Last summer’s conflict between dog owners and athletics groups over whether canines should be allowed to roam free in Jackson Park appears to have subsided, but tensions remain over the park’s purpose and priorities. Earlier this year, signs prohibiting dogs from the park were repeatedly stolen and, in at least one instance, smeared with feces. A quartet of placards were removed within two weeks of being posted. Maintenance workers reported urine pooled inside the common’s locked storage bin on four separate occasions. According to Tamara Barak Aparton, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs, the vandals, four-legged or two, haven’t been identified.
Dog owners gathered 1,000 signatures supporting a park that’s accessible to everyone, including pets. The advocates pointed to the inconvenience of traveling to the nearest dog run. Meanwhile, sports leagues have pushed for a stricter ban on dogs, citing damage to the grass and creation of hazards, such as pooch-dug holes. They point out that Mariposa Park and McKinley Square are within a mile of Jackson Park. Avalon Dogpatch Dog Park, on Indiana Street under the 18th Street overpass, offers a fenced green area for dogs, 0.8 miles and a steep hill away from Jackson Park.
According to J.R. Eppler, Potrero Boosters president, who coached youth baseball at Jackson Park for years, “the outfields tend to be a little bit rough, and you have to keep your eyes peeled for any waste.” Off-leash dogs also disrupt game play. Jackson Park’s baseball diamonds are in high demand from organized leagues and school athletic programs. Reservations are required; games are strictly timed. When a canine runs loose through the field, play must stop until the animal is cleared.
“We have to first get the attention of the dog owner, and get the attention of the umpire,” said Anna Marjavi, head coach of Mission High School’s girls’ softball, who has been playing on the field for more than 15 years. “The whole game stops; you lose game time.” San Francisco Recreation and Parks offers only eight baseball and softball fields citywide. “Kids from across the city play there. This is one of the few fields where kids routinely play, plus the adult-permitted leagues,” Marjavi said.
According to Rec and Parks, it’s difficult to verify if individuals who signed the petition live in the neighborhood, or even in San Francisco. Numerous parks-related requests are on Change.org, with varying degrees of possible or preposterous demands. “A quick search shows hundreds, including a petition to bring horses back to McLaren Park, a petition to release 400 bears of various shapes and sizes into Golden Gate Park and many addressing subjects for which we already have a process in place, such as renaming parks or giving input regarding Outside Lands,” Aparton said.
Friends of Jackson Park (FoJP) has spent six years planning to renovate the space in collaboration with municipal agencies and Dogpatch-based Fletcher Studio and Jackson Liles Architecture. The plan includes a dog relief area, gardens, performance stage, and new playground. Another 1,850 square-feet would be added to the existing 4,750-square- foot clubhouse. The project is estimated to cost $40 million, according to FoJP, Executive Director Jude Deckenbach, 75 percent of which has been secured. Renovations are expected to start by 2027, with the park closed for 18 to 24 months.
“The community of Jackson Park users is quite diverse; people come from all San Francisco zip codes to play at Jackson,” Deckenbach said. “We want everyone to have the opportunity to feel invested in their park.” Athletes and dog owners alike have criticized the proposed design. Baseball and softball players are concerned that the changes would reduce the fields’ foul zones, critical for game play, and an area the next team on deck uses to warm up. “When you shave foul territory down, you’ve changed the level of play,” Marjavi said.
Meanwhile, dog owners and Dogpatch residents eagerly await the reopening of nearby Esprit Park, which has been under renovation since 2023. The common’s new north meadow will feature an off-leash dog play area, with the south meadow designated “dog-free.” The park should reopen before the end of the year according to officials. Other dog-friendly parks in the area include Daggett Park, located in the wedge between 16th and Seventh streets, and the Potrero Recreation Center at the top of Arkansas Street. The Green Benefit District has also created a dog run at Progress Park near 25th and Iowa streets.
“If you don’t give folks a place to go with their dogs, they end up using other spaces,” Donovan Lacy, Green Benefit District board president said. “Even the most conscientious dog owner isn’t going to catch every accident.” According to Lacy, Crane Cove Park is supposed to be 100 percent on-leash only, a rule that’s not strictly enforced.
Friends of Jackson Park will hold a community meeting on November 16th at the Jackson Park Clubhouse. More information: https://www.friendsofjacksonpark.org/timeline.
Danny Pham 
Jessica Zimmer 
Chaitanya Tondepu