"Mayor Sue said, 'But we have an idea…what if we level the dunes and make a permanent Dog-O-Rama venue?'"
That's how David Anderson remembered the conversation for the Chinook Observer this summer. He and Jessica Anderson run Coastal Class Crepes and founded Dog-O-Rama. Earlier this year they learned that the Culbertson Park field they had used for last year's competitions was being renovated and wouldn't be ready in time. Anderson told the paper he wasn't sure the festival could go on until city officials offered the dune ground instead.
What came out of that conversation is bigger than one weekend's venue. The dunes beside the Bolstad beach approach now hold, a few yards apart, the rebuilt boardwalk, a new open field and the city's first fenced dog park. All of it sits a short walk from 27 miles of state-managed beach. Each piece has its own rules, and anyone who walks a dog there regularly will move through several of them on a single loop.
From Leftover Dune Ground to Dog Park in About Six Weeks
City Administrator David Glasson told the Observer the city had long wanted a recreational use for the grassy dunes just east of the boardwalk. At one point the land was seen as a future skate park and pump track site. "Honestly, we've looked at it for a lot of things over the years," he said.
The work happened quickly once it started:
- April 10, 2026. Long Beach celebrated the reopening of the Bolstad boardwalk. Reconstruction had finished in March and replaced the decking, railings and lighting, and parts of the structure were raised.
- Spring. City councilors authorized a $26,670 agreement with Elma-based LaDue Fencing for the dog park, and the fence went up early in the summer. The council also passed an ordinance with the park's rules.
- Early August. A bulldozer leveled a stretch of dune about the length and width of a football field. This became Dune Meadows, and the city spent about $7,500 from its lodging fund on it.
- Aug. 28. A hearing examiner held a public hearing on the city's request for a variance from its critical areas ordinance. The city was asking to allow 6,490 feet of indirect wetland impacts just east of the boardwalk on Bolstad Avenue S.
- Sept. 9. The hearing examiner approved the variance.
- Sept. 18 to 20. Dog-O-Rama held its second year and used the new field for its competitions. The dog park opened in time for the festival.
Glasson said the park took about 40 to 50 feet of wetland buffer "in most cases," and he described the approval as "kind of an after-the-fact [acknowledgement] of 'Hey, we impacted a buffer.'" He also said the city held off on further work on the park until the hearing examiner signed off.
What's Where Along the Approach
Starting from the beach side, the boardwalk comes first. Dune Meadows sits several yards east of it, close enough that Anderson pointed out people can watch events from the boardwalk. The fenced dog park is just east of Dune Meadows, in the dunes near the Bolstad beach approach.
Dune Meadows isn't just there for the festival. Anderson said the dune grass "is going to grow back completely natural, but it'll be a lot smoother." Glasson expects the city-owned field to need mowing about once a year. Year-round use is still being worked out. Cathie Skreen, one of the organizers, is forming a licensed nonprofit AKC club for the Long Beach Peninsula, and Anderson called the field "a great place to do dog training." Glasson mentioned festival staging and other recreation as possible uses. All of these are ideas so far, not a schedule.
The Fenced Park's Rules Are Specific
The ordinance the council passed this spring is more detailed than a sign on a gate. The park is open dawn to dusk. Dogs must be leashed coming in and going out. Owners have to clean up waste right away and take their dog out if it is sick, in heat or acting aggressively. The ordinance bans fighting and harassment by dogs or people, along with smoking and "foul, obscene, offensive, or fighting words."
Penalties increase with each offense:
- First offense: a three-day ban from the park
- Second offense: a seven-day ban
- Third and later offenses: a 30-day ban
Anyone who ignores a ban can be charged with criminal trespass.
There's one more thing to know about the site. Glasson said people have raised concerns about ticks near the dog park. The city had been considering soil meant to discourage ticks, but that work was on hold until the variance came through. The coverage doesn't say whether the soil has been put down yet. Checking your dog after visits to the dune parks is a sensible habit for now.
