This past weekend, I went to the Embarcadero to answer a controversial question:
Are dogs Public Enemy No. 1 when it comes to law-breaking at the Ferry Building?
Over the course of an hour on Saturday morning, I counted dozens of dogs amid the sprawling Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, which comprises more than 100 vendors hawking fresh produce, raw meat, baked goods, hot food, crafts, and beyond.
Some dogs were mellow, some barky, most just manic and overjoyed to be out. A few were even inside the Ferry Building, investigating mimosa-sipping brunchers and taking whiffs of El Porteño’s empanadas.
However, under the building’s explicit rules, none of them are allowed to be there.
The Ferry Building’s policy upholds the state Health and Safety Code, which prohibits live animals in a food facility, with the only exception being for dogs that guide deaf, blind, and disabled people.
But when it comes to the Ferry Building, all bets are off. Although I did not see any pup steal food, touch produce, or harass passersby, the sheer brazenness of their lawless behavior left me shocked and appalled.
I may be outnumbered, given that most people seem happy to have these panting lil’ criminals at the farmers market, social contract be damned. Wanting insight, I went undercover to photograph seven trespassing canines and speak to their accomplices.
1. Annie Grace
I caught Annie Grace loitering within 20 feet of a cold-pressed juice artisan, showing zero care about how her allergens could infect a $15 green smoothie.
Annie Grace moved here from Houston a month ago, and has taken to the natural splendor of San Francisco, said her accomplices, Adam and Gabby.
“She likes the weather here because it’s a lot nicer and cooler than it is in Texas right now,” Gabby told me.
Annie Grace was so confident that she wore a bandana embroidered with her legal name — a clear middle finger to any surveilling law enforcement.
2. Raffy
Near Annie Grace, in the shadow of the Ferry Building’s facade, I stumbled across Raffy. A mix of husky, Malamute and Akita, Raffy loomed large with his majestic fur coat and the steely look of a shot-caller with a checkered past.
His accomplices, Justin and Pamela, are well aware of the rules prohibiting Raffi from the market. “We’ve been called out a few times by people who remind us dogs aren’t allowed,” Justin explained.
“But we haven’t had a single vendor say anything about it,” Pamela interjected. “They always love the dogs, and we don’t go inside the booths with Raffi.”
Raffi said nothing as I left, merely holding his dual-colored eyes upon me, as if to say: Snitch.
3. Teddy and Taffy
Brothers can make for the best partners in crime, as demonstrated by Teddy and Taffy. The duo practically look identical at first glance, and they appear to have an elite ability to guard each other’s backs.
Their accomplice Nestor told me that the dogs force him to drive nearly an hour into the city to go to the farmers market, attracted by an addiction to illegal activity.
“They’re just so excited to meet a lot of people and a lot of dogs at the Ferry Building,” he said. “I was told recently dogs are not allowed, but then you look around and there’s so many dogs!”
4. Kumo
I spotted Kumo casing the Mill Valley Pasta Co.’s booth, clearly looking for an opportunity to smash-and-grab handmade fettuccine from a helpless small business. His accomplices, Ivan and Daisy, oversee transportation to and from the scene of the crime.
“We come here once a month or so, just to check on local vendors,” Ivan told me. “There’s also a park for him across the street, so why not knock out two tasks while we’re here?”
Ivan and Daisy claim that they, along with Kumo, were not aware about the restriction on dogs until earlier that morning, when they saw a sign along the walkway: “It’s hard to notice,” Ivan claimed.
5. Sherman
The truly dangerous dogs are the ones who manage to find their way inside the actual Ferry Building, such as Sherman, a 12-year-old terrier mix who has no fear of trespassing indoors.
His accomplice, Esther, told me that he “smells everything” and “gets snacks” despite the prohibition on such chaos. When I mentioned the no-dog policy, Esther seemed to misunderstand.
“We didn’t take him on the ferry!” she said cheerfully while fleeing the scene with Sherman.
6. Penny and Alfie
Penny, an Australian shepherd husky mix, and Alfie, an Old English sheepdog, are regular violators of the law at the Ferry Building. They come once or twice a month, loitering in the open while their accomplices, John and daughter Ava, meet friends and shop.
“It doesn’t feel like you’re breaking the law, and I guess for some reason they let it slide,” John told me with a shrug.
“If the dogs can behave well, like ours can, then they should be allowed at the market and in the building,” Ava added. “Why not?”
…And the rule-abiders
Debate about the confluence of dogs at the Ferry Building comes up over and over and over again on social media, so naturally, I found one couple who wanted to take a stand and crack down on criminal pups. It’s hard to believe that people don’t know the no-dog rule, Andre told me, but he assumes people just follow what everyone else is doing.
“I do think there’s a selfishness about it. But it’s not cool. I literally have seen a dog poop right inside here,” Andre said, pointing about five yards away.
The signage could be clearer, added his companion Maggie, but doesn’t excuse others’ sins: “I’ve had instances where a dog jumps on me with dirty paws and the owner just says, ‘Aw, aren’t they cute,’” she said.
Ferry Building owner and operator Hudson Pacific Properties, meanwhile, is sticking to the company line. Spokesperson Laura Murray did not answer Gazetteer SF’s questions about the canine crime spree, only pointing me to its online policy on dogs.
For now, the lawlessness continues at the Ferry Building — and given the power of organized dog crime rings, it seems the public will just have to deal with it.
