The San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission advises the Board of Supervisors on issues involving animals. People come to Commission meetings to offer their opinions about issues under discussion, and to suggest topics that the Commission might investigate further. During the final half of 2013, the Commission discussed and took action on the following topics, that highlight animal issues that are of concern to San Francisco residents:

1) SF Police Department’s Vicious and Dangerous Dog Unit. The Commission voted to send a letter to the Board of Supervisors and the Police Commission reiterating the importance of the SFPD Vicious and Dangerous Dog (VDD) Unit to the community and urging the SFPD to maintain a properly staffed Unit with a police officer as the investigator and either a second police officer or a contracted person as hearing officer. The VDD Unit hears cases where aggressive dogs have either bitten or threatened people or other animals and determines what measures, if any, are needed to ensure public safety in the future. These measures can range from ordering that a dog be muzzled in public to euthanasia in the most extreme cases. The Commission heard testimony about the Unit’s reputation for fairness in its decisions and wanted to ensure it continues after current personnel retire.

2) The Great Bull Run SF. The Commission voted to send a letter to the Board of Supervisors urging them to oppose the Great Bull Run SF, an event that replicates the Running of the Bulls in Pampolona, Spain. The Great Bull Run LLC is organizing 10 events around the country, including one in the San Francisco Bay Area. A venue for the event here has not been announced, but the Commission wanted to ensure it would not be held in San Francisco. We felt the event is inherently cruel to the animals and dangerous for both people and animals. The Commission also suggested that the event organizers should remove “San Francisco” from the event’s title and from marketing and promotional materials since it will not take place in the city and county of San Francisco.

3) Commercial Dog Walker Permits. In May, the Commission heard a presentation from Animal Care and Control outlining the process by which commercial dog walkers who walk four or more dogs for compensation can obtain a newly required permit. ACC Deputy Director Kat Brown outlined the training and other requirements for the permit, and explained how ACC staff would inspect dog walkers’ vehicles. The permit requirement went into effect on July 1, 2013. In October, ACC provided an update on the implementation of the permits. So far, 131 commercial dog walker permits have been issued, with 198 vehicle inspections conducted (not all those who have had their vehicles inspected have completed the application process). We do not know how many citations have been issued since the permits went into effect because the Recreation and Park Department’s Park Patrol, who are responsible for issuing citations, were invited to the meeting but could not attend.