Dog Owners of Grape Street attempted to beautify their local dog park by painting over graffiti with a mural.
However, the mural was short-lived, as San Diego authorities shut down the project soon after it began.
Not Just Artwork to Some
The Grape Street Dog Park in San Diego is beloved by pups and people alike. Still, the city of San Diego provided little to no assistance in keeping the park looking its best.
After repeated requests to the city, the Dog Owners of Grape Street took it upon themselves to cover up graffiti in the park.
“I said, ‘Ah, heck, why don’t we get this bathroom looking really nice and have this park the best looking park in San Diego?'” said Dale Siscon, who assisted in painting the bathroom within the park along with a large mural outside of the building. During his work, Siscon was escorted off the property by park rangers, then sent a cease-and-desist by the city. Previously, park rangers never interfered with park repairs done by patrons. These repairs include filling in holes and mending fences. Now, the mural project has been halted and painted over entirely.
Supporting Your Own Local Dog Park
Dog parks are important in fostering a sense of community for both local dogs and their pet parents. They serve as a get-together for canines to burn off some energy. Maybe they make new friends they can meet up with for puppy playdates or get familiar with neighborhood dogs. It fosters familiarity between pet parents, too. Maybe you have someone to chat with over the weird behavior your dogs both do. Or maybe you can get to know a pup that takes a daily walk on your street a bit better. Dog parks, however, are rarely given much funding or maintenance. It can be devastating to lose what little investment there are in these wonderful community get-togethers.
While the story of Grape Street Dog Park’s lost community-made mural is a sad one, there are steps you can take to help your own local dog park. First, make sure you and your pup are well-mannered and follow good dog park etiquette, keeping the park safe and fun for all inhabitants. Clean up after your pet. If your dog becomes too wound up to play nicely with others, take them home before they make others’ time at the park not as fun. Support development of community dog parks by making your voice heard when it comes time to make decisions about adding in a new park or improving upon old ones. See if you can get involved in community efforts to keep the dog park clean and maintained. If there is no existing group that helps out, try creating one!
