SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Parents in Pacific Beach are calling on more enforcement at the Crown Point Elementary field.
During school hours the field is only open to elementary students and then opens to the public 30 minutes before and after.
Mariluci Byrnes has a daughter who plays on the field with the Pacific Youth Soccer League. She says many dog owners ignore city signs warning it's a violation to take your dog off-leash and to not pick up after them.
“Just not a good combination when you have kids playing and there’s poop all over the place," said Byrnes.
Byrnes says kids and parents often step in dog poop and she worries an off-leash dog could injure a child.
The field is now in the San Diego Humane Society’s (SDHS) jurisdiction.
An SDHS spokesperson confirms they’ve gotten complaints about the issue, but sometimes other calls involving safety take priority over off-leash dogs. She added that while officers can give citations, they often try first to educate dog owners.
The City tells 10News they are aware of the ongoing problem:
The City and San Diego Unified School District have been working together to implement potential options to address off leash dogs at Crown Point Elementary School. The park is clearly markedwith City signage that all dogs must be leashed and owners must clean up after their pets per the City’s Municipal Code. Additionally, a phone number to the City’s animal services provider, San Diego Humane Society, is also located on the sign for the publicwho witness off leash dogs at the park to call. San Diego Humane Society has also increased patrols in that area in an effort to educate and, if necessary, cite dog owners who do not comply with City leash laws and the municipal code.
The City is also working with the San Diego Unified School District on other potential alternatives to discourage off leash dogs at the park including leaving the large, two-door gates open during park hours (after school is out of session) which would no longer make the park fully enclosed for dogs to run off leash.
The City continues to encourage the public to call San Diego Humane Society at 619-299-7012 to report off leash dogs at Crown Point Elementary School.
