i don't know of any lakes in san jose, but i live in livermore and take my dog to del valle lake out here. very dog friendly. your dog can swim in the water and the is allowed off leash on the main hiking trail.

Carmel beach is all off leash, there are NO problems. When dogs are on leash, they are working, protecting their owners. Once the leash comes off, they relax, have fun and I've had no problems with any size dogs there. Every now and then you see a dog with a muzzle, they are smart enough to know that their dog is a problem and they deal with it.

The worst you find is a playing dog who might want to play with you, smart people are calm, hold their hand down and the dog won't jump up. People jump around and yell eek like they saw a mouse in a cartoon are the problem. Dogs and people can easily interact. Go to Europe, they are in restaurants, on public transportation, everywhere. Well behaved dogs are used to people, are used to being off leash because they've been since they were puppies. People are the problems, not the dogs.

I do love dogs but am concerned about the picture above. Please remember that the beaches in our Point Reyes National Seashore (Limantour, Kehoe, and Point Reyes between North and South Beaches) require all dogs to be on leash at all times.

Wow. A lot of hate here. I hate going to the beach and having "fishermen" blocking have the beach strip (in width) with their lines and poles... having 20-somethings drinking and shouting and playing loud crap music... finding *human* garbage (which doesn't biodegrade like some other things) all over the place.

With all that in mind - I wonder if there are any beaches that bar *people* where I can take my dogs?

I love dogs -- but not on beaches off leash -- or off leash in wildlife habitat - especially in breeding season. My dog is in the yard or the house most the time -- and not off leash in public open space, other than dog parks.

Thanks for the heads up about where not to go! I hate being surprised by a dog off of a leash and I truly hope the laws toughen in this regard. I am very afraid of dogs, but even if I wasn't I don't like them slobbering or jumping on me. I would never let my child do that to someone! Dog owners around here are quite inconsiderate and believe their dog's rights should override a human's. Not everyone enjoys dogs and that includes YOUR dog too.

none

I don't have a problem most times with dogs. I usually jog on the beach... my pet peeve is when a medium-large dog runs up to me, barking. worse yet is when they try to jump up on me when i am running. i have had it out with several owners who don't seem to care, so now i just bring a cap of pepper spray with me when i jog.

There was a good question amid these rants, but it never got answered.

I too live near San Jose and was wondering if there are any lakes where I can take my dog nearby.

Irresponsible pet-owners, otherwise known as assholes, ruin it for those of us who have well behaved dogs that cause no problems.

You and I should visit these beaches.

Dogs are much less aggressive off-leash than on-leash. Being on leash can make dogs feel vulnerable, causing them to lash out. Many leash policies are misguided.

Does anybody know of any lakes where your allowed to let your dog swim? I live in San Jose, but if you know of any in the Bay Area, that would be great.

Thanks...

The problem of dogs on a beach, besides being a nuisance, is the problem of unclean dogs spreading ticks and fleas!

As a dog owner, I respect the leash laws and make sure my dog is not a nuisance or flea or tick carrier!

This is a wonderful list, on behalf of irresponsible dog owners I apologize, that means you "disgusted" above Carl Ramnitz. People who have good voice control of their animals don't encounter such problems, which is how it should always be. I have 3 dogs; lab, pit, and boston terrier, all under great command and behavior. See you this weekend beaches!

I have a service animal, and am CONSTANTLY harassed by NUMEROUS Lifeguards, Police, Rangers, etc. while on the beach - even though my dog is clearly in a service vest and well behaved.

It's sad that there are owners who don't "curb" their dogs and have ruined the beach experience up here in Northern CA...

I don't know how you can leave Pt Isabel in Richmond off this list -- although the actual beach is limited, this is dog heaven.

I Have two dogs, one is over social and the other does not want to be bothered by other dogs, he just wants to sniff, hunt and run. This is why I go to a leash only park. The problem is that other people do not follow the law and their dogs approach mine and then they get scared by the frisky one and the loner will not tolerate his butt being sniffed for more than a few seconds. The dogs both are kind and gentle with humans. I rescued the non social and the over frisky loves all dogs.

Folks just please follow the laws of the parks, so we can all get along. I do!

GREAT article - very useful, well-researched - thank you to the author for providing this information to a dog-loving family!!!

I love Fort Funston! There are more dogs than people there! :)

PS, Kodi's owner would get a big fat $75 ticket if the park ranger saw him off leash. I did. And it was a horrible experience. He logged me into his hand-held database, put me in the system, and then came back a few hours later to let me know he couldn't find me...thought I'd lied about my DL, and then escorted me back to my car where two other rangers were waiting. It was humiliating and stupid on their part -- all because he couldn't spell my name right. No one should be treated like a criminal for having a well-behaved dog!

So the moral of the story is don't ever have your dog off leash on Limantour especially if its a holiday weekend! Amazing, since the beach is miles long and mostly uninhabited...

It's fun to run your dog on the beach, but the native shorebirds need a safe place to feed and breed, so it's good that there's places for both.

Some of the dog advocates want every stretch of open space available for their dogs.

This is a bit deceptive. Many of the beaches listed above only allow dogs on leaches (Limantour, for example -- and it's only a certain part of the beach)...Muir beach is dog friendly in the mornings and late afternoons when there aren't a lot of people; but the Natioanl Audobon Society is trying to get dogs off of all trails, etc around Fed land. Most dogs I know are well-behaved and obey their masters; it's the bad dog owners who ruin it for the rest and who shouldn't be allowed on the beaches!

The reason they are listing dog friendly beaches is because most state beaches DONT let you bring your dog.

There should be beaches for dogs and for people only, not mixed!
How often you sit on the beach and a dog comes to take a shit 3 feet from you???
Then the owner are like oh sorry!, it is just plain disgusting!
I love dogs but people are nuts these days...

A good list of dog beaches for your Saturday drive consideration. See what strikes Maggie's fancy. Love Pa Pa

dog friendly beaches