Scoop: San Diego ends off-leash dog enforcement at school fields
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Signs like this are still up around the city, even though enforcement has stopped. Photo: Claire Trageser/Axios
San Diego has quietly stopped giving out tickets to people with off-leash dogs that have been pooping on and digging holes in school fields since the pandemic, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Off-leash citations were the city's main way of keeping cavorting canines from fouling local parks and fields.
Driving the news: But city budget cuts aimed at cutting San Diego's deficit mean officers stopped patrolling and writing tickets this summer, Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson Benny Cartwright confirmed to Axios.
Catch up quick: The city contracts with the Humane Society to run animal shelters and enforce leash laws. That included sending officers on patrols to off-leash hot spots.
- The program started in 2021 after schools were closed during COVID and people got used to letting their dogs run free at fenced-in school fields.
- Dogs then did what dogs doo-doo.
When schools reopened, kids were stepping in dog poop or tripping on holes dug by dogs.
The intrigue: Schools have been battling the problem ever since. Some even have extra pairs of shoes on hand to give to kids who step in poo, San Diego Unified spokesperson Samer Naji told Axios.
Reality check: Humane Society officers were also verbally harassed when they tried to give out tickets, San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava told Axios.
- "It actually became dangerous for them because those dog owners got very irritated," he said.
Follow the money: The city cut $1.5 million from the Humane Society contract for this fiscal year that began July 1, resulting in the end of such off-leash enforcement.
- Humane Society spokesperson Nina Thompson said they don't have data on exactly how many off-leash tickets were handed out in San Diego during the program.
- But Humane Society officers were giving out 200 citations a month back in 2021, and the typical fine was almost $300.
Plus: With officers no longer on field patrol, residents are supposed to submit off-leash dog reports through the city's Get It Done app.
- But as of Wednesday morning the app doesn't take off-leash reports and the parks section on the city's Get It Done website says "coming soon."
- The city notes it usually takes days for staff to respond to Get It Done reports.
What's next: San Diego is also embarking on a pilot program where residents will be asked to police themselves.
- School fields open to the public will get new signs marking them as either green, yellow, or red.
- Green means people have been keeping it in good condition.
- Yellow means too many holes and too much dog poop, and the field will be closed for a few weeks.
- If the problems continue when the field reopens, it could escalate to red and the park would be shut down for longer, LaCava said.
What they're saying: "Nobody wants to give people tickets," Naji said. "We hope folks see that the field has been moved to a yellow and that they might temporarily lose a community asset."
What's your take on off-leash dogs using school fields? Do you bring your pooch there? Are you the parent of a student who has had to deal with fouled fields? Email [email protected] to share your thoughts.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to remove a line about contract change agreements between the city and the Humane Society.