Serving Brooklyn's Off-Leash Community

Dog Beach by the Pools...
New York Portraits

It's A Good Thing ... See our Dog Beach featured on streaming video: It's Your Park Prospect Park's Dog Beach... A one of a kind creation located at the Pools, foot of the path leading down from the Tennis House - off 9th Street. While it looks like sand in the photos, in reality it's really a cement apron. Rules are posted: off-leash hours ONLY rules apply! Absolutely no humans allowed to swim under any circumstances! As for Cabana Rentals.... Hair Nets... Towel Concessions... Hours... Hours for Dog Beach are the same as hours for general offleash. No swimming for dogs otherwise. Alternative to Dog Beach? Dog paddling is allowed in Prospect Park's Lake from the off-leash meadow known as the Peninsula during off-leash hours ONLY. Note - Peninsula wooded areas are NEVER off-leash! Be considerate of others! Monitor your dog especially if there's a great disparity of sizes in the water. Dogs are NEVER, EVER allowed offleash in the water after off-leash hours. We know it's tempting, especially on weekends, but there are far too many passersby & children - many whom are afraid of dogs. Jennifer Brauer Progress Report After two years of testing the former (theoretically permeable) fabric that stretched between the weighted fence posts was discarded in favor of a wire mesh - algae and scum having taken their toll.   We observed an immediate improvement in water circulation - a boon to swimming canines and splashers alike. The fence is there to keep the ducks out so that they don't terrify our doggie friends. At the same time we don't want any determined swimmers to head for the other side of the pond.     Fido has done a few clean ups but we can always use a bit of help - the trash pails are only a few feet away. Of course we have a few waterdog volunteers for fetching stray bottles.     above by Jennifer Brauer Be warned! Water depth at the fence is more than six feet which is plenty deep to get you trouble should you have to wade in after little Swimma! Rats and the connection to Leptospirosis See Fido Hot Weather Tips Section for some serious deiscussion on this subject Have humans contracted this disease either from contact with Dog Beach water or from dogs who frequent the park? No one has ever heard of such a thing since the Pools were re-established over ten years ago. The body of water of which the Dog Beach is a part, has its source within a few hundred feet of the Dog Beach - chlorinated city water. Lepto is contracted from small puddles of standing water that rats have peed in. For dogs who have not been vaccinated, this may be a fatal disease.   Tracy Ridzitis Safety Suggestions ...   These are based on observation! *If it gets too crowded, just wait a bit. It's really a small area. Unfortunately the pond's depth makes it unlikely that the fence will be extended further out. *Heaving BIG sticks - LOGS etc is frowned upon. Some doggie could get clunked on the head or injure an eye. Balls are great! Maybe duck decoys? (just kidding, folks) Off-Leash & rules apply to Dog-Beach. Have Fun !                   Jennifer Brauer Tracy Ridzitis! Dog Beach Design by Prospect Park's Christian Zimmerman TROCOM Construction! Frankie Rodreguez Delbert Jamec Tracy Ritzitis