Pups Ready To Make A Splash As Prospect Park’s Dog Beach Re-Opens Ahead Of Schedule

Who says the dog days of summer are almost over?

Thanks to the Prospect Park Alliance, your beloved canine can enjoy the newly renovated Dog Beach now until the weather turns cold. The team completed the renovations ahead of schedule, which were originally anticipated to be finished in early 2017.

Dog lovers and their pets who have missed visiting the Dog Beach since its closure in early July should consider adding a stop during their off lease routine.

“Dog Beach is a treasured community resource, and off-leash hours are a unique resource for Brooklyn’s dogs and their owners,” said Sue Donoghue, Prospect Park Alliance President. “We commend our in-house design staff, whose hard work meant that we were able to improve this amenity and return it to public use quickly.”

Dog are permitted to be off-leash daily 5am–9am and 9pm–1am. The Long Meadow, Dog Beach, Nethermead, and the Peninsula are all areas which allow four-legged friends to frolic freely during off-leash hours. Dogs must remain on their leashes during all other hours and in any other areas of the park.

According to the Prospect Park Alliance, the project included a strategic plan to support and stabilize the wildlife populations within the park. Native plants can be found at the water’s edge, replacing invasive ones. A new underwater fence was designed and installed proving to be more durable than the previous chain link fence. Finally, the paved area at the Dog Beach has been replaced with natural stone slabs from upstate New York.

While the project is aesthetically pleasing and refreshing, great care was taken to benefit the diverse creatures from fish to bird and in between.

“The early reopening of Dog Beach at Long Meadow in Prospect Park is welcome news to families making memories with their furry friends,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams commented on the reopening and the other renovations in Prospect Park which “will make Brooklyn’s backyard a more welcoming environment for all of its visitors, whether they walk on two legs or four.”

The funding for this project was provided by the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, and the Brooklyn Delegation, as part of the renovation of the adjacent Long Meadow Ballfields.

Additionally, Council Member Brad Lander said, “Thank you to the Prospect Park Alliance, [the NYC Parks Department], and my fellow Brooklyn elected officials for supporting this renovation, along with so many other projects currently underway in Prospect Park.”

The summer days of swimming might have ended for owners, but that does not mean our beloved dogs can’t continue to get wet.