America's Most Dog-Friendly City Has Had Enough

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Virginia may be for lovers, but San Francisco is for dog lovers. It has sprawling green spaces, treats behind every shop counter and beaches where canines can run and splash in the surf. But dog lovers, dog haters and the dog-neutral are finding themselves in an uncomfortable alliance against a contingent they say is exploiting the city’s tolerance.

Paws are up on the counters of coffee shops and no one flinches. Croissants are being stolen out of the hands of hungry diners by hungrier black labs. The aisles of Target and Trader Joe’s are full of “service animals” that can’t seem to recall much, if any, of their training.

Ralph Migdal says locals increasingly expect to take their dogs anywhere, which he wouldn’t mind if their owners watched them. The 63-year-old was on a mat doing sit-ups at his gym when someone’s dog strolled over and licked him.

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At a Whole Foods recently, Giol saw an employee confront a shopper, saying dogs weren’t allowed. The owner said the dog was a service animal and walked off. “Then they put the dog in the grocery cart,” says Giol.

Another time while at Dolores Park, a friend described to Giol how a group of tech bros celebrating a birthday circled around an expensive-looking cake. Just as they finished singing, a small dog rushed the cake, took a bite and ran off, leaving the group speechless. “It was my dog,” Giol says of her mini Poodle Lab Shih Tzu mix. “I don’t bring my dog to the park anymore.”

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