Recently in dog beach Category

We saw this email today from Maureen Megowan, who with her husband, Bruce, have been trying to establish an off-leash dog park on the Palos Verdes Peninsula:

As you may have read, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes is asking for public input regarding the use of the stretch of beach below the Trump National Golf Course that the public has been using as an off leash dog beach.  This use is against current city ordinances requiring dogs to be on a leash and that dogs are not now allowed on the beach. This issue was discussed at Tuesday night's city council meeting  .... where my husband Bruce spoke in favor of maintaining the beach as an off leash dog beach. ...  

I wanted to let you know the contact numbers at RPV for people to voice their opinion regarding what to do with the dog beach that has developed below Trump:  Main number - 310-544-5260  Katie Howe - 310-544-5267 The PV News mistakenly gave the City of Palos Verdes Estates phone number for input. You can also send an email to the city council members at  CC@rpv.com  .. These emails are read by the council members and are extremely important in developing their sense of the public opinion on this issue.

I would encourage you to indicate that you are for the continued use of the Trump beach as an off leash dog park, at least on certain selected days, and that you also believe that there is also a need for a separate dog park facility that is more readily accessible and separates large dogs from small dogs.

If you're interested in the effort, contact:



See this online article for more information, and another piece on the issue.

And here's our earlier post.

** Meeting is tonight:  7 p.m. Tuesday 8/16 at RPV City Hall, Hesse Park, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd.

For several years now, the rustic strand of beach below the Trump National Golf Club has
become an unofficial, off-leash dog play and exercise area. Because it's so remote -- getting in and out requires some up and down hiking skills along the cliffs -- citations were seldom handed out to dog owners who were violating the law by taking their dogs onto the beach.

Dogs on the beach are illegal -- on leash or off-leash -- under RPV city ordinances. And things may get a little harder for dog owners who have been sneaking onto the secluded spot since at least 2008 for a carefree romp along the shore with their best friend.

At 7 p.m. tonight (8/16), the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council is slated to launch a public outreach process to determine the future use of the beach. No decision is expected tonight on the 24-acre ocean property.

An average of 76 canines were counted on July weekend days, according to the staff report.

Staff is recommending that the city conduct a public outreach/feedback effort and assess the "pros and cons of dog beaches" before making a decision. Keeping it open to dogs would require a change in the city's law, however. And dogs on beaches have traditionally encountered opposition in many communities.

Ownership of the beach was transferred to the city by Trump in May, triggering the assessment.

Tonight's meeting will be at City Hall, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd. There may be opportunity for  public comment. Here's a link to the staff report.

Was today incredible or what? 

We heard from the folks at Free Play recently about an online petition they have going to establish a dog beach at Dockweiler near Westchester.

Just got this from a reader who took this picture with a cell phone during a visit to the Rancho Palos Verdes shoreline. The dog looks vaguely familiar, but I can't be sure. Anyway, this is Barkley, who has just come down the steep hill at the super-duper secret dog beach that isn't really a dog beach.

 

 

I first wrote about the South Bay "dog" beach about a year ago and I still get the occassional e-mail about it.

(For some reason, a post I wrote about seeing a snake on The HIll also continues to draw interest as well)

The missives about it tend to be of three types:

There are the people who want directions how to get there

There are the people who already go there and are upset that I'm sharing the secret.

And there are the people who live not far away who scream bloody murder because -- God forbid! -- somebody is using a beach a quarter mile from where they live. I guess having their own private beach isn't enough for them. They want the beach next to them to be forbidden. Good luck with that.

I love getting letters like that. Feel free to write more. I'll post them, even if you call me an idiot. Heck, ESPECIALLY if you call me an idiot.

I enjoy it because really, who can be justified in being upset about me giving directions to a beach that's open to the public? It belongs to all of us.

And before I divulge the info, please know that while the beach is a wonderful place to walk your dog, it is certainly illegal to have them off leash there. If you get caught -- and people have been caught there -- you'll get a nasty fine. But people do it all the time. It's great fun to see dogs splashing and running in the water.

And in fact, it's a nice place to go without a dog. It's very rugged and unspoiled. You also have to climb down a pretty steep cliff to get there, so you have to be in decent shape. And it's very secluded, which means you're likely to find the carcass of a fly-infested sea animal rotting on the shore, so it's not for everybody.

And of course, always be a considerate person and bring bags with you to clean up after your dog. You have to promise to do that.

OK, so here we go

Drive down to the Trump golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes. The address is One Ocean Trails Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes,

It's off of Palos Verdes Drive South, about a mile from the border with San Pedro.

Head down Ocean Trails Drive until you see a public parking lot. You can park there. It's near the club house.

From there, head down past the gazebo. The trails are public access, so don't feel like you're tresspassing.

The trails go in two directions, but both will take you to beach access. As you get near the cliff, you'll see a little sign that says "beach access." Follow it down.

If you take the trail on the right (which is the steeper of the two), you'll wind up at the secluded beach. If you take the trail on the left (which is easier, but longer), you need to turn right when you get to the bottom and go a few hundred yards.

And that's it.

