Problem Solvers: Off-leash dogs in Bend parks and on trails is creating frustrated residents; safety risk

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- In Bend, dogs are part of the culture, often spotted on trails, at breweries, and in nearly every park. But those encounters aren’t always positive. For people with disabilities or anyone uneasy around dogs, off-leash behavior can lead to tense or even dangerous situations.

Parks, trails, and even dogs are part of everyday life in Bend. But when leashes come off in places they shouldn’t, some residents say a simple run or walk can turn into a real safety risk.

“I was coming back home and ran past a guy playing Frisbee with his dog in the street. No incident at first. And then that dog ran up behind me and bit me in the back of my calf," said Aaron Rivers, who added his leg was bleeding for 8 hours following the incident.

He now runs with pepper spray in one hand and a phone in the other along the Central Oregon Irrigation District (COID) path near his house; a place folks often believe is private property, but in fact is not.

According to Jon Skidmore, the Deputy Managing Director at COID, the same city laws apply there just like any other public space. 

Skidmore said, "Central Oregon Irrigation District (COID) partners with the Bend Parks and Recreation District to manage public access trails on the COID property off Brookswood Boulevard. This property is not an off-leash dog area – if members of the public want to enjoy the trails with their dogs, those dogs need to be on a leash." He continued, "COID expects members of the public to abide by this simple rule – noncompliance can result in permanent trespass from the property."

In Bend, there are 84 parks and over 80 trails, all of which are designated on-leash recreation areas. There are a total of nine off-leash dog areas for dogs in Bend.

“We can't be at every park at once, "said Joel Lee, a park steward with Bend Parks & Recreation District. "We're really going to need them to, you know, take some agency and accountability for their dog.”

For Rivers, the concern goes beyond his own safety. He has a daughter with Down syndrome whose safety was allegedly threatened by an unleashed dog.

“A 90-pound pit bull came charging at us from 40 yards away, jumped up on her, jumped up on me, and I confronted the owners, asked them to please leash their dog, and they just muttered and kept on going," Rivers said.

Bend PD Communications officer Sheila Miller says  $275 tickets are an enforcement option, but their “goal is compliance, and if we can do that through education instead of through tickets, that is the goal.”

According to public records requests, total violations from 2021 to 2025 for…unleashed dogs varied slightly, averaging about 39 total violations, and about 36 average tickets per year.

Despite slight variations in the number of tickets and violations, Lee noted leash compliance "hovers around 70% to 80%."

In comparison, the total number of calls Bend PD received about off-leashed dogs from 2021 to 2025 averaged about 484 per year and has slightly increased generally over the last four years.

In addition to safety, Miller notes it's about respecting others while in public.

"We also don’t know if someone has had a really bad experience with a dog, or if they’re in a wheelchair or on a bike. If a dog runs in front of you, that can be dangerous," Miller commented.

That’s also what Bend’s Accessibility Advisory Committee is hearing from folks in the community.

“We’ve been hearing a lot from people that dogs off-leash make it hard for people with accessibility issues," Heylin claims.

Heylin’s own family has lived with the consequences of an unleashed dog threatening their safety back in 2025. "My kid was bit in the face and had about a quarter inch of her lip torn out. It required a lot of surgery," Heylin reflected.

The City of Bend Accessibility Advisory Committee is now drafting a letter to the city manager, urging Bend Parks and Recreation, Bend Police, and City Council to take a harder look at enforcement and education.

For both Rivers and Heylin, bringing a dog into shared public spaces comes with shared responsibility.

Heylin also pointed out a rising culture where it seems off-leash dog owners don't acknowledge the concerns of others.

He said, “If I could flip a magic switch and change one thing, it would be when you bring it up to someone that their dog shouldn't be off leash, that you don't look like the bad guy."

Rivers adds that when he asks folks to leash their pets, he’s often ignored, dismissed, or told the law doesn’t apply to them. He’s even been physically threatened

“It's mostly entitlement," Rivers said. "It's not street gangs of un unleashed dogs. It's people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who feel like the law doesn't apply to them.”

"When you live in a community, you are responsible for your community. And so the rules apply to all of us, not just to some of us," Miller acknowledged.

Despite unwanted interactions with noncompliant dog owners, Bend PD and Bend Parks and Recreation have said most dog owners follow the leash rules. They hope a stronger culture of leashing up will keep one off‑leash moment from ruining the day for everyone else.

As for irrigation district property, officials want to remind folks that noncompliance can result in permanent trespass from COID property.