Today’s newsletter is presented by Kaiser Permanente.
Hello, Beach and Bay!
Our beach towns are known for being super dog friendly, but the flip side of dog-accessible areas often means pet waste is left behind.
The Humane Society used to run patrols on areas like school fields, ticketing pet parents for off-leash dogs and not picking up after their pets. Budget cuts forced those patrols to end last year, and the city started a new program to self-report. But it’s been off to a shaky start.
Pacific Beach Middle School is one of three schools chosen for a citywide pilot program to track pet waste on school fields. The public is allowed to use school fields in the afternoons and evenings, where dogs are expected to stay leashed and owners are expected to pick up after them. Children are entitled to poop-free play, so the new system is meant to ensure owners take accountability and fields stay clean.
The system works on a color-coded scale using posted signs. Green, yellow, and red tiers are updated by school officials when they find incidents of dog waste. Green means no incidents, yellow means one incident, and red means multiple incidents within 30 days.
PB Middle School has already hit red. There were three reported incidents in August, resulting in the field being closed to the public for two weeks. It reopened on September 15 and will remain in the yellow zone for 30 days. If two more incidents happen within that 30 day window, the field will be closed for a month.
The other schools in the program, Birney Elementary in North Park and Franklin Elementary in Kensington, do not have as many incidents on record so far. The city says it’s too early to tell if the pilot program is changing behavior, and hasn’t said whether it will expand to other schools.
All this to say, it’s on us to keep our neighborhood clean and safe. Please leash and pick up after your pets. This one habit will keep the field open for everyone.
Ashlyn Lipori-Russie
Beach & Bay Press newsletter host
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