The guest posts by Karen of DoggieStylish about Toronto’s pet friendly beaches have been some of the most popular with our readers. People especially loved her post on Wasaga Beach – so when Wasaga made an exciting addition this summer, Karen went to check it out.

Since the summer of 2008, the dog friendly area at Wasaga Beach near Toronto, Ontario, closes to humans and dogs to protect the endangered Piping Plovers that make their nests there. Usually, around the end of August, the little shore birds have learned to fly and the beach opens up again. While this is great for the birds, it wasn’t so great for dog owners that wanted to enjoy a really great beach with their pets.

So I was surprised when I randomly called the park to inquire about the status of the dog beach, and discovered that there is a brand new beach for the doggies! The urging of beach loving dog owners resulted in the creation of a temporary “new” dog beach located at Beach Three. The reason that it is temporary is due to the birds. Nobody understands why the birds like to nest at Beach One, but if they don’t come back next year, then Beach One will be reinstated as the dog area again.

The new dog beach is spacious and has clearly defined borders. There are some shady spots, but you have to get there pretty early to stake your claim. I absolutely love Wasaga Beach! The sand is fairly clean and the water is warm and shallow. It really is a perfect place to play with your pooch. If the sunny beach isn’t your thing, there are plenty of picnic tables in the lightly forested areas where you can enjoy a barbecue, or just have a nap.

Wasaga Beach is a day use park that closes at 9PM. The facilities include flush toilets and outdoor showers to clean off after a day of beach fun. Entrance to the park is $18 per car load.

Karen Friesecke is a dog lover and guardian to two Vizslas named Jersey and Dexter.

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