District 1 residents ask for a new dog park

Long Beach is a dog city.

That's what First District Councilmember Mary Zendejas said during the Feb. 3 Long Beach City Council meeting. She also said that here in the city, "we value our dogs and see them as an important part of our community."

Zendejas was presenting a recommendation, co-sponsored by Second District Councilmember Cindy Allen and Fifth District Councilmember Megan Kerr, to evaluate the city’s current dog parks and the need for additional locations.

The recommendation requested that “the City Manager work with relevant City staff for a Council presentation on the dog park designation municipal process, including an evaluation of current inventory of off-leash areas and needs for additional locations within 120 days.” The recommendation detailed the need for the study and specified that the council hasn’t assessed citywide dog park ordinance considerations in over a decade, except for potential sites for a second dog beach.

Long Beach is, indeed, a dog city. It’s a rare day when you walk down a street in the LBC and don’t meet someone walking a dog or see a riding shotgun in a vehicle. You probably know every name of every dog on your walking route but don’t know their humans’ names.

Within a paw’s reach are businesses catering to dogs, including a bakery and a café; boarding hotels; pet supply stores that are sometimes more conveniently located than supermarkets; and veterinary hospitals. The shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services is one of the most proactive anywhere, especially with options for dogs.

And, of course, dog parks. Long Beach boasts 12 designated dog parks, located in Council Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8. They include Rosie’s Dog Beach, a popular space for bathing bowsers. As mentioned in the proposal, Council District 2 wants to create a second dog beach, Junipero Dog Beach, on the beachfront area east of the Junipero Beach Sports Court. The beach would be modeled after Rosie’s Dog Beach, would take up about four acres of sand, and feature convenient parking and accessibility for humans and their dogs. The project is supported by Tidelands funds and is in the community outreach phase.

“Generally speaking, the establishment of dog parks and other park developments/amenities can stem from community need, as a directive from the City Council, etc.,” said Jen De Prez, community information officer of the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine. “As is the case with other city projects, community engagement and input play an integral role throughout the development process. Proposed projects are also shared with the Parks and Recreation Commission. Pursuant to the Long Beach Municipal Code, the City Council determines final designation.”

However, all dog parks aren’t created equal.

“If you look at District 1, [zip codes] 90802 and 92813 have about 43,000 housing units, many multifamily without yards,” Willmore City Community Association President Ryan Wolfe said at the Feb. 3 meeting. “That is much higher than any other part of the city. When we look at a place like El Dorado Park, which is probably one of the gold standards in our city for what a dog park should be in terms of scale, that contrasts with 15,000 housing units in that area. You’d assume that those people at least have a yard, space where they can at least exercise the dogs.”

Recreation Dog Park and El Dorado Dog Park, both in East Long Beach, measure two acres and 1.5 acres respectively, and Rosie’s Dog Beach extends 4.1 acres. By contrast, the Downtown area’s three parks are far smaller. Lincoln Dog Park near the big penny measures .13 acres, reduced during the library remodel from the .7 acres it took up when it opened as Downtown Dog Park. Lincoln Dog Park can be accessed by walking, but anyone with a car will have to hunt down paid parking.

Parking’s also at a premium for Pike Park Dog Park on W. Seaside Way, and at 8,000 square feet, so is space for dogs to run. K9 Corner on Ninth and Pacific is just that — a corner. At a mere .8 acre, a Chihuahua will have barely enough space to turn around, and a tossed Frisbee could wind up on a neighbor’s balcony.

Local residents have plans for a new dog park

Micaela Salatino and Ben Fisher live near Cesar Chavez Park, in a small apartment with a dog they rescued from the street. The dog gets her daily walkies, but access to a good-size park is a challenge. Salatino and Fisher teamed up with other residents to convince Zendejas’ office to officially designate a gated, grassy area of Chavez Park as a dog park.

