Resident urges Layton to prioritize a city dog park, criticizes parks department findings

A Layton resident on July 8 told the city council the city lacks any off-leash dog park for its non–single-family households and urged officials to raise the priority for creating a city dog park.

Jennifer Shepherd told the council that Layton is about 87,000 residents and that up to 30 percent of housing units are not single-family detached; she said roughly 40 percent of residents own at least one dog but the city has “not been supportive or forward thinking enough” to provide an off-leash facility. Shepherd said she has advocated for a dog park for more than a year and that Parks and Recreation staff told her a dog park was not a priority.

Shepherd criticized the department’s recent study, saying two sites the department proposed were not viable: Bamberger Trail (narrow, adjacent to I-15, unsafe borders and in disrepair) and the David Weekley/Eastwood Park corridor (which staff and a developer previously represented publicly as on-leash). She said other higher-potential sites were omitted from staff’s presentation and asked the council to “listen to the resident need and increase the priority for a safe gathering place for Layton dog owners.”

Shepherd said she had lost confidence in Parks and Recreation staff after repeated conversations and asked the council to exercise caution in relying on staff information.

Council members did not take action during the meeting; Shepherd’s comments were received during the citizen-comment period and will be considered alongside staff work on parks planning.