San Francisco is a city known for its hills, its tech, and apparently, its highly coordinated canine choirs. Juliette Spirson, a creative director who usually spends her time writing, captured a moment at a local park that is pure urban comedy. The video from her account @spirson throws us right into some ambulance-inspired howling in the dog park.
It’s always noisy and bustling there, but when the emergency vehicle passes by, the vibe changes entirely. It isn’t just one dog that reacts; it’s a full-blown communal event that seems to be a staple of the local park culture.
Dogs howl as soon as an ambulance passes the park
As the faint sounds of the ambulance’s siren fill the air, the casual sniffing and fetching come to a grinding halt. A fluffy Samoyed is one of the first to lift its snout. A group of Labradors watches closely, as do a few spunky Terriers. While some breeds are naturally more vocal than others, the siren acts like a conductor’s baton for the entire group.
It’s almost like theyhave an urgent message they need to share with the emergency vehicle. As one local viewer pointed out, this is “very specifically Alamo Square dog culture,” noting that these pups are much quicker to join in than those at other city parks in San Fran.
This “woo woo crew,” as another viewer called them, is likely tapping into a deep-seated instinct inherited from their wolf ancestors. When that high-pitched siren wails, many dogs perceive it as a distant pack member calling out. Consequently, they howl back to offer companionship or to warn their humans of a potential threat.
In the footage, the owners just stand around, totally unfazed, letting their pets get it all out of their systems. It’s a hilarious display of pack mentality in the middle of a residential neighborhood. People in the comments couldn’t get enough of the coordinated chaos. One worker at a doggie daycare mentioned that this happens several times a day at their facility. Meanwhile, others joked that the dogs were simply “helping” the paramedics by providing extra noise.
