Dog Parks and Beaches in Naples, Florida

Dog Parks and Beaches

From a wide variety of hotels, vacation rentals, campground and RV parks, stores and restaurants, Naples Florida is quite the dog-friendly city. If you’re looking at Naples real estate and you are a pet owner -- or a pet-owned human -- as many of us are -- you’ll love what Naples has to offer.

Beaches

The best beaches to let your pooch off the leash aren’t the popular sun-bather’s paradises, but fun nonetheless.

Dog Beach

Just north of Naples, in Fort Myers, you’ll find Dog Beach, also known as Bonita Beach Dog Park. Whatever you call it, this off-leash stretch of white sand is where Fido will be able to have all the fun a dog can stand. The park even has a doggie shower station to rinse off all the sand before he gets in the car. You’ll find Dog Beach at 8800 Estero Boulevard in Fort Meyers. By the way, there are no restroom facilities, just an outhouse, and no water so throw a jug of it in the car along with a dish for the dog. You can read reviews from actual Bonita Beach Dog Park users at Yelp and a map to the park and more reviews here. Oh, one more thing: check the tide schedule before you go -- during high tide you may have to wade through some water to reach some sand.

Parks

Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park

Although Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park has a lovely beach, dogs aren’t allowed on the beach but they are allowed in the park, as long as they remain on-leash. I reviewed Delnor-Wiggens Pass a couple of weeks ago for our “52 Things to do in Naples” feature.

City of Naples Dog Park

Cleverly nicknamed Central Bark, the City of Naples Dog Park takes the nickname for its proximity to downtown – it’s within walking distance. Here you’ll find a separate area dedicated to our four-legged friends that include water fountains (tall ones for the two legged human types and low-level ones in easy reach for the dog). You’ll also find a supply of poop bags, shade, washing stations and loads of room to run. The dog park is at Riverside Circle, right by the intersection of Central Avenue and Goodlette-Frank Road.

There are rules, of course. First, you’ll need to register, which is easy to do here. Then, make sure Fluffy is up-to-date on her shots and has a Collier County dog license (available at local vets or the Domestic Services Animal Shelter).

By the way, the park gets rave reviews at Yelp.

Rover Run Dog Park

Not as highly rated as Central Bark, users lodge complaints about the volume of people that don’t pick up after their dogs and the clouds of mosquitos and flies. A lot of folks must like the park because it’s pretty busy.

My only concern is that there are no restrictions placed on the dogs – no license or registration that proves the animals are vaccinated. With the deadly parvo disease so prevalent (Florida ranks in the top four states for incidences of parvo), and transferred in a dog’s feces, I hesitate to use this park. If you’re interested in checking it out, you’ll find Rover Run at 1895 Veterans Park Drive in Naples.

Finally, if you plan on spending a few days looking at homes for sale in Naples, consider staying at Naples Bay Resort. When you call for a reservation tell them you want to learn more about the “U Nauti Dog” program – it’s amazing and, in addition to a guestroom, it includes:

• Large pet bed
• Food and water dish.
•  Dog treats.
• Poop scoop mits.
• A fashionable U Nauti Dog pet bandana.
• A list of all the pet-friendly places in Naples, Fl.

If you’ll be in town to look at available real estate in Naples, feel free to contact me. I am happy to set up an itinerary to check out the dog-friendly neighborhoods and amenities in Naples, Florida.