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“Both are not true. Big dogs are very happy city dwellers. We’ve seen a lot of big dogs adopted in SoMa and FiDi, with new buildings opening up that allow tenants with dogs,” said Moellering.

SFACC has seen an uptick in small animals like guinea pigs and rabbits coming into its shelter since 2021.

“A lot of this can be attributed to people buying opposite sex small animals from large chain pet stores. When they get too many to care for, they bring them to us,” said Deb Campbell, SFACC spokesperson.

Muttville, at 255 Alabama Street, focuses on rehoming senior dogs, seven years and older.

“Right now, our partner shelters, including SFACC and shelters in the

PET ADOPTION continues on page 10

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Directors governs the open space situated along Carolina Street south of 23rd, extending to De Haro Street at 24th. Its mission is to maintain the 3.5-acre parcel as native species grassland for Hill residents to enjoy. The Open Space is home to such indigenous flora and fauna as the purple spot gilia, yellow mariposa lily, and Acmon blue butterfly. These species are only found in serpentine habitats, which in San Francisco spans a “beltway” from the Presidio to Candlestick Park.

“The return of these species is a true victory,” said Board of Directors President Sarah Burton. “San Francisco is known in the field of ecology for extirpating certain species out of the county, meaning these plants are regionally extinct. However, at Starr King they were brought back. It is so special to the county that as a result, naturalists and the California Native Plant Society have their eye on the species shared in this beltway.”

Some parts of the beltway have more flora and fauna than others. Hunters Point and Starr King are the only two known places where the yellow mariposa lily is found.

“It’s literally only 12 plants that popped up last year in Starr King and a handful at Hunters Point,” Burton said. “And that’s it for the rest of the county. It’s what makes Starr King so special; it’s a perfect example of the serpentine habitat.”

The board is further restoring Starr King by removing the U-shaped Coral Road, which has been closed and inoperable for more than 10 years. The street and cement will be replaced by vegetation and an American with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk to enable wheelchair access. Most of the work has been done after many years in design, with full completion expected by the end of this year at a cost of $10,000.

While Starr King’s budget is modest, fundraising is a board priority. The Open Space doesn’t receive government funding. Money typically comes through grants and resident donations. In addition to remediation work, funds are used to pay for property taxes, insurance, and general maintenance, including mowing, tree trimming, and graffiti removal.

“The very cool thing about Starr King is that it is owned by the residents of Potrero Hill,” Burton said. “The City and Recreation and Parks don’t own it, they don’t run it, we do.”

Second Saturday of the month volunteer days are held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Earlier this year 100 volunteer hours were spent weed whacking the foxtails plant, a weed-type grass known to be dangerous to dogs because if it’s inhaled or impaled it can lead to a serious infection.

Another board priority is to redraft bylaws to make it clear that the Open Space will never be sold. Presently the rules only state that the Space is a gift, with nothing explicit about not selling the land.

“We’re formulating language that in perpetuity the land is protected even from the board itself,” Burton said. “As we’re pulled into the urban future, Starr King provides both a small refuge from modernity and a connection with the City as an unbuilt space.”

For more information on Starr King and to volunteer, visit https:// starrkingopenspace.org/

PUBLISHER'S VIEW from page 2 as sticking a warm bottle into your baby’s lips.

The best we can do is to equip our children with the tools they’ll need to grapple with life, and, when they can, help others do the same. We depend on our fellow parents to do likewise, so that when our kids mix, they’re collectively kind, generous, and resilient. That bully my daughter encountered at school? That’s someone’s child. The cad that “dated” and then ghosted her? Same. The ability to make our kids do anything – share a toy; write a thank you note; think critically – dissipates over time. But early reinforced patterns hopefully remain.

Now that I know I’ll be worrying about my daughter until I’m dead I may as well settle in for the long haul. Worries, after all, often and organically resolve themselves. Which is why we celebrate milestones and occasions. My daughter braved the COVID pandemic, with its terrible disruptions and forced isolation, and graduated from college! My worries are over! Or at least those worries are over! To life!

PET ADOPTION from page 8

East Bay and Central California, are overcrowded,” said Sherri Franklin, Muttville founder and chief executive officer. “We take almost all of SFACC’s senior dogs. Muttville has all breeds and sizes of dogs, from German Shepherds and pit bulls to fluffy white dogs and three-pound Chihuahuas.”

Franklin recommends that tenants who face pet restrictions bring photographs and anecdotes of their dog to a first visit with a property manager.

“If that goes well, then ask if you can bring your dog by to meet the landlord. You can make a difference if your dog behaves well,” said Franklin.

Myra Marcelo, owner of Coiffure, a dog grooming business, said she’s seen more senior rescue dogs in Mission Bay recently.

“I’ve groomed many dogs from Muttville, but my other clients come from all over the City, including Potrero Hill and Pacific Heights. Trending dog breeds include French Bulldogs and different types of Doodles, including miniature Doodles, a cross between a Golden Retriever and a miniature poodle,” said Marcelo.

Dogs with hair that grows, including French Bulldogs and Goldendoodles, should be groomed every six to eight weeks. Otherwise, the hair forms mats that pull at the skin, which can lead to itchiness and hematomas, clotted blood in the skin.