“We live in a neighborhood that is parking impacted, and dogs are inside all day,” Salatino. “Fortunately, we learned about this part of Chavez Park that’s gated. So, we started using Chavez for the dogs because it was the closest place to have an off-leash dog — it’s the grassy area on Third and Golden. It became popular when the city redid the library and gave us a tiny space.”

Humans with dogs work around activities and school days. Salatino and Fisher have taken the responsibility of calling Cesar Chavez Elementary School and the park’s community center for the week’s schedule of events and then communicate them through social messaging to other residents, who pass it forward.

Dogs in the area have unsurprisingly led to some confrontations with school personnel and other residents. Gates have been locked to prevent dogs from using the area, and arguments about dog waste and litter continue. Fisher initially contacted the school principal to see if a volunteer-based cleanup initiative could be worked out, but he said that nothing came of it.

“The problem with every dog park is that there are a few individuals who don’t pick up the dogs’ poop,” Salatino said. “It’s not an on-leash, off leash problem — it’s a people problem. It’s not OK to leave poop everywhere for kids to step in. What some of us do is when we go there, we pick it all up. We pick up trash and other things. Everyone should be picking up after their dog.”

Salatino and Fisher are organizing a core group of people to maintain the dog park, keep it clean, and monitor the behavior of aggressive dogs and their humans.

Motion passes 7-0

Salatino, Fisher and Wolfe were among the residents who spoke during public comment at the Feb. 3 meeting. Fisher cited an Oct. 16 Long Beach Public Works report based on owner requests; dog parks, he said, were always the number one Downtown park request in every survey since 2019.

“Despite this, our options are disappearing,” he said, referring to the reduced size of Lincoln Dog Park, where “you cannot even underhand a ball.”

Zendejas voiced her agreement with the need for a park in her district and agreed with residents’ points.

“Walking the dogs is fine, but dogs are social creatures who need free play and freedom to run,” she said. “Unfortunately, our city has faced challenges in providing clean-space planning. In District 1 specifically, our neighborhoods need clean spaces for recreation and environmental purposes. This means that for many years, dog parks have been an afterthought in the planning process … Recent trends point to a growing demand for dog parks.”

Zendejas commended her district’s dog advocates for their continuous, tireless activism to make a dog park a reality.

“It’s important that the community needs are reflected in citywide planning and that they are considered as a plan for the future of Long Beach,” she said.

The councilmembers spoke up in favor of the resolution.

“I think the thing that I’m most excited about with this item is to come up with parameters that work for all districts,” said Kerr, whose district has no dog parks.

The resolution passed 7–0, with two councilmembers absent.

Salatino thanked Zendejas for bringing the resolution forward. She said that she hoped that an area of one to five acres will be created for both dogs and their humans who cannot for any reason drive across town for parks of a decent size with room to socialize and be safe.

“As the council considers this and future recommendations, I urge you to prioritize appropriately sized dog parks, not token spaces. Involve the community in design,” she said. “It’s not just about dogs running off leash: it’s about helping neighborhoods, safer parks, and a more connected Long Beach.”

YOURS DROOLY

Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) is indeed overwhelmed and overcrowded with dogs. Volunteers and staff go over the top with the efforts to make them all comfortable, exercised, socialized and adoptable — Fido Field Trips, daily walks and playtime, wading-pool parties and the Diesel Project, a social-media-fueled training program for shelter dogs who need special attention. The Diesel Project is conducted in partnership with big-hearted dog rescue K9 Kismet.

The adoptable part is where you come in. If you’re ready for a canine companion, there’s at least one waiting for you at LBACS. Check out the adoptable pets here, or better yet, come to the shelter and meet them in person. Shelter hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7700 E. Spring St. at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors). Email PetAdopt@longbeach.gov or petfoster@longbeach.gov to do either, or call 562-570-4925.

These three doggies are very ready to go home!

