In my final blog post, I’ll be discussing this beach in Long Beach, CA using a community based lens.
When I arrived to the Rosie’s Dog Beach, I could see that it stretched several acres. What I didn’t see when I scanned the area, strangely enough, were dogs. At first, I saw many beach volleyball courts spanning the back portion of the beach at which lots of ladies were serving, bumping, and diving after the ball in play.
After that, I noticed two running and biking concrete trails separating the back part of the beach from the front, with runners and bikers utilizing the trail and passing me every once in a while. This beach seemed to be a very active spot for people of all ages in the community, the majority of which seemed the utilize the beach for athletic activities.
I walked barefoot in the sand past the volleyball courts and the trails and it felt…soft. Like, really soft. I thought that was very unusual because in the past I’ve always felt some grit or coarse particles in the sand at other beaches, but this felt to me as if all of the particles were uniform in size or shape. I noticed significantly that the front part of the beach was very flat and had a lot of horizontally curved lines in the sand. I saw a tractor and I knew right away that this beach was a direct product of daily beach grooming and maybe sand supply.
As I got much closer to the ocean, I finally began to see a few dogs here and there and I made some paw-fect friends along the way.
As I was looking around, I was confused at how the dog area was designated. I didn’t see any fences or barriers that made the identification obvious, but when I took a closer look, I discovered brightly colored wooden/metal cut outs in the shape of dogs! These dogs were spaced out every couple feet as markers for the dog beach.
Overall, I would described this beach as a gem to the local community because it has multiple uses and purposes that is being actively enjoyed by many people. From bikers, to joggers, to runners, to sports, I think this beach is a great fit for everyone. It also has a separate section where dogs can roam off their leashes and get some fresh air. There are many trash and recycle cans as well as public restrooms and ample free parking, so this is a great place designed for local and community use. This beach is a center of community and perfectly designed and utilized.
