A recent flood of professional dogwalkers coming to the property have made the once quiet hiking trail on the south side of Half Moon Bay into something of a doggie destination.
Local residents and city officials say that could be a big problem because many dog caretakers are bringing a dozen or more canines at a time and letting them run unleashed through the protected grassland. They say the dogs are becoming a hazard for other people who enjoy the trails.
 Some dog owners and professional dog caretakers say they have a tacit agreement with the Peninsula Open Space Trust allowing them to walk dogs offleash on the land near Smith Field. But an open space spokeswoman says there is no such agreement. |
Benson and other local residents have been voicing concern to city leaders and law enforcement, saying it’s only a matter of time before those dogs take on a pack mentality and attack someone.
Half Moon Bay Mayor Marina Fraser says the city has received numerous complaints and is asking local police to investigate the situation.
“We have wonderful trails and we don’t want to discourage local dog walkers,” she said. “But there’s a leash law and we’ve been hearing complaints about a pack of dogs running off-leash.”
Dog caretakers say the complaints are ridiculous.
On an afternoon last week, a steady stream of hired dog caretakers were arriving at Smith Field parking lot with carloads of canines. Declining to be identified for this article, the dog walkers said they cleaned up after their canines and made sure they didn’t get into anyone’s way. Safety problems, they said, were usually caused by reckless bicyclists or hikers.
One self-employed caretaker walking on the Wavecrest trail had more than 10 unleashed dogs in her care.
The Coastside has experienced recent problems involving unleashed dogs. In January, a jogger at Surfer’s Beach was attacked by two unleashed dogs. Last year, local law enforcement officials noted two more incidents in which unrestrained dogs attacked people or other pets. The dog owners in those incidents were cited for violating a county law that stipulates that dogs have to be leashed along public roads or property.
Smith Field features a dog park in which owners can let their animals run free, but many dog walkers prefer to take their animals to the large Wavecrest expanse, which is owned and maintained privately by the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
Multiple dog caretakers say the county leash laws don’t apply on POST property, because the land is privately owned, and the land management agency has given them permission.
“Dogs can be unleashed on POST property. It’s always been that way,” said Krista Alexander, a Coastside dog trainer and a member of the professional canine community.
“It’s been a tacit agreement,” she said.
POST officials dispute that account. Spokeswoman Nina Nowak said the land trust has always expected all Wavecrest visitors to follow the county’s leash laws, as it states on the posted signs at the entrance to the park. Nowak said her organization plans to install new signs to better notify visitors of the dog rules.
But dog walkers allege that’s exactly what they feared would happen — that POST would deny their privileges at Wavecrest as soon as they received complaints.
“Our concern is that (these complaints) are going to turn up the heat so that POST now prohibits unleashed dogs,” Alexander said. “Pressure from the public could change things.”
w