News spreads quick in Evanston’s dog neighborhood so when the city just recently revealed it’s resuming its popular dog beach, dog owners were abundant.
“We couldn’t be happier that it’s reopening, ” said Cliff Barber, who was recently walking his puppy Spencer along the Evanston lakefront.
The city tentatively plans to reopen the dog beach for public use on March 1, 2023 if weather and conditions permit, the city said on its website. Evanston’s Parks & Recreation Department, Public Works Agency and Facilities Management Division have been working towards reopening the dog beach in 2023 following several years of closure due to high Lake Michigan water levels.
Barber moved to Evanston from England with a dog in 2012 and he said that one of the things that attracted him to the city was its dog beach. The Evanston Dog Beach, more than 100 yards long and 50 feet wide, is located just north of the Church Street boat launch facility, where Church Street meets Lake Michigan.
“There’s a little bit of a community there,” Barber said. “People and dogs.”
“It gave our dog at the time a place to play and we met new people from all over,” he said. “It’s just a great time to commune with people. It’s a unique part of Evanston. A whole beach dedicated to dogs.”
Dog beach passes are needed to get in the beach, and family pet owners require to offer evidence of a family pet license from the city where they live, or offer evidence that their city does not need one, according to the city’s website. It likewise said 2023 Evanston family pet license applications were due on December 31, 2022, however might still be sent without charge. Neighborhood members can purchase an Evanston family pet license online, by mail, or can buy a license personally at the City Collector’s Workplace at the Morton Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Opportunity.
The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control needs that Evanston confirm a family pet’s vaccination details prior to releasing a dog beach pass. To get a dog beach pass when they appear, family pets should have present vaccinations or antibodies for Rabies, Distemper (CFV), Liver Disease (Canine Adenovirus-2), Para-influenza (CPIV), Parvovirus (CPV), Leptospirosis and Bordetella (kennel cough) and have had an unfavorable fecal test for internal parasites within the previous 12 months at the time of pass application.
Evanston is motivating neighborhood members to register for dog beach alerts to discover when and where dog beach passes will be available for purchase and to get updates on the dog beach opening. The city prepares for that dog beach passes will be available for purchase in mid-February, according to the city’s website.
Spencer was too interested with a scrap of paper on the ground to talk about the dog beach resuming, however Barber said he prepares to be among the very first individuals there when the beach resumes.
“It’s great to take your shoes off and walk along the sand on the shore and have the dogs,” he said. “It’s a great institution here.”
The beach brings in all sizes and types of dogs, who all appear to get along for the a lot of part and Barber said there might be a lesson there.
“Evanston is one of those places where it is clearly known for diversity,” he said. “If these dogs can get along, we can get along. Those dogs out there, find a way.”
Brian L. Cox is a freelance press reporter with Leader Press.
