By: Matt Therrian in collaboration with Dru Therrian

When you think of the city of San Francisco, you may think of Tony Bennett, sour dough bread, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Giants, Willie Mays or the Great Earth quake.   When I think of the City by the Bay I will always think of the dogs of Washington Square.

 San Francisco, a city of some 800,000 people with a population density of approximately 17,000 people per square mile, ranks as the second most populous city in the United States.  San Francisco also has the lowest percentage of children per capita along with a below average dog population.

 The city’s diverse demographics boasts 112 languages.  On the surface it seems to be the melting pot of the west.  But  San Francisco demographically is more like a stew, with distinctly different ingredients that are brought together with gravy.  Cultures coexist but have distinct boundaries and maintain their uniqueness.    That is until you discover the dog community.  San Francisco may have 112 languages but also has 120 dog breeds not including those classified as mutts.   These dogs truly represent the “Melting Pot” of San Francisco.

During a recent visit to San Francisco, Washington Square became our central resting, meeting, dining and dog watching location.   Washington Square is located in North Beach in what is referred to as Little Italy adjacent to Chinatown.  It is one of San Francisco’s three original parks and a wonderful place to observe people and dogs.  The Square sits in the shadow of St. Peter and Paul church, is surrounded by shops and restaurants.  A statue of Benjamin Franklin stands in the middle welcoming visitors. 

 In the mornings small groups of people spread out along the parks perimeter to do Tai Chi.  A ladies group works with ornamental fans for one set of movements and for the next they are wielding swords.  An elderly gentleman pats his legs to start circulation, moves to a squatting position and meditates.  A few people are sleeping on the lawn and benches.  Others are texting, reading, chatting, tossing a ball, pushing a stroller or staring off into space absorbing the sunshine.

 If you look beyond the people, the businesses, and the structures you will see the dogs.  They are there every day.   They come on leashes to the park with their owners or dog walkers, and are set free to do what dogs do.

What is surprising in Washington Square is that there is no growling, barking or biting.  There is a lot of butt sniffing, pooping, peeing, playing and calmly exploring the vegetation and inanimate objects.  These dogs don’t seek human attention, beg for food or run for the hills (or the Bay).  They may not sit, lie down, heel or come on command but they know not to disturb the person sleeping on the lawn, even as they chase a nearby ball or Frisbee.   These dogs don’t have territory to defend.  They have space to share. 

 I observed some 20 breeds of dogs over the four days at the square.  One of the breeds that stood out was the German shorthaired pointer.  Two different GSPs visited the Square.  Although this breed is normally characterized as high energy, neither of these dogs exhibited that characteristic.  They were calm, off leash and doing what the other dogs were doing.  An interesting combination was a Bérnese mountain dog who had taken up play with a Boston terrier.  The Bérnese did a play bow and dropped down to allow the Boston to engage in play.  They chased around the park and eventually just lay together in the grass.  When each of their owners was ready to go, the dogs just went their separate ways. 

  An English Bulldog and a Border Collie took turns peeing on a rock.  No growling just peeing.   An Australian Shepherd was fetching a tennis ball, a small terrier joined in.  Picking up the ball and dropping it.  No growling just playing.

 There are no fast food restaurants on Washington Square, with the wrappers and dropped food that generally go along with them.  The dog owners are calm and pay little attention to their dogs and at times don’t seem to know where they were.  Maybe the dogs in Washington Square get along because they aren’t taught territory.  Their owners don’t intervene and disrupt the normal dog behavior.

 Although our visit to San Francisco had many fond memories, the daily visits to Washington Square will always remind me of San Francisco’s unique “Dog Greet Dog” world.