Does anyone else agree with me on this?  I have taken my two Cavaliers a few times to the Wilmette dog beach (in the Chicago north shore) and each time I go, I leave wondering why I went in the first place.  I'm not saying its a bad place, its just not the place for my littles ones I guess.  It seems that a dog beach caters to more of the larger breeds, giving them a change to fetch things thrown into the water and chase each other around...meanwhile my dogs either think they can participate in the chase and get trampled or just sit by me full of sand..lol.

yes that's true you are right.  I've been there a lot with my labs and they are huge AND they are water dogs.  There's always some small dogs there but they tend to just get in the way.  No offense...

It seems most go there to really work out their dogs and get them swimming.  If that's the case, the little dogs do get trampled on or lost in the shuffle.  I think if I had a smaller dog I'd stick to the doggie parks and not the beach.

The beach I go to is not technically a 'dog beach', but there are many, many big dog owners that run their dogs and play in the water. I have chihuahua (he's not itty bitty but he's no lab) and I have never had a problem. He runs and plays with the big boys and chases things into the water just like all the others. He totally has a ball and loves to roll around in the washed up seaweed! lol By the time we get home he's wet sandy and all tuckered out. :)

The only time that I can get my girl dog to run around is after I actually give my boy dog a bath.  She goes nuts once I dry him off...I'm not sure why that is.

I have taken my dogs and my sister's dogs to the Fort DeSoto dog beach in Florida.  I stopped going.  It's not usually just the other dogs that I have a problem with but mostly their owners.  For example, one day I went and I had my boxer, my sister's 2 little dogs, my at the time 3 year old and my at the time 12 year old.  There was a Jack Russell that was lifting it's leg on everyone's blankets, chairs, coolers, me.  I would have found it funny if it hadn't pissed me off so much that his owner was watching him do it and doing nothing about it.  Then I was in the water holding my 3 year old and the leash of my boxer (he's not fond of the water & he's a runner) when this, let's say woman because I am being nice-starts throwing a ball at us for her black lab to retrieve.  Nearly drowning me, my son and my dog in the process.  Did I mention that there was no one on either side of us.  People think that they can bring their dogs to the beach or the dog park and set them free.  The truth is for the safety of all you still have to make sure that your dog behaves.  I wish that I could go back and things would be better.  Did I forget to mention the fleas?