A little over a week ago, the famed dog dispenser stations of which we have written at length finally appeared. For a day, there were barren, and then, as if by magic, bags appeared. We though that a new day had dawned.
In their first week, the dispensers saw some pretty heavy tagging, which you might say was to be expected, but we remained optimistic.
Then, yesterday, the station at Cole and Haight was torn off its pole and left lying on the street corner, still full of unused bags. Kent Uyehara, valiant owner of FTC, rescued the box and stashed it safely behind the counter at the Goodwill, where we found it battered but still intact.
DPW is going to come remount the station at some point; in the meantime, it sits under the register recovering, and a barren pole is left at the corner.
When we asked to see the station, an employee at the Goodwill told us, "When I saw that thing go up, I thought, 'they're gonna steal all the bags.' But they one-upped me! Those motherfuckers tore the whole thing off the pole!"
We asked around on how the dispensers were helping to help address the problem, and reviews are mixed. One merchant told us that the bags have become "to-go bags" for people on the street who want to keep their food fresh. Another merchant observed that "the people who need to use them won't."
As far as we can tell, there's still not a clear policy for long-term restocking and maintenance. For now, when merchants run out, they can contact DPW for a new stash of bags and a key to refill the stations.
Have you used the dispensers? Do you think they'll help?
