Mission Bay dog owners want the ban on boardwalk dog walking lifted, NBC San Diego News reports.
The dog owners, led by two locals, Nick Cifranic and Jeff Purchin, are gathering online petition signatures to push San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department to reverse restrictions regarding walking dogs on boardwalks. Cifranic and Purchin want the department to allow dog owners to walk their canines on Mission Bay’s boardwalks whenever they feel like — no matter the time of day.
According to NBC News, the current law — which has been in place for decades — prohibits local dog owners from walking canines on boardwalks between 9 a.m. and late afternoon.
Why Mission Bay’s ban on boardwalk dog walking exists
Mission Bay’s time-based restriction on boardwalk dog walking exists to control overcrowding on boardwalks, as well as to prevent potential safety issues that can occur on crowded boardwalks.
While the reasons are valid, Cifranic said this prohibition forces area dog owners to walk their dogs on extra busy, narrow sidewalks along treacherous streets.
“I’m not sure if you’ve seen the side streets here, but they’re very uneven. I know a lot of people who’ve tripped,” Cifranic told NBC News.
The pet owner feels that Mission Bay boardwalks are much smoother and broader than neighborhood sidewalks. Furthermore, he believes repealing the existing ordinance will increase foot traffic by both tourists and dog owners. Accordingly, that will benefit small businesses and significantly boost San Diego’s local economy.
Some locals opposed to lifting dog-walking ban
Not every Mission Bay resident is rallying behind Cifranic and Purchin, though.
Jackie Averilla, a cyclist from the area who frequently goes on rides around Mission Beach, supports the current law restricting dog owners from walking their dogs on boardwalks during certain hours.
“It’s dangerous with the dogs because they do a long leash,” Averilla told NBC News while resting on her bike. Continuing, she added, “It might work if they short-leash their dogs like they should and if they cleaned up after them, but that doesn’t happen.”
Averilla thinks it’s best if only those on bicycles and pedestrians use the boardwalks.
Petition to remove boardwalk ban
Cifranic and Purchin are determined to gather more community support to get San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department to act. At the moment, the two locals have collected over 1,000 signatures offline and are gathering more on an online petition platform.
Besides counting on area support, the pair also hope the local town councils will side with them in their efforts.
Commenting on the petition, a spokeswoman for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department had this to say: “The process to change city policies would require working with the Mayor and City Council to initiate a discussion on the proposed policy change.”
She added that making such policy changes also requires “collaboration with community groups to solicit interest and feasibility for such a change.”
Nevertheless, the two gentlemen are relentless in their pursuit of a restrictions-free boardwalk dog walking law.
“It might take a long time, but I think we’ve got this,” an optimistic Cifranic said while holding his Poodle since he wasn’t sure whether it was legal to have him stand on the Fanuel Street Park boardwalk during the restricted hours. Optimistically, he added, “We have some very determined individuals who are on this right now, and I believe we will get this pushed through.”
