Princeton To Continue Off-Leash Dog Program At Quarry Park

PRINCETON, NJ — In October last year, Princeton established an off-leash dog program at Quarry Park. The 90-day program went into effect in November and ends on Jan. 30.

During last week’s meeting, Council passed a resolution allowing the continuation of the program.

The 90-day pilot program was extremely successful in the Municipality. Staff from the Department of Engineering, and the Departments of Health and Recreation evaluated public interest, staff capacity requirements, and safety.

“During the 90-day pilot program, Municipal staff received no reports of safety incidents or issues caused by off-leash dogs at Quarry Park. With this success, municipal staff have prepared a resolution to continue the off-leash program as a privilege for the community,” Deputy Administrator / Municipal Engineer, Deanna Stockton said in a memo.

Additionally, the resolution also gives the Health Officer, the Animal Control Officer and the Police Department authority to temporarily suspend the program “if it is in the public interest to do so, such as safety reasons.”

Off-leash hours for dogs are 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Outside of these hours, dogs are not permitted to be off-leash. Dogs must always be under the control of their owner and not allowed to run on the basketball court or within the playground area.

Residents who wish access to the park for their dogs must have a current NJ dog license. If the Animal Control Officer finds that a dog is aggressive towards other dogs or people, they will be prohibited from using the park.

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