Your Water-Loving Dog's Best Friend As Memorial Day approaches many of our favorite beaches that we have been taking our dogs to the past few months will be closing - if they haven't closed already - to our favorite trail companions. Bye-bye Cape May State Park. So long Ocean City. Hasta la vista North-South Lake. But all is not lost for water-loving dogs. We just have to be a bit more resourceful. This banning of dogs is often most acute in parks with lakes that have swimming beaches. In the winter the parks are empty and no one cares if your dog uses the beach. But now the parking lots are full and no one wants your dog in the water where folks are swimming. What to do? Head for the boat ramp. The boat ramp may not be the most scenic part of a lake but it is the perfect place for your dog. The path into the water is paved and slanted for easy access - your dog doesn't have to slog through mud or pick a way into the water along a rocky shore. The water is deep and unobstructed. No one is usually around - the boaters are out on the water. And I don't think I've ever seen a No Dogs Allowed sign at a boat ramp. Plus the boat ramp often comes with a bonus - a dock. Dock diving for dogs has actually become a legitimate sport with professional dog divers traveling around the country for competitions and exhibitions. If your dog takes to diving into a lake there aren't many more fun things to do with your dog than dock diving. Every time you visit a new park with a lake take a look at the map and notice where the boat ramps are. Sometimes the boat ramp may be the only easy way for your dog to get a swim. At Lake Tahoe the boulders and hilly shore provide few leads to the water on the east shore. But the crystal waters open up before him at the boat ramp. Things are tougher for summer swimming at the ocean. If you chance upon a beach that permits surf-fishing and vehicles on the sand, chances are your dog will be allowed too. You have to dodge fishing lines but it is a small price to pay for your dog to play in the cool ocean waves on a hot summer day. <<Back To May 2006 Newsletter <<Go To Article Index