Animal control officers will begin extra patrols at King County parks this month to enforce rules regarding unlicensed dogs, aggressive dogs and dogs that are off a leash.

According to King County law, pets are required to be on a leash and under control at all times, and owners must clean up after pets. The emphasis patrols are in response to numerous complaints from park users over the past year about aggressive and uncontrolled dogs. The penalty for failure to license a dog is $75 and a first-time off-leash offender could be penalized $25, with an additional $50 fine for each subsequent violation in a year’s time.