Great dog beaches around the country

Sandy Robins • E-mail

There’s nothing dogs enjoy more than a good day at the beach.

Fortunately, there are numerous ocean and lake playgrounds for canine frolicking in pet-friendly cities across America. The best ones, of course, allow dogs to go off-leash, no matter what time of year.

A number of these dog-friendly meccas can be found in California.

San Diego
As a city, San Diego is beach heaven for canines. There are three off-leash zones where dogs can run free and even enjoy water activities such as kayaking and surfing.

Dog Beach at Ocean Beach: Dog Beach, situated at the northern end of Ocean Beach, is the original dog beach of California and is popular with both locals and tourists. It offers a wide stretch of sand along the Pacific Coast and is a great place for early morning romps, sunset walks or simply sitting and watching the waves roll in. Parking is plentiful, and this area is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Fiesta Island: Most of this large, sandy island in Mission Bay is a leash-free zone. The picturesque area is filled with sand dunes for a romping good time and the waters in the bay are calm — perfect for canine swimming. There’s ample parking and the area closes at 10 p.m. daily.

Coronado Dog Beach: On Coronado Island, the northern section of the beach closest to the naval station is doggie nirvana. With the backdrop of the famous Hotel Coronado, it’s a great place to picnic and relax. South of the Hotel Del Coronado, you can see the hull of the sunken gambling ship the Monte Carlo, which washed ashore in 1936 and, on a clear day, you can even see Tijuana. While the beach is open 24 hours (street parking only), it can get crowded, so go early.

Huntington Beach
The West Coast’s original Surf City has maintained its casual beach flavor and dogs are welcome along a stretch of sand along the famous Pacific Coast Highway between 21st Street and Seapoint Street — about three-quarters of a mile long. Huntington Dog Beach is open between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. The main restaurant area off the main beach has plenty of outdoor seating areas where you can relax and keep your pooch close by.

Justin Rudd Enjoying the sunset after a long day at Dog Zone in Long Beach, Calif.

Long Beach
Dog Beach Zone is definitely a hangout for celebrity dogs and their owners as it’s the only off-leash dog beach in all of Los Angeles County. This three-acre area between Argonne and Roycroft Avenues is in the heart of very pet-friendly Belmont Shore. Dogs are welcome at many of the outdoor areas of restaurants, as well as in some stores on trendy Second Street. This is a popular place for beach events and activities. To keep track, visit hautedogs.org.

Despite the fact that numerous Web sites and blogs claim there is a plethora of off-leash beaches in the northern California, none of these areas are official off-leash areas.

“Most of the beaches are part of state or federal parks and dog’s aren’t allowed or have to be leashed,” explains Chris Powel of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area.

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