OVERVIEW

In the East Bay’s city of Richmond (bordering El Cerrito), home to Rosie the Riveter and the former Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant (now home to small businesses and an event venue), at the western end of Central Avenue in theRichmond Annex neighborhood, resides Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, home to the nation’s largest off-leash dog park that runs along the Bay Trail between I-580 and the San Francisco Bay. If you’re looking for an off-leash dog park with walkable trails, go do the CANGO at Point Isabel.

IS THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT/SERVICE WORTH A VISIT?

Point Isabel is probably the most popular dog park in the East Bay because it is the largest official off-leash dog park. It is large enough to have paved and cleared pathways to walk around which is much nicer than standing in a small gated park. It is also cleared and less brushy and “ticky” (filled with ticks) than some other East Bay parks. We have made a number of park buddies at Point Isabel, as many of the regulars enjoy walking together in spontaneous packs.  The park also offers varied terrain for the dogs and their people to walk on which I have been told is good for canine craniums.

In my opinion, Point Isabel is most pleasant when it is not over-crowded because that is when fights are more likely to occur. I prefer weekdays and if you go at a consistent time, you will likely see the same people which is nice for building community.

A word of warning: during the dry summer months the park can get overrun by foxtails. For those who do not know what foxtails are, they are pointy dry weeds that can burrow into your dog’s fur and work their way into their blood stream and potentially lead to death. One of Lovie’s friends who goes to the park with a dog walker had to have two surgeries in one week to remove twenty foxtails in the webbing of her paw. The moral of the story is: make it a habit to check your dog carefully before getting into your car because the foxtails work their destructive magic quickly.

Yet, with all of its flaws and challenges, if you are in the I-80 part of the East Bay, you will definitely be remiss if you do not take your dog to Point Isabel.

HOW PET-FRIENDLY IS IT?

The comfort level of the off-leash dog park area is good. Point Isabel offers a great way to let your dog be a dog. Since it is a popular park, it attracts both responsible and irresponsible dog owners, meaning: some people take the time to train and socialize their dogs so that they are nice; while others let their dogs behave badly, putting them on the naughty list.

Even though the park is right next to I-580 highway and at the bottom of a major street (Central Avenue is major enough to be an entrance/exit to two major national highways I-80 and I-580), the actual park area does not feel polluted by car exhaust and you do not feel overwhelmed by automobile sounds. This could be because it is right on the Bay and I think the bay breeze and damp air may lessen the transmission of sound.

As an official park of the East Bay Regional Park District they do offer water bowls (many donated I believe by regular visitors), water stations with human and dog fountains, and public restrooms with sinks with running water in the main entrance on Central and without running water in the back entrance on Rydin.

If you are looking for a treat or snack for you and/or your dog, you can visit Mudpuppy’s Sit and Stay Café at the main Central Avenue entrance. They offer a number of pet treats including doggie ice cream. I have noticed a number of standoffs between begging and guarding dogs, so you may want to keep this in mind, if you decide to sit there with food, you really need to keep an eye on your dog and others who may feel competitive and ever hopeful for dropped morsels.

Mudpuppy’s also offers bathing services and nail clipping; so if your dog “gets its money’s worth” as I like to say about dogs that are covered in the mud from low tide, you can let someone else deal with getting him/her clean before they get into your car.

IS IT CONVENIENT OR A PAIN IN THE —?

Although there are three small free parking lots on either end of the park and street parking along Central Avenue and Rydin Road, parking can be challenging depending on when you go. If you go on a holiday or weekend, good luck finding a spot- there are too many not-ready-for-prime-players over-crowding the park, especially between 11AM to 5PM. However, if you go off-peak or on a weekday, you will likely encounter regulars and experience less potential drama that ensues when there are too many dogs that do not get enough regular exercise and owners who do not have their dogs under control.

The surrounding area is pedestrian-friendly. If the two mile loop in the dog park is not enough, you can leash your dog and venture along the Bay Trail for many more miles either north towards Point Richmond (4.8 miles) or south towards Berkeley (3.3 miles) or Emeryville (6 miles). Lovie and I used to run regularly to Rosie the Riveter in Point Richmond and then hit the park.

It is safe and comfortable to walk around with a pet. Lovie and I go regularly throughout the week, sometimes five days a week and rarely less than three. My own personal opinion is that weekends can be hit or miss in terms of fights as it can get very crowded and many of the dogs that appear on weekends do not seem to get enough off-leash exercise or training on weekdays.

Also, because all the dogs are off-lead, pack behavior can ensue in a flash. I personally would not bring a young puppy under 6 months old and when I started to introduce Lovie to the park, I always made sure he was with a friend so that he would not be targeted or bullied by older and more dominant alpha dogs. Obviously, owners have different philosophies. My approach is based on the fact that I have witnessed more than one puppy getting attacked and that often leads to major injuries and fear aggression in the puppy. (Visit Point Isabel Dog Owners at PIDO.org to find out more about the park and hear from other owners who frequent the park).

It is extremely easy to dispose of waste, with trash bins with thick, quality doody bag dispensers approximately every 10 yards in the official park area and four in the “point” area that borders the Marin Island Wildlife Refuge frequented by birdwatching enthusiasts.

Rules for pet visitors posted by East Bay Regional Park District are as follows: (1) Keep dogs on leash in parking lots and on streets (outside the official park area). (2) carry a leash (flat six-foot maximum not retractable leash).  (3) Keep their dog or other animal under voice control and within sight at all times.  (4) Clean up feces deposited by their dog or other animal and place it in provided and marked containers or garbage cans.

*(5) As I recall, at one time the park also rightfully restricted how many dogs each individual could have with him/her without a professional license.

The closest emergency vet is Pet Emergency Treatment Services located on University Ave at Tenth in Berkeley.  [Please note: we provide this information as a 24/7 resource not a recommendation. However, in this instance, I know that this is where all the locals go for after hour emergencies.]*