Fiesta Island has received the USA Today 10Best reader’s choice award for Best Dog Park in America, which couldn’t have come at a better time since the off-leash, fenced-off section of the island off Mission Bay is imperiled by future development.
The manmade island at 1590 Mission Bay Drive offers off-leash areas for dogs to run and play on the sand and in the water and picnic and bonfire facilities, and is a haunt for recreationalists of all types. Fiesta Island is also home to various water sports and features 27 miles of beach.
Fiesta Island was nominated by the pet-friendly travel website BringFido.com, and beat nine other dog parks from around the country.
“Pets are valued family members, and we understand the importance of providing spacious, open and accessible areas for dogs to run and play not only for residents, but for visitors as well,” said Herman Parker, director of the City’s Park and Recreation Department. “We are honored that Fiesta Island was recognized as a top destination for visitors to bring their dogs, and we appreciate our role in helping to create wonderful vacation memories for the entire family.”
Fiesta Island also enjoys the support of a grass-roots group, FIDO, which is a community-based nonprofit with more than 14,000 members dedicated to preserving Fiesta Island’s Leash-Free Recreation area. The organization was created in 2006 as a response to a massive development plan unveiled then, which originally proposed removing or moving the leash-free area.
Environmentalist Carolyn Chase, FIDO’s current president, when asked why Fiesta Island makes for such a great dog park replied, “Because of its size.”
Noting Fiesta Island’s 90-acre, fenced-off dog park is huge compared with much smaller neighborhood dog parks, Chase added “that was too big,” while pointing out the quarter of the island now devoted to dogs and recreationalists is “pretty much perfect.”
“Smaller dog parks throughout the city just aren’t big enough for a large number of dogs — or larger dogs,” added Chase. “It’s big enough so not a lot of conflicts happen, as they do in smaller dog parks because of lack of space. The dogs are happier. The people are too.”
That’s important, concluded Chase, noting San Diego County is estimated to be home to about 700,000 dogs.
FIDO’s creator, La Jolla veterinarian Dr. Jean Spengel, noted Fiesta Island is used by hundreds, if not thousands, of recreationalists daily including bicyclists, runners and people exercising themselves and their canines.
“It has a very loyal fan base that really loves that area,” Spengel said.
Spengel added that Fiesta Island went off-leash after the city in 1972 passed an ordinance “prohibiting dogs on all of its beaches in San Diego County, with the exception of OB Dog Park and Fiesta.”
In 2006 however, the city first proposed redeveloping Fiesta Island, which came as a real blow to dog owners and led to FIDO’s formation.
“The city was only going to give us 15 acres for off-leash,” Spengel said. “We said, ‘Oh my God, where are we going to go?’ ”
Spengel said the city’s plans for Fiesta in the intervening decade have undergone “a dozen or more modifications.” Spengel said most recent modification in 2011 preserved the off-leash section’s 90 acres but “put a road right through the middle of it along with a proposed amphitheater. Our main point is this is a human and animal exercise area, not a little neighborhood dog park. It’s as much about people and socialization as it is about the dogs.”
Arian Collins, supervising PIO for the city, said the Park and Recreation Department began public input on a General Development Plan for Fiesta Island in 2005. In 2010, he said the plan was recommended by the Mission Bay Park Committee to go forward to the Park & Recreation board in 2011 for approval. The plan was put on hold before action could be taken by the Park and Recreation board. “In 2016 the process to complete the approval of the plan was transferred to the Planning Department, which is currently contracting with a design consultant to complete the plan as an amendment to the Mission Bay Park Master Plan and provide an environmental document,” said Collins. “One of the first steps will be to go back to the Mission Bay Park Committee early next year to update the committee on two options for this area of Fiesta Island that will be in the proposed Master Plan amendment that Council will take action on. One is the General Development Plan (committee option) and the other a Fiesta Island Dog Owner’s supported option (FIDO option).”
Collins added the proposed plan “provides for dog off-leash use in this area of Fiesta Island, as well as dog off-leash use in all other areas of Fiesta Island that are currently available for their use.” In addition to Fiesta Island, San Diego is home to 14 off-leash facilities within City limits. More information about visiting parks with dogs can be found at www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/dogs. For more information, visit fidosd.org. To view the entire Best Dog Park in America list, visit 10best.com/awards/travel/best-dog-park/.