One Walk, Several Rulebooks
When you leave the fence, the rules depend on who manages the ground under your feet.
| Where you are | Who sets the rules | What the rule says |
|---|---|---|
| Fenced dog park | City of Long Beach park ordinance | Open dawn to dusk; dogs leashed coming in and going out |
| Streets, boardwalk and city trail segments | Long Beach animal code | No dogs running at large in city limits; a tether may be no longer than 10 feet |
| Ocean beach in the Seashore Conservation Area | Washington State Parks | Off leash allowed with good control; local pet ordinances may apply |
| State park land, including Cape Disappointment | Washington State Parks | Leashed, on a leash no longer than eight feet |
| Lewis and Clark Discovery Trail | Shared by state parks and the city | Listed as dogs on leash |
Here's where those rules come from. Long Beach's code bans dogs running at large anywhere in city limits. It counts a dog off its owner's property as "at large" unless it is restrained, and it limits a tether to 10 feet. The city's parks inventory includes both the Boardwalk and the Discovery Trail. No separate dog rule for the boardwalk turned up in our research, so the general city rule appears to apply there.
The beach is more complicated. Washington State Parks manages the Long Beach Seashore Conservation Area, the 27-mile stretch from Cape Disappointment to Leadbetter Point. State Parks says you may let pets off leash on the beach if you have good control of them. The same paragraph adds that "other local pet ordinances may apply." Because Long Beach bans dogs at large inside city limits, a leash is the safer choice on the beach in front of town. Off-leash time with good voice control is clearly allowed farther out on the state beach.
Inland, the State Parks rule is physical control on a leash no longer than eight feet, and Cape Disappointment State Park lists dogs as allowed on leash. The Washington Trails Association also lists the Discovery Trail as dogs on leash. The trail runs from Cape Disappointment to Long Beach through both state and city land. An eight-foot leash meets the stricter rule on every stretch.
October Is the First Month It All Comes Together
The timing works out well for dog owners. Many beach areas in the Seashore Conservation Area are closed March 15 through Sept. 30 for Western snowy plover nesting, so that seasonal window has now passed. The wildlife rules apply all year. State Parks asks owners to keep off-leash dogs from chasing birds and to keep people and pets at least 100 yards from seals and sea lions. Pups left alone on the sand are not abandoned.
You'll also be sharing the beach with clam diggers. WDFW's tentative schedule lists Long Beach razor clam digs on Oct. 9 to 14 and Oct. 24 to 30, then Nov. 7 to 12 and Nov. 22 to 28. Each opening still depends on final marine toxin testing.
The same people who pushed for Dune Meadows are also involved in dog-friendly dining this month. The South Pacific County Humane Society launched its first Peninsula Paws & Plates, a month-long fundraiser with 10 restaurants. Each one offers a themed dish through the end of October, and part of the proceeds goes toward care for shelter animals. Volunteer Ann Gibson designed it to help both the shelter and the restaurants during the fall shoulder season, when peninsula visitation drops from summer levels. Three of the stops are in Long Beach:
- Coastal Class Crepes, the Andersons' canine-friendly food truck at the Sandbar Food Court downtown, sells a vanilla "Pup Cone" for $4, with all but $1 going to the humane society.
- The Cove Restaurant, 9604 Pacific Way, has a prawn stir fry and a salted caramel brownie.
- Dark Harbour, the tiki bar at 300 14th St. NW, is pouring three "Celestial Canine Cocktails," each themed after a canine star, beginning with Sirius and Procyon. They're made with Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum, which is named after the owner's oldest dog. Dark Harbour soft-opened at Chautauqua Resort on May 22, 2026, so this is its first fall.
"Being a small business in this community, it was a no-brainer for us to participate," Jessica Anderson told the Observer. "Plus, it is a way to bring our locals out again to enjoy the quiet season!"
If you're heading south, The Salt Hotel & Pub at 147 Howerton Ave. in Ilwaco is serving a warm bourbon drink called Pear of the Dog, with an alcohol-free version too. The restaurant calls it "perfect for a cozy fall with your dog on our pet-friendly patio." Back in town, Romeo's Closet at 101 Pacific Ave. S., Unit 2, opened in 2025 as a pet clothing and accessories shop where dogs are welcome to try things on.
Once your dog has been off leash at the fenced park, you can walk west to Dune Meadows, cross the boardwalk to the beach, and end with a Pup Cone downtown. Keep an eight-foot leash on for every stretch outside the fence.
Our team at Jamay Hadley spends plenty of time on the peninsula, and we enjoy seeing projects like this one turn unused dune ground into a place neighbors use every day. If you're curious how this new park and field affect homes near the Bolstad approach, or what your own place in Long Beach is worth this fall, get a free home valuation from us. We'll give you a straight answer, with no pressure and no rush.
