Some say that signs telling owners that pets must be leashed are largely ignored by dog owners who let their animals run free, scaring children, creating messes and, most recently, attacking other dogs.
"It was such an uncomfortable, miserable experience with the dogs running around that we stopped going," Rabinov said.
Another La Crescenta resident and dog park supporter, Marylu Issaevitch, said her small dog was the victim of an attack at the park last month by a group of larger, unleashed dogs.
The absence of a dog park in the area has led people to the 8.5-acre Two Strike Park, many who admit to unleashing their dogs, mostly in the fenced-in baseball diamond within the park.
"We have coexisted with ball players for years," said Robin Sloan, who frequently walks her two retrievers in the park with a group of other dog owners.
"The contribution of the dog park people has been a good thing for the park. We're the ones that clean up trash, find razor blades in the sand where kids play and throw rocks back on the hill so they don't ruin the lawn mowers."
But the good intentions of some dog owners does not preclude them from following the leash law in the park, said council President Grace Andrus, who urged a representative of the sheriff's office to step up enforcement in the park.
"There is a law and there is a reason for it," Andrus said.
"There are children and adults who are fearful of dogs."
First-time offenders of the leash law are often given a warning, and only upon a second offense are they issued a citation, said Lt. Jeremy Kitabjian of the Los Angeles County Police Department.
Many dog owners avoid citations by snapping on the leash when they see an officer approaching, Kitabjian said.
