by Ann M. O'Phelan

Picture a white sandy beach with soft waves lapping on the shoreline. Imagine everywhere you turn, you see a dog running free, chasing a Frisbee, swimming in the shallow waters, and trotting happily with a pack of friendly buddies. To a dog, this is paradise. To its owner, it is just as heavenly, as nothing brings a dog owner more pleasure than watching his best friend enjoy a little bliss on the beach.

At the Dog Beach in Bonita Springs, man’s best friend can have some fun in the sun while its owner sets up a beach chair and umbrella and enjoys time with other pet lovers. It’s a social scene for both two-legged and four-legged creatures, especially on the weekends.

“People come to the beach by boat, by car, and even by horseback,” says Pat DeVincent, president of Save Our Off-leash Dog Areas, Inc. (SOODA), a Bonita Springs–based organization dedicated to preserving Dog Beach for area pet owners. “We have whole families pack picnics, bring the kids, and stay for the day. A girl from Germany named her dog ‘Bonita’ just because she loved her Dog Beach experience so much.”

DeVincent, his wife, Mary, and their dog, Mia—a rescued four-year-old Doberman/German shepherd mix—are regular visitors to the Dog Beach, located about a mile south of Lovers Key State Park. For more than twenty-five years, locals have been bringing their dogs here to frolic on the sand. But without the work of the DeVincents, Dog Beach might not exist today.

When Lee County signed a fifty-year lease with the state of Florida in 1995 for Carl Johnson County Park, Dog Beach was included in that lease. But things at the beach continued as they always had been until January of 2000, when a sign enforcing local leash regulations was erected. That was when the DeVincents sat down with the park’s manager to discuss how Dog Beach could once again be a place where dogs could run free.

As co-founding members of SOODA, the DeVincents worked tirelessly to save Dog Beach. The group’s efforts even made headline news when canines Max and Bud were called to the witness stand by attorney Mike Carr to testify that they deserved Dog Beach to remain open. SOODA members collected more than 2,300 signatures in support of Dog Beach, and in 2001, Lee County decided to once again allow off-leash exercise and recreational use there.

“Having a dog beach available is good for a dog’s health and well-being, as they are able to exercise and run,” says DeVincent. “It is good for their socialization with other dogs and humans, and it is good for their owners to have a place to socialize and enjoy time with their pets that is unconfined by leashes and fences.”

Brian Corrion of Bonita Springs takes his golden retriever, Lowell, and his Weimaraner-Dalmatian, Murphy, to the beach on weekend afternoons or at sunset about twice a month. “They love it, and it’s also a great place to meet people,” he says. “I’ve even gained some customers [for his furniture consignment shop].”

DeVincent has been working to re-open Bunche Beach in Fort Myers to on-leash dog recreation. SOODA recently sent a request to Governor Charlie Crist to “eliminate leashed-dog discrimination” at Bunche Beach and to erect a new plaque to “properly honor” the spot’s namesake, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Ralph Bunche. (The group also extended an invitation to President Obama and his family to attend the future rededication ceremony should a new plaque be obtained.)

SOODA is always looking for more members to help ensure that Dog Beach remains open. And even if you don’t have a dog, visiting Dog Beach is a fun experience, as “dog people” are friendly people. And besides, what better place could there be in the area for spending the dog days of summer?

Ann M. O’Phelan is a resident of Southwest Florida and a contributing writer for several publications in Florida.