Day Trip: Rosie's Dog Beach
A while back, Evan and I took a trip out to Long Beach for a friend's birthday, and, after seeing having a few beers and watching Tsunami Bomb play, as is our tendency we needed pizza. So we went to Long Beach's late night pizza spot, Big E Pizza, and I was an idiot and left my wallet at the restaurant. Because Koa has separation anxiety, I couldn't leave her at home while I drove to Long Beach and back the next day, so we made day of it and took the opportunity to visit Rosie's Dog Beach!
Here's are your basic Rosie's Dog Beach facts in case you are planning a trip:
Location: 500 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach CA
Hours: 6am - 8pm
Parking: Large lot provided, bring quarters for the meters!
Hours: 6am - 8pm
Parking: Large lot provided, bring quarters for the meters!
Rosie's Dog Beach is, to my knowledge, the only actual off-leash dog beach that in this area — and it's hardly in our "area," but still... However, although we took Koa off leash for a bit at the Huntington Dog Beach, I did not feel comfortable doing so here. The street, parking lot, and bike path, are all even with the beach, and there is nothing to really prevent a prey-driven goofball like my girl from galloping off across the path, through the parking lot, and into the street. While I don't normally recommend using a retractable leash (retractable leashes teach a dog that in order to get more slack or to go faster, all they have to do is pull, which is the opposite concept of loose leash walking), I will occasionally use one in a situation where I want to give Koa more freedom without unleashing her. What I really should do is get her a long lead, which I will do soon.
The beach was actually busier on a weekday than I thought it would but, but interestingly most of the dogs at the beach were more into playing ball than interested with playing with each other/other dogs. The owners are also more reserved and kept to themselves. It's a very different vibe than a dog park. We did befriend a couple of pups, like this hilarious poodle with rainbow dyed paws (his owner explained that this was to hide the fact that he was constantly peeing on his own feet).
All in all, I would say that the Huntington Dog Beach felt a little safer for a dog like mine who does not have a 100% recall, but Rosie's was very nice, and pretty clean (except we found a severed rooster's head in the sand... Very odd.) If your dog has rockstar recall, you will have an awesome time, just be sure to bring a ball or frisbee, because most of the other dogs will be occupied with their own toys and games.
The beach was actually busier on a weekday than I thought it would but, but interestingly most of the dogs at the beach were more into playing ball than interested with playing with each other/other dogs. The owners are also more reserved and kept to themselves. It's a very different vibe than a dog park. We did befriend a couple of pups, like this hilarious poodle with rainbow dyed paws (his owner explained that this was to hide the fact that he was constantly peeing on his own feet). All in all, I would say that the Huntington Dog Beach felt a little safer for a dog like mine who does not have a 100% recall, but Rosie's was very nice, and pretty clean (except we found a severed rooster's head in the sand... Very odd.) If your dog has rockstar recall, you will have an awesome time, just be sure to bring a ball or frisbee, because most of the other dogs will be occupied with their own toys and games.
