Doggedly Determined

On Sunday, March 29, over 200 people and at least 250 dogs showed up at Oceanside Harbor. The group, known as Friends of Oceanside Dog Beach, walked around the area to show support for a designated off-leash dog area at the mouth of the San Luis Rey River. Currently, there is no dog-friendly beach in San Diego County north of Del Mar.

Three people with "No dog beach" T-shirts stood near the bridge as the group walked from city parking lot #20, over the Pacific Beach Bridge, and down the sidewalk to the grassy area west of the Nautical Bean Coffee Company. There, the group gathered for a walk past Rockin Baja Lobster, Joe's Crab Shack, Monterey Bay Canners, all the way to the Oceanside Harbor Police station and back. A woman in a scooter with her service dog attached was at the front of the line, with group founder Hugh Foley as the caboose.

There was no barking, fighting, or any sort of unruly behavior from dogs. The group gathered 202 new signatures for the petition to bring to city council, bringing the total to about 2000 signatures.