Enjoy. Behave. And I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

 

 

 

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/map/46291719/rancho_palos_verdes_ca/trump_national_golf_club.html

Happy Birthday to the Dog Beach in Long Beach.

And kudos especially to Justin Rudd and Rosie and everyone else who made this possible eight years ago. It was the culmination of much hard work and patience.

On June 24, 2001, for the first time in more than 30 years, dogs were permitted to play along the water's edge on a stretch of beach in Long Beach.

It was a pilot program in which the city agreed to let dogs onto the beach on one Sunday a month through the summer of 2003.

Things went so well that on Oct. 31, 2004, the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved the permanent Dog Beach Zone in the South Bay's neighboring city to the south east.

Now, owners can off-leash their dogs (one dog per person) on a 3-acre stretch near Belmont Shore year-round.

If you haven't been there, check it out. You and your dog will have a blast. There are cones on either side to designate the dog-friendly area, so be sure your canine comes when called and won't run off as there are no fences.

I took my Australian shepherd Pilgrim there two summers ago when a friend came in from Colorado with her dog, Hawkeye, and wanted to take her dog to the beach.

I'll never forget how thrilled Pilgrim was to be there -- up and down the shoreline he raced, practically smiling all the way as he felt the wet sand on his paws, sometimes chasing his ball, other times just enjoying the running for the heck of it. This was during the period when he was being treated for diabetes (insulin shots twice a day). Only a couple months later, in September 2007, he was struck with complications and I had to make that final decision to put him down (he was 8).

But I'll always be grateful he had that carefree afternoon at the Dog Beach. I still smile just thinking about the memory. I'm just sorry I didn't think to bring a camera that day.

So thanks, Justin, and the city of Long Beach.  

Check out the Dog Beach Zone web page to find out all the details, where to park, what the rules are -- and watch a fun video of Justin with his English Bulldog Rosie on the first day at dog beach.

Maybe I'll get there this summer again with Tess and/or Cowboy, my border collies.

(Pilgrim is shown below in his most humiliating moment ever, when I made him pose in a Santa hat for a Christmas ad in the now defunct publication More San Pedro.)

 

 

 

How much does it cost if you get caught with your dog off leash on a beach? According to an article in this issue of the Malibu Surfside News, one dude was threatened with multi-hundred-dollar ticket! It's on page 15 if you want to see it.

This is a letter I got about it:

I just saw a photo in our local newspaper that states the fine for a dog off leash on the beach is $600. After reading - and commenting on - the Bad Cop vs. Redondo Park Lady, I thought you might find this very interesting at a few levels.

I wonder how these fines stack up against other simple infractions?

Not trying to give you a bad time or start up something, but don't want Rocket to suffer 'those

looks' if you get a ticket like that. I'd gladly take that dog off your hands...

Take care and keep leaving those paw prints on our hearts,

Mari

Take the dog off my hands??? Well, OK, but you  have to take the cat too. And you have to let him burrow under the covers when it's cold at night. And you have to take him for walks 18 times a day. And you have to scratch his belly for an hour in the morning. And he likes a little oat meal in the morning. 

Aw, never mind! 

 

 

Where is this dog beach?

(a) California

(b) Oregon

(c) New Jersey

Answer: None of the above.

OK, so it's not Trump's, but this dog beach is breaking new ground in a far-away part of the world.

It's at Cyprus's popular holiday resort of Ayia Napa, according to this Reuters story. The island's first legal beach for animals came after "complaints it was becoming a dog's life for man's best friend."

Better known for all-night partying by Western tourists, the southeastern resort is now catering for dogs amid growing discontent that pooches had no place to cool off from the sweltering summer heat.

"We have seen lots of people taking their dogs for a walk since the establishment of the designated area, and we have been inundated by phone calls from happy pet owners thanking and congratulating us for this initiative," said Antonis Tsokkos, mayor of Ayia Napa.

Some folks don't like the idea much, apparently. But Tsokkos pointed out that "in older times," shepherds used to take their sheep and goats there.

 

 

It's been a while since I riled things up by writing about dog beaches.

But yesterday someone left this comment to a post I made a few months ago about the secret dog beach, which, as you know, can be found by parking next to the club house at the Trump Golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes and walking down the trail.

This letter accomlishes two things: It dredges up one of my favorite blogging topics and it says nice things about me!

 You people are so selfish with your beaches! How is he destroying a community?! It seems to me he is bringing it together! You people probably think because someone who comes up there and isn't wearing designer clothes and sunglasses isn't worthy of being there! Thank you Josh Grossberg! These annoying, self centered PV people who think that just because they have money that they should be the only ones allowed up there at that beach. I'm sorry but my dog loves to run and play just the same as yours. So Kudos to you Josh! You are not ruining this beach for anybody except self centered snobs. As a matter of fact, I am going to tell everyone I know who has a dog to come down there!

That's the spirit! But let me caution my readers that taking dogs off leash at the beach is illegal. And always be courteous and clean up after your dog.

Fall is coming, which is a great time of the year to take your dog for a hike and a romp on the sand. I'll write more about dog beaches soon.