A proposal to allow dogs off their leashes at two more city parks raised the hackles of some Encinitas residents Tuesday night.

The city's Parks and Recreation Commission listened to public comments on the hotly-debated proposal to extend off-leash dog privileges at Hawk View Park near the community of Quail Gardens and at Glen Park in Cardiff. The commission is charged with gathering public input and submitting a report with its findings to City Council in February.

Few topics have been more polarizing in this beach community.

"A friend called me last night in tears and told me that people who had been friends for years aren't speaking over this issue," John Hanna said Tuesday night. "Some people say that their park is for families, and yes, dogs are part of our family too."

Currently, dogs are allowed off their leashes from 6 to 7:30 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at three city parks: Orpheus Park in Leucadia, Sun Vista Park in Olivenhain and Viewpoint Park on D Street near City Hall.

Many residents of the Quail Gardens community that borders Hawk View Park said Tuesday night that those hours and locations should be more than enough to accommodate the needs of dog owners.

Jeanne Jones and her husband, Hank, said they oppose any off-leash hours at Hawk View.

"We (Encinitas) already have five times more acreage (devoted to off-leash hours) than any other coastal city," said Hank before the meeting. At the podium, Jeanne displayed a hand-drawn graph showing that dog privileges now extend to 17.2 acres of parkland in Encinitas. "This is a part of the community (dog owners) that is already well-served."

Quail Gardens resident Jude Geiser said she opposes off-leash hours at Hawk View Park for many reasons, especially safety and sanitation. Geiser said she and others canvassed 167 homes in their community and found that while 149 of the homeowners said they had an opinion on the issue, 76 percent of those homeowners were opposed to extending any off-leash privileges at Hawk View Park.

"We feel we have lost our park to the dogs," said Cathy Andrews, who also lives in Quail Gardens. "It is perceived as a dog park, and once the dogs started coming there, we were outnumbered."

Tim Baird spoke in favor of extending off leash hours to Hawk View Park.

"I believe the city should use the criteria it has already used (when it originally decided to allow off-leash hours at some parks). Is there something unique to this park? No. Quail Gardens is on a big street and has parking. The design of the park separates the dogs from the playground and the lawn is under-utilized for sports ... These are the criteria that should be used to determine whether a neighborhood park should be used, not on who brings the largest pitch forks and yells the loudest."

The City Council is scheduled to consider Wednesday whether to expand off-leash hours from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at Orpheus, Sun Vista and Viewpoint Parks.