One of the first things I wanted to do when Mom and I moved to Pensacola was to look for a beach that allowed dogs. Come on now, there are a bunch of beaches in the Pensacola area, and one of them must allow dogs to swim and have fun with their owners.
Shortly after arriving in Pensacola, I got on-line and through the National Park Service's website at www.nps.org and www.pensacoladogowners.org, I was able to find a beach that would allow animals and had many bells and whistles for dog owners to enjoy a day at the beach with their fur children without being bothered by little kids and people who are afraid of dogs complaining all the time.
The Bayview Water Park for Dogs is located on the Bayou Texar off of East Lloyd Street near Downtown Pensacola. It is a small beach exclusively for dogs and their owners and not a children's play park. Now, I needed to convince Mom that old Loki needed a trip to the beach in order to cool off and mingle with other dogs because he has not been adjusting to the heat and humidity of Florida very well, and the Gulf water is warm enough (about 84 degrees F) for Loki to enjoy swimming without his arthritic legs not getting crippled by cold water. That was one of the major reasons why Mom and I had to stop taking Loki swimming in Idaho.
I finally got Mom on board for taking Loki swimming at the Bayview Water Park, and we decided to go on a Sunday. Mom and I packed a cooler full of cold water for all of us along with some homemade Greek Shrimp Pasta salad for me, fruit and yogurt for Mom and me, and towels and a change of clothing in case I got really wet in the water. The camera was also added into my bag for those Kodak moments with Loki enjoying his day at the beach, and Mom and I were off about 12:30 Sunday afternoon.
Mom and I had no trouble finding the Bayview Water Park for Dogs because at the end of Lloyd Street, there is the Bayview Community Center and to the right, the dog beach with a big sign saying DOG BEACH sticking out of the water. I parked the car, and Loki was pretty eager to get to the water only after inspecting every blade of grass and tree in his path. Loki will be Loki!
There was a small crowd of people there on this warm Sunday afternoon with their dogs. Most of the dogs were swimming and enjoying time with their owners playing fetch or swimming with them. After Mom and I put our stuff on a picnic table, we took Loki to the water, and it was nice and warm. Loki waded around getting his legs wet and checking out the other dogs in the water near him. After a while, the old boy went swimming, and any worries about Loki having trouble went away when he was swimming like the old days. Many of the other dogs ran around us jumping into the water and splashing us, but Loki and I didn't mind at all.
The Bayview Water Park for Dogs has many things that will make a visit with your fur child comfortable. There is a grassy area for them to go potty and play fetch along with a pooper scooper station just in case poochie does #2. After the furry ones play in the water, there is a rinse station so that you can rinse all of the sand off the dogs and yourself before going home so that driving home won't be like driving in a sandbox on wheels. There are rules posted at the gate leading into the beach and park area and they are enforced, but the no people food rule wasn't enforced because present company included, we had our people food, but Loki eats yogurt as part of his diet, so I would have fought that one, if needed.
Near the end of our fun and sun, a good-looking guy came to the beach with his pit bull mix and a Great Dane puppy who was as tall as Loki was. Talking to the owner, we found out the pooch's name was Harley, and he was a 5-month-old pony/dog. Harley didn't like the sun much and spent most of the time under our table sleeping. The owner apologized, but we didn't mind Harley at all. In his old days, Loki would have not been happy about this other dog stealing his thunder, but today, he ignored Harley's presence.
Mom and I spent about 2 hours at the dog beach before rinsing Loki off at the rinse station and headed home. Never fail! On the way home via Route 90, we got stuck in another thunderstorm that has been the main theme of our time here in Florida.
The Bayview Water Park for Dogs is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To get there from several parts of Pensacola, you can get onto Mobile Highway to 19th Avenue and take a left or right depending on which direction you are coming from. Once on 19th, go down about 1/2 mile and take a right onto E. Lloyd Avenue, and the Bayview Community Center is on the right along with the dog beach. Admission is free, and as long as you obey the rules of the park, you can enjoy a fun-filled day of swimming and playing with your furry friends. Bring tons of water for you and your dog, and make sure you use sunblock because you will wind up looking like a lobster like my back is now. Mom and I are planning on returning on a weekly basis since Loki benefitted from the water and interaction with the other dogs.
From journal Raindrops Keep Falling on Our Heads in Pensacola