Paisley (ID#A739902) is a really good girl. She’s a German shepherd mix who loves Fido Field Trips and is a great traveler in the car once you get her rear end into it. If the trip includes a stop at In-N-Out for a puppy burger, that’s even better! Last trip she took included a stop at the Zoom Room, where she played like a puppy. Afterward, she calmed down and took a nap. Paisley is a calm girl (until a squirrel crosses her path, so hold on to the leash). She’s three and has been at LBACS for 10 months. Let’s bring her home!

Much as LBACS would love to provide luxury bedding for the pets, the dogs and cats need to wait for a foster or an adopter to provide them. Then, of course, there are those Fido Field Trips. Holly (ID#A740671) is seen here taking advantage of the rug on a sunlit patio at a volunteer’s house during one of those trips. You see how she’s made herself at home and how natural she looks in a home! Holly is only three and would love to make this type of day one of many in a forever home.

Wetherby (ID#A737020) is an easygoing German shepherd mix who has been at LBACS for a full year. According to a volunteer buddy, he’s “always ready to lend a paw and a smile.” He loves walks and thinks that his leash is a toy. Unfortunately, Wetherby recently developed pancreatitis and is currently on supportive care with a low-fat, highly digestible diet. He needs — and deserves — help through foster care, special-needs adoption, or an animal rescue with more resources than the shelter can provide.

TAIL-WAGGING AND NOSE-BOOPING EVENTS

21^st Annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest

There’s gonna be dogs as far as the eye can see at Rosie’s Dog Beach, when dogs of all breeds and mixes thereof — bulldogs, too, of course — trot and prance and run up to compete in a dog’s dozen’ worth of contests! The Beautiful Bulldog Contest has been billed as one of the largest gatherings of English bulldogs in the world, but every dog is welcome! Pups will parade down the red carpet while all the Miss and Mrs. Long Beaches judge them. Register here to enter your best bud in contests like Best Small Dog, Best Large Dog, Best Senior Dog, Best Adopted/Rescued Dog (my favorite), and, of course, Best Bulldog and Best Frenchie. A Best in Show category will include a huge prize for the judges’ choice. Funds raised will benefit nonprofits. Community Action Team and Haute Dogs as well as animal-welfare causes.

The Beautiful Bulldog Contest and the other competitions take place Sunday, Feb. 15, 9 a. m.–noon, at the concrete boat launch ramp at 1 Granada Ave., Long Beach, near at Rosie's Dog Beach. $10 online or $20 at the event; free to spectate.

Join Long Beach Animal Care Services’ great volunteer team!

Animal shelters and rescues are typically understaffed and underfunded. They rely on volunteers who love animals and want the best outcome for them to walk dogs, change litter boxes, transport them for medical care, help with paperwork and do any other task that they need done. If that sounds like a good way to spend your spare time, access this link, also at the end of the article. It lists shelters and rescues as well as resources where your help will be welcome!

Let’s go bowling with Helen Sanders CatPAWS!

When your cat sits up straight, their little head pointing upward, do you think of bowling pins? When they knock the cup that holds your pens to the floor, do you suddenly yell “Strike!”? If you do, you’ll love this event! Helen Sanders CatPAWS 13^th Annual Bowling Fundraiser will give you a great way to focus and vent your energy and support this nonprofit rescue at the same time. Shoes and a snack are included! Hate bowling? Come anyway and cheer your team on! Bid on silent auction items, and win a prize for your bowling skill or lack of same. Funds will support CatPAWS’ spay/neuter programs for community cats and owned cats and will pay the medical bills for the rescued cats, which will turn them into the adorable adoptables you can see on their Adoptions page and in person at the Seal Beach PetSmart. Purchase tickets here.

CatPAWS’ 13^th Annual Bowling Fundraiser takes place Saturday, March 21, 3 p.m.–6 p.m. at Westminster Lanes, 6471 Westminster Blvd., Westminster. Ticket prices $45 for bowlers, $25 for non-bowlers. Snack is included in both tickets.

Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, pet food, veterinary assistance, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.