Dog Beach - Bonita Springs Florida - Bonita Beach

Want the #1 pet friendly beach in the USA--try Cape San Blas, FL!  It's in the FL panhandle...50 miles SE of Panama City, but pristine, uncrowded and white sand beaches.  Won't find a high rise condo here or a tattoo parlor or anything!  Great place to enjoy solitude and beautiful beaches where you're allowed to bring your whole family!

Wish I could figure out how to include some pictures of some of our pet friends on the beach.  If you want to see a whole photo album of them, visit: 

 http://community.webshots.com/album/203181739MIgxNv?vhost=community

Arianna

You don't need to go to dog beach early in morning to have a low tide. the Dog Beach web site www.flsooda.org has link to tide chart for dog beach.

Enjoy!

I am considering moving to Naples but am unsure of the neiborhood's attitude tward dogs.  It appears that this is the only place that my bird dogs can enjoy the water.  Is this true?  These dogs need to visit a river/canal or ocean at least once a day without the bother of other people and animals.  Should I find another location that is more dog friendly in FL?

I took my dog to the dog beach in bonita the second day after i got him for some "bonding" time. What a mistake! He ignored me the whole day... lol. He ran in the water, played fetch with all the other dogs and swam all over the place. He was one tired puppy on the way home. It is a beautiful beach and worth the trip. During the week is the best time to go because it's not as crowded and fewer dogs.

I've been down several times from Georgia and stay in Bonita Springs when we come. We brought our Jack Russell Terrier to Bonita Beach and he loved it. It was beautiful and we even saw some dolphins swimmig not too far from the shore. There were a ton of tiny little crabs everywhere there.

On Tuesday, March 10th, I was in the vicinity of the Dog Beach, sadly witnessing a tragic scene unfolding.

While many dogs were frolicking along the safety of the beach, there was a beautiful, sturdy black lab who was struggling for his life. The irresponsible owners of this dog walked with him (off leash) along the sandbar at a time when the current was going out. They allowed him to go into the water where he was quickly caught up in a current carrying him out to the gulf. The owners stood by- doing nothing- watching him frantically treading water and crying out to them, fighting for his life as he went under water a number of times due to exhaustion. No attempt was made by them, in word or in deed, to come to his aid. Finally, a group on a pontoon boat watching this drama unfold attempted to soothe the obviously panicked dog as they slowly made their way to him. They managed to get him onto the pontoon boat and returned him to the nonplussed owners.

I have not been on the dog beach, so am wondering if there are obvious cautions posted about the strength of the current or the fact that people and their dogs should stay off of the sandbar. Perhaps their should be signs posted on the sandbar.