Heber City currently forbids canines everywhere except designated dog parks.
But this summer, locals could get permission to bring their dogs to some of the Heber Markets on Main, the Thursday evening series of concerts and local vendors in the Main Street Park.
Councilmember Sid Ostergaard was enthusiastic about the proposal during a discussion Tuesday, March 3.
“We have to realize we’re a mountain city,” he said. “In mountain cities, you go to Park City, everybody has a dog. Dogs are family to a lot of these people, and it is something that they cherish.”
He gave the example of Park Silly, the Sunday summer market where dogs on leashes abound.
“They do it there, and it is awesome,” he said. “We would take our dog there and enjoy it, because he is part of the family.”
Councilmember Aaron Cheatwood said he supports changing the rules slowly. He suggested letting people bring their dogs – on leashes – to the first few market evenings of the summer.
“I think that’ll be a really good test for us, because there’s enough people to see if this is going to be a problem,” he said.
If it goes well, the city could change its laws to formally allow dogs in parks.
Councilmember Morgan Murdock had some health concerns, since food trucks line the park during the summer concerts.
And Mayor Heidi Franco worried a rule change would be unpopular among those allergic to pets.
“Everyone, my family's allergic, okay?” she said. “So, I hope we don't have pushback on any of this, where we're opening it up, to where it would marginalize, perhaps, people who are in the opposite category.”
Neighboring municipalities are generally friendlier to dogs than Heber City. In Midway, dogs aren’t allowed on the Town Square, but otherwise, owners just need to keep their pets on leashes and pick up after them.
Park City’s laws are essentially the inverse of Heber’s: the four-legged friends are ubiquitous on Park City’s trails, in open space areas like Round Valley and at outdoor community events.
The Heber City Council didn’t make any formal decisions Tuesday. City staff will incorporate the council’s feedback and bring back a revised proposal later this spring.
Heber City is a financial supporter of KPCW.
