How to be as cool as your dog, San Francisco style

Fort Funston

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You know when you pass by one of those big, beat-up pick up
trucks with the unmatched caps and the screened-in side windows, and all of a
sudden some massive slobbering Burmese Mountain dog smashes his face against
the screen and begins a choir of multi-pitched howling? You know in the morning
when you’re half awake, walking to catch the bus, catch the BART, catch a cab
because you’re late and you pass by one of those dog walkers with 37 leashes
tied around their neck, 37 dogs in tow and you wonder: where the heck are all
these dogs being schlepped to? Well, if they’re lucky, they’re probably being
schlepped to one of the best off-leash dog runs in the city of San Francisco:
Fort Funston.

If
you’re a dog person, you probably already know about this wealth of sand, sun,
and slobber. If you’re not, you should probably read on, because being dog
savvy in San Francisco is the second best way to get a date (the best way being
toting a cute puppy around at all times).

Fort
Funston, conveniently located off Skyline Blvd (just minutes from 280),
provides pooches and their biped friends 35 acres of beautiful ocean front
property. With a huge parking lot, there is almost always a place to put your
doggie-mobile (warning: on weekends, the lot is packed, but just give it a lap
or two, you’ll find a space). If you’re more of a social butterfly and want to
chat it up with the humans, I’d suggest circling around the green(ish),
flat(ish) area up top. Little walking trails lead you hither and thither, and your
dog will love the mix of sand, greenery, and a little bit of pavement (watch
out for the hidden poop mines, though). If you’re more of a surf and turf kind
of person, head down the steep ‘sand ladder of doom’ right off the back of the
parking lot. This not only gives you slight shin splints on the way up, but it
also offers one of the largest unspoiled views of the Atlantic ocean you’ll
find for miles. Once at the bottom, let your dog off leash (after a good ‘sit’)
and he can go traipsing through the waves, dodge in and out of the rocks, and
meet up with all his long lost canine pals. Go for a jog and let your pup
follow, toss a ball (it will get lost, I promise you), or show some
recluse-like behavior and sit on one of the weird cement structures poking up
out of the sand. These are left over from the original military forts that
lined the cliffs in the 1950s. Boring history aside, they are very reminiscent
of Lost, our favorite addictive cable habit, and if you’ve got a good
imagination you could probably even do some role-playing.

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