The woman, who suffered Multiple Bite Wounds, said at the entrance of the Alphen Trail there was a sign which stated that all dogs are legally required to be on a leash.

FILE: Owner and dog walking in the park. Photo: Pixabay/schroederhund

CAPE TOWN - Dogs should be on leashes in Cape Town's public areas unless indicated otherwise with the use of sign boards.

That's according to the city's law enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason.

This follows a recent incident along the Alphen Trail in Constantia, where a woman was attacked by a loose Rottweiler.

The woman, who Suffered Multiple Bite wounds, said at the entrance of the trail there was a sign which stated that all dogs are legally required to be on a leash.

Dyason said there were by-laws in place.

"Signboards are normally your guide when it comes to beaches and some of the open spaces like the Green Belt for example. Look for the signboard, it will tell you whether your dog is allowed to be on or off a leash. Generally, the rule is, if there is no signboard that says this is a free-running area or indicates that your dog is allowed to be off a leash, then your dog must be on a leash."

Dyason said officials have largely focused on areas like the Alphen Trail but attempts to enforce the rules had sometimes been met with indifference.

"We've received a lot of flak from people because generally, the response is from some people, that there are more serious issues to worry about in Cape Town, why are you bothering with my dog... until something like this happens. We even had a four-wheeler at one stage, patrolling the Green Belt. Definitely, we are applying the by-law but the instances of people not obeying, that is problematic and our experience is, it's mainly the same people all of the time. They rationalise their wrongdoing by saying, you are focusing on the wrong issue."

Dyason says there are several dog-free-run areas in the city.