WEST BOISE, Idaho — For many dog owners, Nov. 1 is a date they circle on the calendar because that's when the city of Boise makes Ann Morrison Park and the Optimist Youth Sports Complex off-leash for dogs.
These privileges last until the end of February, giving dogs and their owners a chance to run free in some wide open spaces.
We took a trip over to the western edge of Boise to talk with folks at the Youth Optimist Sports Complex.
"When this opens up and the dogs jump out of the car, you can see the smile on their faces and that’s the truth," Nancy Cannon said. "I’ve never seen a place this nice in any town I’ve lived in. It means everything."
WATCH: Check out the video to see why this means so much to Boise residents
That's because Cannon and her dog Skye have built a social network, as several people have the tradition of meeting up at the parks with their dogs.
"It’s our social hour and this is where I met all of my friends after I moved here fifteen years ago from Montana," said Cannon. "It's just a fun place to be."
This sentiment was echoed by pretty much every dog owner that we ran into, but this privilege also comes with responsibility, as dog owners need to clean up after their pooches.
It's a problem that I've seen everywhere I have taken my dog around town. The city offers this opportunity, and Cannon has gone around the park tying poop bags to the fences. She said she will scold people who don't pick up after their dogs.
"At the end of the seasonal off-leash period, we walk the whole thing with our bags and pick up anything we find," said Cannon. "We know it is a privilege to be here and we don’t want to lose it."
The seasonal off-leash dog parks include the Optimist Youth Sports Complex, Ann Morrison Park and, starting on Nov. 16, the Simplot Sports Complex on the eastern edge of town will be off-leash. All three end this season at the end of February.
