Tensions in Seattle have reached a violent breaking point after locals have complained about dog owners letting their pets run off-leash in parks where it is forbidden.

A Seattle Times survey of more than 1,200 readers revealed that two-thirds are upset about the growing number of unleashed dogs in their parks, with many reporting they feel completely unable to use their neighborhood’s green spaces.

The crisis has been brewing since the pandemic, when enforcement of leash laws plummeted from 200 annual citations to just 40.

Park patrol staff were restricted to essential functions during Covid-19, creating what many residents describe as a free-for-all atmosphere that has never recovered.

‘The turning point was probably COVID,’ Zack Musgrave, a Phinney Ridge resident. told the Times. ‘All parks in Seattle are now de facto off-leash dog parks.’

The situation has led to dangerous confrontations.

In April last year, a fight broke out at Cal Anderson Park when an unleashed dog attempted to steal food from a park visitor, Fox13 reported. 

The fight, which began when a husky allegedly tried to steal food, quickly escalated into punching, kicking, and shouting, all captured in a video that quickly went viral.

The footage, described by witnesses as  ‘wild’, showed a chaotic scene with the distressed dog howling in the background.

Seattle has been torn apart by rising tensions over entitled dog owners who let their pets run off-leash in parks where it is forbidden – as complaints reach record highs and confrontations turn violent

In April, a fight broke out at Cal Anderson Park when an unleashed dog attempted to steal food from a park visitor

A Seattle Times survey of more than 1,200 readers revealed that two-thirds are upset about the growing number of unleashed dogs in their parks, with many reporting they feel completely unable to use their neighborhood green spaces (People sit in Cal Anderson Park)

Other incidents at the same park have resulted in dogs being kicked and pepper-sprayed.

At the heart of the crisis are Seattle’s demographics.

The city leads major US metropolitan areas in adults under 50 who are married with pets but no children.

These young professionals – many of whom live in the nation’s smallest new apartments, averaging just 661 square feet – view public parks as essential spaces for their dogs.

But the impact on other park users has been severe.

The Community Day Center for Children had to stop taking children to nearby parks around 2021 due to safety concerns with unleashed dogs and waste.

Director Lois Martin said it has fundamentally changed how children can explore their neighborhood.

‘It changes the way they’re able to explore the neighborhood,’ Martin told the outlet. ‘What we need are dog owners to be responsible and think about other folk in their neighborhood.’

Other Central District residents, including Jill Friedberg, said unleashed dogs have approached her and her leashed pit bull forcing them to avoid parks altogether.

The fight, which began when a husky allegedly tried to steal food, quickly escalated into punching, kicking, and shouting, all captured in a video that quickly went viral

The footage, described by witnesses as ‘wild’, shows a chaotic scene with the distressed dog howling in the background

The disagreement over an off-leash dog at Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park spiraled into a violent brawl that was captured on video footage

‘Letting your dog off-leash in a park is deeply entitled, telling the rest of the neighborhood that you don’t care how your off-leash dog limits the ability of your neighbors to also enjoy the park,’ Friedberg told the outlet.

Seattle’s response has been to expand its park ranger force from two to 28 staff members.

They also promising increased enforcement in coming months.

But dog owners argue the city’s 14 official off-leash areas – some smaller than half an acre – are insufficient and inaccessible, with half of Seattle’s residents living more than a mile from any legal off-leash area.

The city is developing five new dog parks, but their completion is still years away.

Meanwhile, neighborhoods with the most complaints, like large parts of Ballard and Capitol Hill, will still lack accessible off-leash areas.

But dog advocates say this approach is insufficient.

‘The turning point was probably COVID,’ Zack Musgrave, a Phinney Ridge resident, told the Seattle Times. ‘All parks in Seattle are now de facto off-leash dog parks’

Other Central District residents, including Jill Friedberg, said unleashed dogs have approached her and her leashed pit bull forcing them to avoid parks altogether

The Community Day Center for Children Director Lois Martin said the crisis has fundamentally changed how children can explore their neighborhood

The city-wide issue has been brewing since the pandemic, when enforcement of leash laws plummeted from 200 annual citations to merely 40 (Pictured: West Queen Anne Playfield) 

Alec Rodenhauser, chair of Citizens for Off-Leash Areas in Seattle, said ticketing dog owners is not the way to go.

‘They don’t have anywhere else to go,’ he told the outlet.

‘It’s a slap in the face that they call them dog parks,’ Rodenhauser said regarding the 14 official off-leash areas.

Some dog owners are pushing for regulated off-leash hours, similar to New York City’s model allowing dogs off-leash between 9pm and 9am.

However, critics like Friedberg argue that changing rules won’t help when current ones are already being ignored.

‘I don’t think changing the rules would impact a population that has already decided the rules don’t apply to them,’ Friedberg said.