Dear Readers,

Last month I proposed that people spend more time with their pets by doing fun things together. One of the activities I suggested was to take your dog to Huntington Beach’s dog beach. I think I have to rescind that advice. Here’s why:

We just had our first warm weekend in a very long time – a beautiful day for sand and surf. So my husband, Jeff, and I packed up Willa the Labradoodle and Kody the Pomeranian and trekked to the seashore. Upon arrival, it took us about 20 minutes to find a parking spot. But that was fine; we were in no hurry. And clearly a lot of folks had the same idea we had.

My story takes an ugly turn almost immediately. As I stepped away from my car door while lifting Kody out and down, I felt a sudden squish under my sandal, the sensation of which I immediately recognized from past unpleasant experiences: Dang! Dog poop! Of course my soles have extremely good traction with lots of deep channels, perfect for filling with … well, I won’t say it again.

After 20 more minutes of trying to clean my shoe with grass, sticks and anything else I could find, I finally was ready to put it behind me and make my way down to the beach, in spite of the lingering odor. I looked at the sidewalk before me in anticipation of all things getting better, and to my horror, suddenly realized that every few feet for the length of the path, both in front of me and behind me, were more piles of feces. I am not kidding or exaggerating. It was absolutely disgusting. I could not understand how so many people could be so rude and not pick up after their pets.

Skillfully, as though navigating a minefield, Jeff and I, along with Willa and Kody, managed to make it to the beach itself without further incident. But when we got there, we could not believe how crowded it was. Apparently everyone took my advice and came to the beach with their dogs.

I go to dog beach rather frequently, and my dogs love it. The freedom to run and to meet a few other friendly, well-behaved dogs to interact with is pure, unadulterated joy for them. But on this day, it was sensory overload. Kody and Willa stuck to Jeff and me like glue. Willa was so overwhelmed by the number of people and dogs in every possible square inch of space that she concluded she didn’t even want to try and walk with us and planted herself down next to a couple on a beach blanket. I finally convinced her to come with me, but she wasn’t thrilled about it.

Jeff suggested we sit down for a while and wait for some of the people to leave. It was already 4 p.m.; surely a lot of families would be calling it a day. We found a nice spot to make our own and took the opportunity to watch everyone with their dogs while Willa and Kody snuggled in our laps.

Over the next hour and a half, we saw dozens of unsocialized dogs harass and bully weaker dogs. Their owners did nothing to stop this behavior, or they were completely oblivious to it. We saw unaltered male dogs mounting female dogs who may or may not have been spayed, and no one seemed to notice. I can’t even imagine how many puppies result from days like these.

When it was clear that no one was packing up, we opted to leave. Kody and Willa couldn’t have been happier. They normally don’t want to leave dog beach, but on this day, they tugged on their leashes the whole walk back to the car, as if they couldn’t get there fast enough.

I thought about the experience on the drive back home. It is very apparent that people enjoy going to the beach with their pets during periods of warm weather, but confining everyone to a postage stamp-sized area probably isn’t the best thing. It would be nice if we could take our dogs to any beach. On the other hand, the very visible, large numbers of irresponsible pet owners would make even the most amenable government officials reject this proposal.

So here’s my solution:

•If you haven’t socialized your dog, don’t go to dog beach.

•If you don’t pick up your dog’s waste, don’t go to dog beach.

•If your dog isn’t spayed or neutered, don’t go to dog beach.

•If you can’t pay attention to your dog because you like doing other things, don’t go to dog beach.

I figure that will bring the number of people and dogs back down to a fun and manageable amount.