A leash on dog owners?

Barbara and Jeff Oskwarek say they enjoy the company of the many dogs, and owners, who frequent the Joe Wex Dog Recreation Space in the South End's Peters Park. (John Bohn/ Globe Staff)

A nother showdown appears to be brewing between two longtime adversaries: dog owners and, seemingly, everyone else.

If you don't like dogs, they're a dirty, noisy nuisance and, potentially, a danger that infringes on your right to walk or enjoy public open spaces without fear.

If you have a dog, your four-legged buddy - and by extension you as a dog owner - are not welcome in virtually every park, beach, or patch of grass within city limits.

City Councilor William Linehan, who represents several neighborhoods with growing dog populations, like the South End and South Boston, says the problem of dogs running free in city parks has gotten out of hand lately as dog owners, with little fear of punishment, have become emboldened to flout leash laws.

Linehan has called for a public hearing to open dialogue between the groups and to discuss whether the city needs to toughen up penalties for violating leash and pooper-scooper regulations, step up enforcement, and look at the possibility of creating more dog-friendly areas so the pets and their owners have somewhere to go. The meeting has been slated for Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Ianella Chamber at City Hall.

"We want to try and change the culture of dog owners," said Linehan. "We need to cohabitate, but there are still existing rules."

An avid runner, Linehan said he always sees dogs running around off-leash each morning on Carson Beach, forcing him to make a split-second judgment about whether he'll be attacked.

"It's really the dog owners at fault. I have nothing against dogs," said Linehan.

To those who say their dogs need to socialize and the exercise they receive off-leash, he says, "I know people are passionate about their animals, but they're property."

There are about 8,500 licensed dogs in the city, said Sergeant Charles Rudack, who heads Boston's animal control office. In the last 12 months, there were about 360 citations issued for leash-law violations and about 250 for pooper-scooper violations, he said.

If caught, leash-law violators first get a written warning, then a $25 fine for a second offense and a $30 fine for every one thereafter, said Rudack.

John Keith, who lives and works in the South End, said he believes there are more dogs than ever in Boston, a situation that increases the frequency of conflicts between dog owners and those who don't welcome dogs, especially in parks.

Keith said he believes a majority of dog owners have flouted leash laws because they know they can get away with it. Even at Peters Park in the South End, where the Joe Wex Dog Recreation Space is fenced in from the basketball courts, baseball field, and other open spaces, some dog owners still let their pets run loose, contending the dog run is too crowded, he said.

"They've taken control of the park around it. It's just rude," said Keith.

Down the street, Blackstone Park also has been "completely taken over" by drug abusers and dog owners, where dozens of dogs run around each night, said Keith. "You can't get away from them."

Though creating more dog-friendly parks is a nice idea, said Keith, he doesn't think it will do much to fix the problem compared with stiffening penalties for those who don't abide by leash laws.

"There has to be some sort of personal cost for doing so," he said. "The onus should not be on the non-dog-owner to complain. They just want the rules to be followed so they don't have to be a jerk" and confront scofflaws, he said.

Dog park proponents disagree.

"The Wex DRS has helped to alleviate some of the off-leash problems in the South End in a few ways," said neighborhood resident Robert Goldstein, who is cochairman of the dog recreation space subcommittee of the Friends of Peters Park board. "One, by providing an area for large dogs and small dogs, we've been able to attract park users who may have been scared of using dog parks in the past because of the size or play habits of their dogs. Second, we've provided a beautiful space that is well-kept and large enough to attract dog owners from the South End and other Boston-area neighborhoods."

In South Boston, some dog owners have turned the Medal of Honor Park, adjacent to M Street Park, into a doggie "free-for-all," according to Lauren Mauriello, who lives across the street.

"It's awful. Not only do they walk their dogs, they have little doggie meet-ups," Mauriello said.

Several nights a week after work and Saturday mornings, she says, groups of people and more than 30 dogs regularly gather there, letting their pets roam and frolic off-leash. She says there are so many dogs playing there so often, many owners are unaware it's not a dog park.

The animals soil the grass, Mauriello said, leaving the place smelling like a sewer, and many are pit bulls, Rottweilers, and other large breeds that could pose a safety threat to people and other dogs, though she said she hasn't seen any attacks take place.

Mauriello, who plans to testify at the Oct. 28 hearing, said she's complained often to police, animal control officers, and city and state officials, but still nothing gets done.

"The city is unresponsive," she said. "They're not enforcing it."

Linehan concurs, saying that in his 15 years at the Parks Department, he never heard a police officer or park ranger say they were out enforcing leash laws.

"It's not on their radar screen."