As part of its proposed Dog Management Plan, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) has decided to curtail the activities of local dogwalkers on lands it manages in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties. Local dogwalkers are not pleased and made their discontent known at an April 16 rally at Fort Mason, where GGNRA headquarters are located.
GGNRA has announced its intentions to immediately limit the number of dogs commercial walker may take to popular parks within its boundaries, including Fort Funston and Crissy Field – even though the entire proposed plan is still awaiting ratification.
Amon other things, the proposed plan aims to reduce the number of dogs allowed with one person from eight to six. Needless to say, this would curtail the income of professional walkers, even making the business model untenable for many.
The government-mandated review process for the proposed plan is still underway and not expected to be completed until late 2015. Since it limits off-leash access for individual dog owners, as well as professionals, it has inspired the wrath of local folks who consider off-leash recreation essential to the health and well-being of their canine companions.
Some local lawmakers have also vocally opposed the restrictions. If people are not allowed to exercise their dogs on GGNRA lands, they reason, city parks – where restrictions are less stringent – would be overrun. The overflow into municipal parks would further drain city resources still struggling to recover from the overall economic downturn of recent years.
At the Fort Mason rally, several hundred professional dog walkers chanted, “Stop the hate. Keep it at eight!” Through megaphones, they explained another downside of the proposed limit – the increase in dog-walking fees City residents would experience if it goes into effect.
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Main article photo by: M Rocket
