The most northern portion of the Coronado Beach is designated as “Dog Beach” ~ a delightful sandy playground for dogs. It lies at the end of Ocean Blvd. right before the back entrance to the North Island Naval Air Station. On the beach itself, there is a fence between the public portion and Naval portion of the beach.
Fence Between Coronado Dog Beach and North Island
To make the fence more festive and less threatening, a series of copper sculptures have been hung, now green from oxidation.
Dolphin Sculpture on Fence at Coronado Dog Beach
While the dogs are enjoying their freedom and playtime on the beach, their humans enjoy the spectacular views of Pt. Loma to the north, the Coronado Islands out to sea and the Hotel del Coronado to the south.
Pt. Loma as Seen from Coronado Dog Beach
I love to go there for a beach walk on Sunday mornings to watch the dogs frolicking in the waves, chasing tennis balls, rope toys, Frisbees and the like. Sometimes, when there are quite a few dogs in the water, it looks as if they’re having a surfing party!
It is a large area and so I never feel over run by the dogs. I often stop to make the acquaintance of a few of the friendly dogs making the rounds greeting dogs and people.
Nearby the entrance to the area is a water fountain for dogs and people, a hose and shower to rinse off your dog and your feet, and a public bathroom. There are plenty of scoop bags and trash cans all along the path and beach.
It is a bit of a hike in from the road to the actual beach and the sand can get hot in the summertime. You have to make sure to keep your dog leashed until you reach the beach and you must not let them go south of the drainage pipe to the people only portion of the beach. Coronado Animal Patrol maintains a zero-tolerance policy with fines up to $500 for unleashed dogs. The lifeguards are more tolerant, but will tell you to move down to Dog Beach if they find you and your dog on the main beach.
Coronado is definitely a dog friendly town from its Dog Beach to its shops along Orange Ave, many of which offer water and treats to dogs stopping by. If you get the chance, bring your dogs over for a visit, they’re sure to have a good time.
Hi – I share your love of this beach…I bring my dogs to it whenever I can (no small feat given the requisite road trip from our current home in CO). I’d appreciate it if you can get the word out on these ‘lessons learned’:
(1) don’t be afraid, shy or embarrassed to ask someone not paying attention to their dog(s) to do so, (2) check your dog carefully for any wounds asap, even if you think the other dog(s) were ‘playing’, and (3) report any incidents at the time they happen and see if there are any witnesses (while tending to your pup’s needs first).
Unfortunately, I feel obligated to share this info as many places I can due to the experience we had on Fri, 10 Sept 2010, during the last hour of our (dog) beach vacation. A lady brought her 2 dogs that afternoon and let her yellow lab/corgi looking male run wild while she took pics of her smaller white & black dog. The male peed several times on our sun shade poles, chased the birds, and then around 4.30pm, proceeded to charge our two labs while we walked along the water. We tried to shoo him off but he’d keep returning. We thought he was playing but one such time he apparently got his mouth on one of my girl’s waist/ribs – we found the puncture after the lady/dogs left the beach. The emergency vet said the outline of the upper & lower jaw was visible in her bruises and her abs were chewed up; she’s healing well now after surgery.
I hate the thought that this lady has no clue she has a vicious dog and that someone else/their dog(s) can get hurt. I write to you with the thought of preventing further suffering for someone and/or their dog.
Thanks for ‘listening’!
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