Following a baseball game, a youth coach noticed a man enter the fenced-in baseball field with his dog and prepare to let the dog off-leash. The coach asked the man to keep the dog off the field, and the dog owner began yelling and swearing at the coach.

During Monday night’s meeting, Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey endorsed the proposed ordinance. He also listed other towns in Rhode Islands that have ordinances barring dogs from athletic fields. Hervey said people and their dogs are going to damage the fields — he was particularly concerned about the athletic fields being renovated at Haines Park. He also said having people and their dogs on the fields as officials are trying to maintain the playing surfaces is problematic. 

Kerry O’Neill and Jordan Jancosek both said they could not support the ordinance as it was written. O’Neill said he supported the recommendation made by the Barrington Park and Recreation Commission at its recent meeting — the commission voted 4-2 in favor of altering the language of the amendment so that dogs would only be banned from fenced-in athletic fields. 

O’Neill also mentioned having an issue with the signs that the town had installed at fields banning dogs well ahead of any council action. 

O’Neill said Barrington Park and Recreation Commission Chairman Mike Seward had some suggestions about changing the fines associated with violating the current dog-related ordinances. 

Hervey pushed back on the idea of only legislating the fenced-in ballfields. He said neighbors to Haines Park had an issue with installing a fence around the multi-use field. He also said the fence would be very expensive, and questioned whether the state would approve the installation of the fencing at Haines Park.

Eileen Johnson said she was a responsible dog owner, walked her dog on a leash and picked up after her pet. She said it was reasonable to restrict dogs from fenced-in fields, but felt that the proposed ordinance, banning dogs from parks and athletic fields, would have a negative impact on her life and those of other dog owners in town. She also said that dogs are integral to the quality of life in town. 

Tom Rimoshytus offered similar testimony. He also asked why town officials were always talking about dog waste on the fields, but ignored all the goose poop that covers athletic fields in Barrington.  

Marianne Ducharme agreed with Berard that the language of the ordinance was problematic. She also asked if the town would penalize people who walked across fields with their leashed dogs to access other areas, such as the bike path. Ducharme said the town already has a leash law, the town just needs to enforce it. 

Ken Block said he would increase fines for those who violate the dog-related laws currently on the books — he called for $500 fines. He said it appears Barrington is unfriendly when it comes to dogs, and also suggested that the town consider carving out off-leash areas open to responsible dogs and their owners. Block pointed to the northern end of the town beach as a spot where dogs could, potentially, swim off-leash legally. 

Berard said she was inclined to do nothing with the proposed ordinance and instead have the town install signs at the ballfields clearly stating the current laws that govern keeping dogs on-leash and picking up dog waste. Council president instructed Hervey to install those signs and to remove the ones falsely claiming that dogs are banned from fields.