At a packed meeting, the Scarborough Ordinance Committee unanimously voted to table revisions to leash laws for public land until December.

According to committee members, that timing gives park rangers enough time to gather data about dog etiquette over the summer and the committee members time to review results of a planned community survey on the topic.

But confusion clouded the meeting.

At the beginning of public comment, Amanda Doherty, a member of the Community Service Advisory Board, explained that the revised version of the ordinance before the committee was not what members were considering. She said that the advisory board had no intention to change the policy regarding dogs on the beaches, a line item that had drawn most attendees to the meeting.

At the opening of committee discussion, Councilor Karin Shupe acknowledged that “we have a room full of good dog owners.” But she also said that she has received many emails and had many conversations with neighbors who have had bad interactions with dogs in town spaces. She said that some of those neighbors felt intimidated to speak out.

When it came time for the committee to reach a decision, all three councilors recognized that the confusion surrounding the wording of the document made it impossible to make a decision that night.

“None of us are confident that we actually know what’s proposed,” said Councilor Bill Donovan.

And many residents were confused about which version of the document was tabled.

After the meeting Shupe said that when the committee revisits the issue in December, it will start with the most recent version — the one that includes restrictions on the beach — with the understanding that revisions to the beach policy are not intended.

Katy Foley, chair of Dog Owners of Greater Scarborough, helped mobilize dog owners in opposition of the proposed changes, circulating a flyer online, urging her neighbors that “this is for all of our packs.” She said that these changes don’t need to happen, that though the current guidelines are imperfect, they provide something for everyone.

Kathy Harvey-Brown, who lives near Fuller Farm, said that eliminating all opportunities for dogs to go off leash on public fields, trails and beaches, as the revised version read, “seems extreme.” Not all dogs can be on a leash all the time because they need exercise just like humans do, she argued.

Tom Torre, a member of the homeowners association in the Pine Point community said that he walks his dog on the beach once or twice a day and has never encountered an incident of bad dog etiquette. There’s “not an epidemic of dog attacks,” he said.

“For many, banning their dog would be like banning their children,” Torre said. He said that these proposed policies would punish most dog owners.