Dog Hypocrisy Highlighted by Board of Supervisors

Sally Stephens is the self-appointed leader of San Francisco Dog Owners Group. She's well known for being less than candid with the truth, and even aligned herself with dog owners who spray painted "KKK" on a local proprietor's establishment.

What remained of Ms. Stephen's credibility was destroyed at the Board of Supervisors last month when she testified at a hearing about San Francisco's golf courses. You see, in 2007 Ms. Stephens wrote not one, but two op-ed pieces arguing for San Francisco's golf courses to be reevaluated and converted to different uses. A reasonable enough argument, and supported by many in the dog community.

But then when the Board of Supervisors actually proposed to change existing uses at Sharp Park Golf Course and create an area where we could walk our dogs and enjoy a restored visitor center and open space, she came out swinging: AGAINST the proposal.

You see, Sharp Park is in fact one of the most important natural areas in San Francisco, and restoring it would not only benefit diverse recreational users, but also two endangered species. Sally Stephens, who has converted San Francisco Dog Owners Group from a pro-dog group to an anti-wildlife group, would rather see endangered species die than her own group's agenda succeed. Among her great lines: "Frog habitat is also mosquito habitat!" Never mind that frogs eat more mosquitoes for breakfast than mosquito control kills in a year.

But this is just another day in the life of dog owners in San Francisco: our self-appointed leaders keep taking outrageous and hypocritical positions, which makes all dog owners seem unstable. Ultimately, the safety of our dogs suffers for it.

And by the way: the Board of Supervisors proposal passed, over Ms. Stephens objections, unanimously.