Laguna Beach celebrates 30th anniversary of its Dog Park
For three decades, Laguna Beach dog owners and their pets have had a dedicated outdoor space where they can wander and interact with others like themselves.
Community members, some accompanied by their furry friends, gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Laguna Beach Dog Park on Saturday morning.
The celebration saw the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce recognize Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park, a group that has worked to preserve and enhance the park for the enjoyment of the animals and their owners while also advocating for responsible dog ownership.
“We’re delighted to celebrate 30 years of this local gem, one of the first and best dog parks in Orange County,” said Marc Buchan, president of Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park, in a statement. “It’s an amazing hub for so many Laguna Beach dog owners and their fur families, providing a safe place to play and socialize in addition to growing a responsible, engaged community of dog people.
“The Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park have been advocating for the park and working with the city to enhance and improve it for 17 years, and we look forward to doing so for many more.”
Shade trees and fencing are among the improvements the nonprofit organization has helped bring to the city-owned park.
Saturday mornings are a popular time for dog walking. Rusty Lamboley, a board member for Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park, remarked that he often sees familiar faces who have gotten into the habit of walking their animal companions at a certain time.
“It’s a great place not only for dogs to play and interact with other dogs and learn socialization skills, but it’s a great place for people to get together,” Lamboley said of Laguna Beach Dog Park. “What I’ve noticed in my experience, generally people show up at the same time whenever they go.
“There are some people like myself who get there at 7 o’clock in the morning. I see many of the same faces day in and day out, so you form friendships with the people.”
As a new addition to the location, the group introduced an art banner along the fence on the east side of the park. The original photograph of a sunset taken from Heisler Park was produced by Lamboley’s wife, Diane, who has exhibited at Art-A-Fair.
The hope is that the “Art in the Park” enhancement can eventually be turned into an outdoor gallery that incorporates additional pieces.
“We would be paying for that,” Lamboley said. “We would pay the artists the production costs. … That wouldn’t be funded by the city. We would do it in cooperation with the city.”
Laguna Beach Dog Park, located at 20672 Laguna Canyon Road, is open daily from 6 a.m. to dusk. It is closed on Wednesdays for maintenance.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
