She has 1,288 fans on Facebook. She appeared on Animal Planet and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She was on the cover of Westways magazine. She inspired the “Bulldog Beauty Contest,” the world’s largest gathering of bulldogs that takes place annually in Long Beach. Now, this bulldog has Los Angeles County’s only dog beach named in her honor.
Earlier this month, the Long Beach City Council renamed the three-acre Long Beach Dog Zone after the late bulldog that inspired the beach’s creation more than nine years ago. Justin Rudd’s English bulldog “Rosie,” who passed away last January, was the inspiration that allowed dogs to be leash-free in Belmont Shore after more-than-30-year prohibition.
Rosie, who lived within blocks of the beach for her 12-year life, wanted a place where she and other dogs could frolic off-leash in the surf and sand. After 20 months of off-leash special events hosted by Rudd and Rosie and another 15-month pilot program, the off-leash beach area became fulltime in October of 2004. Hundreds of dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds and mixes visit the area daily, and it remains the only off-leash beach in Los Angeles County.
New signage and a dedication ceremony are planned at Rosie’s Dog Beach for early October.
More Information
RosiesDogBeach.com
