It's an age old problem and now Monroe County is cracking down on unleashed dogs in county parks. Twenty-nine dog owners have been ticketed in the past few weeks.

Twenty-two of those tickets were issued at Ellison Park, in a section that is often referred to as "dog beach." Even Monday's rain didn't keep people and their pooches from the shore of Irondequoit Creek.

Sheriff's deputies have also been watching the popular spot, forcing dog owners to decide if free rein is worth a fine.

Brighton Town Court isn't where Kyle Moran wanted to spend his afternoon.

"We had to wait roughly an hour and a half," said Moran.

And pay a $50 fine. The reason: his 7-month-old chocolate lab Tully.

A few weeks ago they were at Ellison Park. Moran said Tully was playing, unleashed, with a fairly large group of unleashed dogs.

"Roughly about 15 to 20 people there," said Moran. "All the dogs were playing in the park."

Sheriff's deputies showed up and wrote everyone tickets.

"When we go down there it says leash all pets," said Moran. "There's multiple signs, but everybody down there kind of has a mutual understanding that this is the dog park."

"To just let them off leash in a county park of your choosing in a place of your choosing, that's not the way to go," said Monroe County Parks Director Larry Staub. "It's not going to be tolerated."

Staub said the recent crackdown is a direct result of complaints. He said some park users don't like seeing dogs running around unleashed.

"This is the number one complaint we see in the county parks department all year round," said Staub. "There's a potential to cause a lot of problems and put other people in harms way."

Staub said people can take their pups to the Greece Canal Dog Park, where dogs are allowed to run leashless. He said there are plans for three additional places for dogs to run free.

"Our next one will be in Ellison Park," said Staub. "That's something that we can look forward to probably next spring."

"That's what I've heard for the past seven years," said Moran.

Moran hopes the large number of recent tickets shows how much an "official" dog park is needed.

"We'd be down there at least three to five times a week," said Moran. "We have to get his energy out somehow."

Violating Monroe County's leash law can get costly. The first offense carries a fine of $50 to $250. If you're caught a second time, it goes up, ranging from $250 to $500. A third offense is even more, anywhere from $500 to $750, with jail time also a possibility.

Monroe County Dog Parks