Dog Parks

Dog parks in Watsonville and Santa Cruz County Beaches and Parks that provide LIMITED off-leash access:

• It's Beach (West Lighthouse Beach) and Mitchell's Cove Beach, Santa Cruz
  Off-Leash: Sunrise-10AM and 4PM-Sunset
  No dog access: 10AM-4PM
  
  

• Lighthouse Field, Santa Cruz
  Off-Leash: Sunrise-10AM and 4PM-Sunset
  On-Leash: 10AM-4PM
  
  

• Skypark, Scotts Valley
  Small (under 25 lbs.) and Large (over 25 lbs.) dog enclosures
  Sunrise to sunset
  
  

• Polo Fields, Aptos
  All-size dog enclosure
  Sunrise to sunset

Beaches and Parks that provide ON-LEASH access:

• Palm Beach

• Rio del Mar

• Seabright

• Loch Lomond

• Scott Creek

• New Brighton

• Twin Lakes

• Manresa

• Davenport

• Seacliff

Beaches and Parks where NO ACCESS is permitted:

• Capitola

• Municipal Wharf

• Cowell Main

• Sunset Beach

Universal Rules and Regulations

• Santa Cruz County requires that dogs must be on-leash at all times unless they are confined to private property (exceptions listed above).

• At the off-leash and limited access dog parks and beaches listed above, dogs must be UNDER EFFECTIVE VOICE CONTROL of guardian at all times.

• Santa Cruz County requires that guardians always clean up after their dog's defecations.

• Dog guardians are responsible for any damage to the beaches or parks incurred by their own dogs, as well as for damage to restoration projects or landscaping. Guardians may be responsible for fees incurred by their dog's damage to public property.

• Any violations of the above listed park and beach rules and regulations may result in citation.

PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE AND FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES SO THAT DOG-FRIENDLY AREAS CAN STAY OPEN!

Dog Clubs

Coastal Dog Owners Group (C-DOG) has dog events and a Yahoo chat group. If you click on the "resources" link on the left side of the page, there is a list of dog resources including positive dog training, boarding, pet friendly lodging, dog Frisbee, and agility.

Woofers & Walkers is a collective of responsible dogs and their people, and they regularly meet to have fun, free events.

Dog Training

FREE COACHING FOR NEW DOG OWNERS!
Starting Shelter/Rescued Dogs out on the Right Paw in their New Homes This free, drop-in group will coach you in training your newly adopted dog and helping you overcome some of their challenging behaviors and common problems. These sessions are for people, so please leave your dogs at home.
Jumping up, barking, and pulling on the leash, etc. come naturally to dogs and we’re here to help you learn what to do.

When: The 1st Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm
Where: 2701 Chanticleer, Santa Cruz, CA
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: 831-475-1580
Sponsored by: Bed and Biscuits, and the Santa Cruz SPCA


SMART START SEMINARS FOR NEW DOG OWNERS
This is a free class to help people learn about dogs and how to prevent bad habits from forming. You will learn to provide consistent and positive leadership for your dog, and to teach basic manners to your new friend.

When: The 1st Monday of every month, 4:30-5:30 PM
Where: Santa Cruz Animal Services at
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: 831-336-8150
Seminars are presented by: Cynthia Edgerly, Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant (www.bingodogtraining.com)

You probably know many people who are considered to be disabled by the legal standards that allow for assistive animals. Legally, all landlords must allow assistive animals, even if they are just for emotional support. These laws allow people to benefit from the companionship of most legal pet species, bypassing those restrictive housing contracts with the "no pet" clause. Find out more by clicking here.

Many wonderful pets are euthanized every year when owners die or become too ill to care for them. 2nd Chance 4 Pets is a nonprofit that has been featured in the New York Times, National Public Radio, and other major news outlets for their wonderful work helping pet owners plan for the life of their pets. For many families, our pets are like children and we treat them as such. Your best friend needs you to make plans that secure their safety and well-being. Please visit www.2ndchance4pets.org to find out more.

