San Francisco’s Dog Parks are in Trouble
The City is trying to pawn off maintenance of as many city property dog parks as they can. Why?
Walk with me. We’re going to dig up some dirt on city property dog parks (and try to squeeze a pack of dog idioms in here while we’re at it). Why do we have so many? Who maintains them? And what might be happening sub rosa?
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
If The City wanted to let sleeping dogs lie, they could ignore requests for new dog parks and better maintained ones to boot. God knows they are stellar at ignoring problems and community complaints unless it’s coming from a Pac Heights resident. But instead, SF has gone on a dog park building spree.
According to a Chronicle article from last summer, “The new enclosed dog area at Francisco Park is one of San Francisco’s 36 “dog play areas” — double the number in the early 2000s.” And according to BringFido.com, there are at least 50 off-leash dog parks. The Standard wrote an article ranking them in 2022; they may be paywalled but the Google Map they created is still free.
Going To The Dogs
But budgets are tight and everyone knows that a municipal parks & recreation program is often the first to get cut. As a consequence, The City has let some dog parks “go to the dogs,” becoming muddy or stinky.
The issues with dog parks range from poor planning to subpar maintenance. The glorified unfenced dog run in Golden Gate Park has a review warning visitors to “beware of lots of dead or dying eucalyptus branches/spars.” The City has a backlog of hazardous trees that need removing. Others, like Avalon Dogpatch, are just plain smelly.
One reviewer says, “Been there a few times when it’s quiet but avoid now due to the cleanliness of it, it doesn’t seem to be looked after very well. Artifical [sic] turf that leads onto sand/mud which turns to sludge and water puddle up, not so great drainage.” Both examples are on city-owned property and maintained by Rec & Park.
Dog and Pony Show
As Governor Newsom is driven around SF in his fancy motorcade, he sits in traffic and has to witness homeless people. It ruins his hair and his mood. That’s why there was a sudden burst of energy under the freeway; The Gavinator wanted it cleaned up for APEC. Areas closest to highways are the most likely to be under inspection, according to a first-hand account of Governor Gavin Newsom’s speech at the opening of the Street Tree Nursery.
It’s all a big dog and pony show, frankly. When an event comes to town, the area gets a superstar makeover. We’ve all seen it – the streets get washed, stains and people disappear, the same piece of mailer trash that’s been floating in the breeze for six months is suddenly gone without a trace.
But look out on the horizon! What’s coming to town? The Superbowl AND the FIFA World Cup? Look, these events are going to bring good energy to town, but they’ll also mean all the politicians will frantically focus their energy and our resources on a few select blocks. Dog Parks included.
Like a Dog on a Bone
Can we expect San Francisco residents to let up on their maintenance expectations of dog parks? Unlikely. They’ve sunk their teeth in the topic. Dogs outnumber children and there’s a wafting smell of entitlement emanating from owners. But dogs deserve cleanliness and safety, too.
So, beyond the budget issues, why does it matter who maintains the dog parks? One major reason you’re unlikely to hear directly from any of the players: Insurance liability. Much like the homeowners’ insurance crisis in California, properties around San Francisco are seeing insurance rates climb to barking-mad heights.
Dog Days Ahead
When the dog days of summer come, the residents of San Francisco flee their oft-unconditioned apartments for public spaces. This great migration can spark tension between the dog owners who regularly use parks and the summer flies who come along when the sun shines. This is why having distinct dog parks is a smart idea in an urban setting.
But even in a fenced, well-maintained dog park, even if everyone’s following the rules, Fido can still bite. We don’t live in a perfect city. It’s going to happen. More dogs and new, untrained dog owners since the pandemic, more dog parks and mixed-use parks, and very little money in the budget for insurance? It’s obvious why the City and County of San Francisco is desperately trying to hand off the leash on dog park maintenance.
This is a gross oversimplification of insurance: Property managers know that bad things can happen on their turf. So they work with someone called a broker or middleman to find an insurance company who will give them decent rates.
They pay the annual rates, which theoretically stay the same if nothing bad happens. In the event of something like a dog bite, the property manager can then work with their broker and insurance company to cover an expensive lawsuit without going broke. The rates, of course, will probably increase after that, but it’s the cost of doing business.
Dog Eat Dog Turf
So who is going to clean up the dog parks, both proposed and old? Who, dear reader, is going to be left holding the flaming bag of dog shit?
For a variety of reasons, including not wanting to pay for unionized labor, the City tends to look to nonprofits to manage their spaces. This lets them feed two dogs with one bone, so to speak. They don’t have to deal with insurance rates and they don’t have to budget for it.
With The City’s budget suffering and the administration reluctant to pluck a single penny from the junkyard dogs at the Police Officers Association, money is tight. And taxing tech companies like Waymo fairly? That dog won’t hunt.
Rec and Parks is having so many budget problems they aren’t even going to take on the 4/20 event at Hippie Hill this year. DPW? Those letters stand for, “The City Don’t Pay Well” enough for them to take this on. You know what is doing (comparatively) well? CBDs.
CBDs: The Tail Wagging the Dog?
A Community Benefit District, or CBD, is a nonprofit created by the neighborhood to filter taxpayer money and contributions from local businesses. They can also apply for grants and accept donations. Then the CBDs can turn the money into revitalized streets with splashy new signage, trash patrols, and pressure washing.
CBDs aren’t an obvious choice for dog park management until you understand all of these layers. But that’s what the City has decided to go with. It’s already happening. The East Cut CBD is actively fundraising for their management of a dog park, with other dog parks slated to fall under CBD management in the coming months.
Will it affect you if you have a pooch? Probably not, unless you or your dog get bitten. But it’s always good to know who the person in charge is.
Howdy! My name is Katy Atchison and I'm an Associate Editor for Broke-Ass Stuart.
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