Every afternoon at 4 p.m., you can find Mike Ryan at the Dusty Rhodes Dog Park in Ocean Beach. He says his six dogs have trained him to go there every day.
"We're an empty nest, but now we have dogs instead of kids, they're our new kids," said Ryan.
He says the dog park is a small community deeply loved by the dogs and their humans. That's why he and others are being vocal, frustrated over the city's maintenance of the park.
"Lack of watering number one, it always happens this time of year," said Ryan. "It's a city park and needs to be maintained as such."
Another major problem, dozens of gopher holes. And when the dogs try to catch the gophers, they make the holes even bigger.
"We've heard of injuries to dogs, broken legs," said Ryan. "My fear is I'm going to trip and break an ankle."
Dan Dennison is an Ocean Beach Planning Board Member. He agrees that the holes are a liability, and wants to see the park maintained better. With his new Facebook page, Make Dusty Rhodes Dog Parks Great and Green Again, Dennison hopes to bring the community together and help document the issues.
Tim Graham, Senior Public Information for the City of San Diego, says they're up against a lot of challenges trying to keep the dog park green and gopher-free. They say daily wear-and-tear makes it difficult for the turf to recover. They say the ground also has not recovered from the drought restrictions imposed in 2015.