Do you know of an organization that would benefit from pet therapy?
Would you like to volunteer with your pet?
Here are a few organizations that help in this area:

Furry Friends
Support Partners Program
Canine Companion for Independence
Assistance Dog Institute
The Delta Society

Pet Food Nation by Joan Weiskopf. Finally, the book that has both sides of the story. Recent events have made it clear that commercial pet food has many unusual ingredients. Protect your pet by knowing about pet nutrition and how to feed your pet.

• The Sneeze-Free Cat Owner by Diane Morgan. This is your guide to living with your feline in peace. Plus, don't forget about the health of your partner or friend who is allergic! You don't need to put a sign on your door that says "Warning: Cat Inside!"

• Squirrels At My Window: Life With a Remarkable Gang of Urban Squirrels--a great story for any animal lover. Two eccentric University Professors in NYC kept a detailed journal about their daily squirrel encounters, including how much food they handed out to the squirrels. Includes drama, excitement, and romance...you will fall in love with each of the characters. Surprisingly good writing with a good amount of humor.

• The State of the Animals IV: 2007--This is the fourth year that the Humane Society of the United States has published a book to explore current and emerging issues for animal protection. This is a research book compiled by scholars and leaders in the field. If you want to stay current on animal protection policies and research, this should be part of your collection.

• Animals In Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior--The famous autistic professor and animal researcher, Temple Grandin, writes about her work. She specializes in designing humane slaughter systems for farm animals, but has no emotional concept of this irony. This book is more about her animal research with pigeons, squirrels, and farm animals and what it means in terms of animal perceptions and behavior. Her "disability" and the research on autism allow her to discover things that she can share with the human race.

• One-At-A-Time: A Week in an American Animal Shelter--This book was originally turned down by publishers because it was "too sad" to be marketable. They were shocked to find that "No Voice Unheard" established their own printing press and sold over 20,000 copies of the book within a couple years. It is now used as a textbook in universities, is a teaching resource used by nearly all humane education programs, and is part of the shelter and volunteer culture. This book describes 75 particular animals and their stories in detail, but also includes general shelter statistics and facts that are not otherwise available to the general public. The 50% of shelter animals who DO find wonderful adoptive homes offer hope for the shelter systems, but the other 50% are euthanized. These deaths are possibly preventable. This book has inspired communities to reduce euthanasia and offer alternatives. Note: the statistics mentioned are not true for our local shelters, but for the average American shelter.

• The Man Who Talks to Dogs--The wild dog packs and millions of stray dogs in America ARE important to Randy Grimm. He started rescuing dogs and documenting the problem so that he could teach Americans about this issue. He is now famous for his work. The author describes the emotional and practical realities of Grimms' work. Grimm has realistic solutions to the problem, acknowledging that most of the wild dogs would be unable to find homes due to behavioral issues. His work inspires many people: one person can make a huge difference in this world.

• The Zookeepers Wife, A War Story--This is the story of a German zoo that successfully hid several hundred Jews during WWII. The zoo director was smart and creative enough to avert suspicion with a well-publicized program to breed and bring back extinct "purebred" Aryan animals. During the war most zoos were shut down, put on excessive food rations, or even destroyed to protect the community in case the area was bombed and the dangerous animals escaped. This particular zoo flourished under the director and his wife, and many human and animal lives were saved. Compassion and outrage are expressed in many ways other than direct protest.

• Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos--A National Geographic Photographer and a nature writer teamed up to create this work of photo journalism. It is a book about the ugly facts, and about misrepresentations that zoo institutions propagate. The authors discuss the ethics of keeping animals behind bars and in cages, but also the ethics of bringing wild animals into zoos "for science and education." This book will probably receive more attention in the wake of recent publicity about zoos. In December of 2007, three young men taunted a tiger in a San Francisco zoo, and the tiger was somehow able to jump over the moat and walls, kill one man, and severely injure the two surviving victims.

• The Dangerous Book for Dogs is a humorous point-of-view for dogs who want trouble. You will laugh for hours and may start to wonder if your pet is doing that on purpose...

• Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding--This is a good book for someone you know. Chances are, you know someone who hoards animals or something else. I list it here because it is among the best books available for individuals who recognize their problem and for professionals who want to help those people. Broad use of this book could include shelters who deal with this problem regularly, mental health professionals, and people who fear that volunteering will lead them to adopt everyone at the local shelter! Also a great gift for that person that is impossible to buy for because "they have everything!"

• Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching--Throughout history, diseases have mutated enough to cross the species boundaries between animals and humans. Bird flu has existed for many years without spreading to humans, but our actions in the farming and animal industries have caused an evolution of the bird flu that could be pandemic. If these problems aren't addressed, bird flu and other animal viruses will wipe out many of the humans on this planet. This book gives advice about protecting your family and pets, as well as developing city and state policy to prevent such outbreaks.

• Wild Neighbors: The Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife--This book is for homeowners and people who work with wildlife or "pest" problems. It describes how to identify wildlife problems, find the animals who are involved, find a humane solution, and prevent future problems with that wildlife. As humans overtake the natural habitat of most species, the animals have adapted to urban and suburban life. This problem will only get worse in the next few years.

• Compassion Fatigue in the Animal Care Community--This is a book for people who work or volunteer with animals. We've all seen those people who are "burned out" from seeing so much animal cruelty and no longer have true empathy for the animals they work with. Compassion fatigue can result in extreme emotional distancing, apathy, inhumane decisions, and pessimistic shelter policies. It can be draining to care so much when there is so much suffering around you. The high morale of an animal rescue organization CAN be sustained. This is a treatment and prevention guide for this type of overload.

• Community Approaches to Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations--The Humane Society of the United States outlines why the euthanasia of feral cats does not lower feral cat populations. It is not a solution to that works. Many millions of feral cats live in the U.S. and millions are euthanized each year by shelters. There are humane and effective alternatives to the common method of euthanasia. In fact, policies that work actually save money!

• Forensic Investigation of Animal Cruelty: A Guide For Veterinary and Law Enforcement Professionals--By outlining the legal and policy barriers, this book helps veterinarians, Animal Control Officers, police, and shelter management to develop better strategies for investigating and prosecuting cases of animal cruelty. Legal fees and obstacles are the reason most cruelty cases are not prosecuted, but this book will help you save money while prosecuting this crime.

• RESCUED: Saving Animals From Disaster--This nonfiction book tells the story of pets rescued from Hurricane Katrina. It also proposes that these types of pet rescue efforts are worth it, for both the animals and humans involved. Humans who experience trauma need their animals for emotional support, and vice versa. Teaching society to care about these animals (especially when there are many priorities) is actually possible. What would it take to raise the standards for humanity? Practical advice and resources are offered for future rescue efforts of this sort.

• Can We Have One? A Parent's Guide to Raising Kids with Cats and Dogs--A veterinarian and a Psychologist wrote this book to help parents with the many issues that arise when you are raising kids and caring for pets at the same time. They answer all the questions that you've thought of, and many questions that you forgot to ask! You will learn to avoid any injuries (caused by the pet or caused by your child), provide plenty of exercise for your pet when you are also trying to supervise your kid and balance 100 other things, avoid allergies, teach your kid to take care of their pets, and limit your child's exposure to germs and parasites. With a caring and humorous attitude, the writers talk about everything from bringing a baby home to a pet household, to helping your child deal with the death of their first pet. This book is relevant to all pet households, even though its primary focus is on dogs and cats.

• Animal House Style: Designing a Home to Share with Your Pets

• Careers with Animals (for kids 3-8) from the Humane Society of the United States

• For Kids: Let's Read-and-Find-Out Science Books :

  • Big Tracks;

  • Little Tracks;

  • Animals in Winter;

  • Where Are the Night Animals?; What's Alive?;

  • What's it Like to be a Fish?;

  • A Nest Full Of Eggs;

  • Baby Whales Drink Milk;

  • What Lives in a Shell?;

  • From Tadpole to Frog