The dog days of free roaming may soon come to an end.

As the sun begins to rise over Auditorium Shores, dogs, free to fetch, sniff and bark, all without a leash, kick up dust and get on some people's last nerve.

"This is about the only place that she gets to come and run free," dog owner Cheryl Yocham said.

The dog days of free roaming, however may soon come to an end, as the city opens the floor for discussion about the off-leash rule at Auditorium Shores.

	Pet friendly information
What to provide your input? Get involved by providing your input directly to Austin City Council. Austin is certainly a dog friendly city, and in fact, there are 12 leash-free dog parks in Austin What is Scoop the Poop campaign? View a map of mutt-mitt locations around Austin View the regulations of Travis County governing animal control A yelp review of Auditorium Shores leash-free dog park shows a heavy preference for keeping it leash free

"I think there are two sides to this," Director of Austin's Park Department Sara Hensley said. "Those who enjoy it with the dogs and want to keep it an off-leash area, and those who find it a nuisance to people who are trying to do other things."

On Feb 19, Hensley and rest of the parks department want to hear public input on what changes, including leash rules, people would like to see at Auditorium shores.

"The whole idea is to take the input, mull it over and figure out where we go from here, and ultimately the City Council will make the decision," Hensley said.

Park advocate and dog owner Bill Fraser said dogs roaming free does present a hazard. He said he does not want to see the city put a leash on pets, but thinks the city should start smaller.

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	Off-leash? As News 8's Reagan Hackleman explains, the days of pooches running free could come to an end.

"Posted rules that describe how old the dog can be, not feeding the dog, not grooming the dog, dog behavior," Fraser said. "There are several things that can be discussed relative to dogs in the park."

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