Dogs on leashes are now welcome in most Madison parks following the City Council’s approval Tuesday of a new ordinance that overhauls a patchwork system of policies addressing man’s best friend.

The new ordinance, adopted by alders on a voice vote with two opposed, presumes leashed dogs are welcome in city parks unless otherwise specified, which is different than the existing model where dogs are banned unless allowed.

Under the city’s longstanding policy on dogs, Madelyn Leopold, president of the Board of Park Commissioners, said dog walkers routinely violate the rules. Leopold said the city has received complaints for years about wanting to see both more and less of dogs in parks.

“Rather than stepping up enforcement to try to address an epidemic of violation, it seemed to make better policy sense to change the rules,” Leopold said, “and to change the rules in a way that did not sacrifice the needs and desires of people who are averse to dogs, but to come up with a policy that balances the people who care about dogs and the people who would rather not see them.”