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The Long Beach City Council on Aug. 3 voted to rename the three-acre Long Beach Dog Zone to Rosie’s Dog Beach after the late bulldog that inspired the beach’s creation more than nine years ago. Rosie was owned and loved by community and dog activist Justin Rudd of Long Beach and his partner Ralph Millero. Rudd is the founder of the Haute Dog organization, which inspires and involves dog owners across the Southland. Rosie passed away Jan. 24, 2010, at the age of 12. She’s best known for her appearance at numerous Long Beach-area events sponsored by Rudd, as well as riding around town in her red wagon.
Inspired by his beloved Rosie, Rudd fought to allow dogs to be leash-free in Belmont Shore after a more than 30-year prohibition. 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 a permanent fixture in October 2004.
As Millero stated to Long Beach’s Gazettes.com: “I thought it always should have been named ‘Rosie’s Dog Beach’. There’s a part of me that wishes she could be there to see the unveiling . When we were there with Rosie and she was passing, there was a part of me that wished we had done this a long time ago.â€
Hundreds of dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds and mixes visit this area daily, and it remains the only off-leash beach in Los Angeles County. It’s one of the reasons Long Beach was honored repeatedly in Dog Fancy Magazine’s DogTown USA contest throughout the years.
The historic vote finalizes months of discussions and votes since Rosie’s passing. The suggestion to rename the beach came from Millero to Councilman Gary DeLong.
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