Signs banning dogs will come down in one Ross park after commissioners approved an ordinance permitting canines there.

Dog owners now can walk their pets in a portion of Ross Community Park as long as they keep their pets on leashes.

The Aug. 11 vote to permit dogs on the park's upper walking trail partially reverses a canine ban adopted last year.

That ordinance was passed after residents complained to commissioners that too many pet owners weren't cleaning up after their animals.

Owners are required to carry bags or containers for picking up dog waste, and they face fines up to $150 if they violate the cleanup rule.

Commissioners chose Ross Community Park, which is home to the municipal center, because regular police presence there would encourage dog walkers to follow cleanup rules.

Dogs also can be exercised on public streets and roads throughout the township. Owners are required to keep them on leashes and clean up after them whenever they are on public property.

The Ross walking trail is the second area to be opened to pet owners in recent weeks.

Cranberry Rotary Club provided the initial $45,000 in funding for a four-acre, fenced dog park next to Cranberry's Community Park, just west of Route 19. That facility, which opened Aug. 20, allows owners to take their pets off leashes.