There are more than 800,000 dogs in San Diego, but only 41 of the City’s 40,000 park acres recently had a dog park on it.

But thanks to the nonprofit Fiesta Island Dog Owners, there are now 90 more fenced-off acres on the man-made island for all San Diegans and their canine companions to enjoy.

FIDO has fought for nearly 20 years to preserve its dog park and exercise area in the southwest portion of the approximately 500-acre Fiesta Island. The story of the organization’s struggle to make Fiesta Island a dog park enjoyed by thousands of San Diegans and their pooches every week is a long and checkered one.

Following years of battles, the City Council finally voted 9-0 in June 2019 to officially recognize FIDO’s off-leash fenced-in area naming it Fiesta Island Dog Park, while placing it within the City’s Mission Bay Park Master Plan.

Later, in June 2021, FIDO won a historic victory before the California Coastal Commission, which voted 6-5 in favor of making its fenced dog park on Fiesta Island permanent. The Coastal Commission also sided with FIDO in selecting a preferred option for all recreational users of Fiesta Island, which did not divide the dog area with a proposed road.
Dr. Jean Spengel, a retired vet and FIDO board member who was among those co-founding the group in 2006, explained how the histories of the island, and its nonprofit dog user group, have become intertwined.

“After dogs were banned on all of San Diego’s public beaches in l972, Fiesta Island was the only large, open area remaining where people could play and exercise with their off-leash dogs,” said Spengel noting she heard, in 2006, about a public meeting the City was holding to discuss Fiesta Island’s future development.

“I was shocked to find out that off-leash activity was essentially going to be kicked off the island,” she said adding, “Several of us there decided to meet and discuss what we could do.”

Within two years FIDO was created and began building its membership. Over the next 14 years, FIDO continued to meet with the mayor, council members, Coastal Commission representatives, and city staff, lobbying them to preserve the existing 90-acre fenced-in area for off-leash use.

“FIDO currently has over 16,000 members, and we hope to help improve and maintain the off-leash area going forward,” concluded Spengel noting Fiesta Island’s dog park is a benefit to recreationists of all stripes. “How many places during these tough times with money, can you and your family go to for free and park for free, where can go to the beach?” she asked.

Now that the off-leash dog park’s future on Fiesta Island is assured, Spengel said the next task for FIDO is to build and expand on the solid foundation that has been laid since the organization was founded 17 years ago.

One project FIDO has been working on is the restoration of a makeshift pet memorial that had been on the island for about 10 years. It was removed and stored by the City months ago after someone complained of a canine being buried nearby. Planning is well underway by FIDO to construct a new, permanent, and entirely legal pet memorial for canines on the island.

Regarding the new pet memorial’s status, Spengel said, “It has been approved by the City, and the only thing we’re waiting on is approval of a right-of-entry permit needed because it’s a public park, to go in there and do construction.”

The new and improved Fiesta Island Pet Memorial will be a 6-foot by 6-foot area outlined by decorative cement blocks resting on a crushed rock and block footing. There will be a 4-inch by 4-inch post in the center engraved with “Our Beloved Pets.”

All memorial materials will be paid for and delivered to the area by FIDO volunteers who will also perform the labor to build a 4-foot-tall temporary barrier fence around the site during construction.

Another major project FIDO is currently working on is improving coastal access on Fiesta Island. “There are two stairways going down from the berm on the south end of the island opposite SeaWorld that we need to improve access to for people who are older, or maybe have some physical issue,” noted Spengel.

Those with pets can appreciate the dangers foxtails present to the health of animals, and Fiesta Island is chock full of problematic plants. Spengel said foxtail management on the island is yet another challenge confronting FIDO.

“I don’t think you can ever get rid of them (foxtails),” she said. “But the goal going forward is to create a plan for mowing in the spring when the foxtails are green and still growing. You need to cut them before they dry up and drop their seeds to reproduce later. We’re hoping to convince the City to mow (foxtails) anytime after Jan. 1, instead of the beginning of April.”

Spengel pointed out FIDO is free to join and that there are no membership dues. She said necessary funding for projects is currently obtained from a combination of private donations and government grants. But that may change. “We want to develop a private-public partnership to help fund maintenance improvement projects,” Spengel concluded.