“Dogs that can’t grind their nails on the sidewalk as they walk also need to have their nails trimmed, or it can become uncomfortable for them to walk,” said Marcelo.

Marcelo hasn’t raised prices in about two years but will do so soon due to increasing supply costs.

Dr. Marcia Medrano, a house call veterinarian and owner of MedranoVets, has raised her prices modestly in the past four years, also as a result of rising costs for veterinary supplies.

“The southeastern neighborhoods are popular places for dog and cat ownership. Doodles, poodles, and terrier mixes are common. Some folks have exotic cats, such as Bengal cats and Persian cats,” said Medrano.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Medrano converted her practice’s SUV into an exam space. She’ll conduct visits in a client’s driveway or outdoor location.

“A veterinary technician comes with me to assist. While we’ve started going back indoors, many folks continue to prefer to have exams outside their home,” said Medrano.

According to Rakesh Tondon, cofounder and chief executive officer of Dr. Treat, a Marina-based veterinary practice, there’s an extreme shortage of animal doctors.

“We are using telehealth, conducting rechecks and non-emergency visits via video. We’re also personalizing longterm care plans, which are tailored to the pet, owner, and surroundings of both,” said Tondon.

Dr. Treat, which provides veterinary services to Muttville, offers free memberships for the first year for dogs adopted from the nonprofit. Membership provides unlimited access to the clinic and telehealth services, no exam, consultation, or emergency fees, with same- or next-day appointments.

Sam Krishnan, a Hill resident, volunteers at Muttville to facilitate the foster dog matching process. She recently adopted a Labrador named Snowy, also known as “Mr. 10,000,” the 10,000th senior dog adopted from the nonprofit.

“It was always on my agenda to help senior dogs, particularly large dogs. They’re harder to adopt in a place like San Francisco where space can be a limiting factor. Senior dogs are very friendly and make for great companions,” said Krishnan.

Lucho Ramirez, a Connecticut Street resident, adopted Fergus, a 15-year-old Shih Tzu-Lhasa Apso mix from Muttville, his third “rescue adoption.” better cars. The battery enables us to exceed the performance of existing induction, and we have a few more plans to reinvent cooking that we’ll share more about later.”

“I take him to all the parks, from Potrero Hill Recreation Center Park and Jackson Park to Esprit Park, when it’s open, and Crane Cove Park. He gets me out of the house, exploring more places where I live,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez said having a pet, especially a dog, breaks his routine and helps him see more of San Francisco.

“He’s older, more frail, sometimes disinterested, giving another dog or cat a quick sniff and then moving on. What he lacks in attention he makes up for in cuteness. Plus, it’s wonderful to give him a good life and see him enjoy every day,” said Ramirez.

SFACC, SF SPCA, Muttville, and other animal rescue entities rely on volunteers to help walk dogs, socialize animals, and fundraise to pay for blankets, leashes, and food. Community Medicine Education Training, a fourmonth mentorship program, is available to high school seniors interested in a career in veterinary services.

Impulse Labs hopes its electric stove will lead the way for additional battery-integrated electric appliances that remove fossil fuels from homes.

“Doing a stove first is a great backdoor way to deploy power to the grid,” he said. “You can provide a much better stove experience while also deploying 3+ kWh of batteries in every home when you do it; those batteries can then be used to offset other home usage and drive down peak loads on the grid in general.”

While the company isn’t ready to reveal specifics on future products, it’s fo- cusing on appliances that’re used for short durations at very high-power output.

Impulse Labs has garnered $25 million in funding from Lux Capital, Fifth Wall, Lachy Groom and Construct Capital, and grown to a team of 15 people with consumer hardware experience from companies like Oculus, Google and Peloton. D’Amico expects to add another 10 people in engineering and operations this year.

The company’s Dogpatch location—across the street from Harmonic Brewing, and fellow startup Nuro, a robotics company that develops selfdriving vehicles— was a critical factor when it came to planting roots.

“We needed lab space so a warehouse made sense for us,” said D’Amico. “There’s a ton of awesome warehouse spaces in the Dogpatch, and we wouldn’t have gotten one as nice anywhere else in the City.”

With several team members residing in South Bay, being near a CalTrain station to minimize commute time was important. Employees come in three to four times a week to work together. D’Amico expects that Impulse Labs will gain more visibility—perhaps hosting community demonstrations—later this year as it continues developing products.

San Francisco Interna-

According

Airport highly-trained bomb-sniffing dogs detected possible explosives, triggering the need for Bomb Squad management of a suitcase, which ultimately was found to contain medicines. The terminal, dominated by Delta Airlines, was closed for three hours, disrupting flights and travel plans. After the incident was resolved a relaxed Sawyer answered questions from passersby, including related to the San Francisco Police Department's deep and growing deficit of officers, which he thought would only be resolved when police felt that their job was valued by political leaders and civilians; and relentless shoplifting and open-air drug use in the City, a chronic problem that he felt increased civility and a no-tolerance attitude would address. Sawyer pointed out that not so long ago SFPD was the pride of the Bay Area, among the first to fully integrate and embrace diversity, but noted the need for organizational reform to return the force to full and superlative performance.