Photos by Michael Garcia.
New green fencing now surrounds a portion of Bixby Park, welcoming pet owners to bring their dogs and let them run around with the freedom of being unleashed.
The park comes as a collaboration between the Friends of Bixby Park (FOBP) and Councilwomen Suzie Price and Jeannine Pearce, as the park borders both districts the two councilmembers oversee.
“It’s huge for public safety and community engagement,” Price told the Post. “You can imagine people will be less inclined to commit crimes when there’s a whole bunch of people standing in a park with their dogs.”
Price said she had been actively searching for another location for a new dog park for the last several years and this strategic location helps serve two districts, District 3 which lies east of Junipero Avenue and the Bluff Heights area and District 2 which covers Alamitos Beach and Rose Park South.
The push to improve safety in this community follows the opening of a field office for Pearce and her staff at the Bixby Community Center in July.
The park’s fencing costs an estimated $100,000 and was suggested by Friends of Bixby Park. It is ADA accessible with concrete areas and doors separating two fenced areas for small and large dogs.
“When FOBP reached out and suggested the historic fencing, the cost was really substantial,” Price said at the opening. “It was something that was important to them, and I agree with them now, standing here looking at it.”
Attendees were able to sign up to become Friends of the Park, offering to volunteer in monthly cleanups and to make sure dog bags are available for park users. Information for micro-chipping and vaccines was also available and Live, Love Animal Rescue encouraged people to spay/neuter and to adopt pets in shelters.
“This is one of the best dog parks I think that we have in the whole city now,” Mayor Robert Garcia said at the opening.
Out of about 490,000 residents citywide, an estimated 50,000 households in Long Beach have dogs. Now those dogs have a place to safely be off their leash and both them and their owners have a chance to make new friends.
The Bixby Dog Park is located on 130 Cherry Avenue on the corner of Cherry Avenue and East Broadway.