Pensacola Dog Beach West — Attraction in Santa Rosa Island

Heads up!! We thought we were headed to a dog friendly area!! Sadly, no. This beach is literally 100 yards long which was a complete disappointment to us!! Upon arriving we were surprised to see everyone hanging onto their dogs crowded into a small spot along the beach front. A few were loose barking at everyone. We had done our research and had seen all the good reviews here but we were shocked by the size of the area for dogs. Also, no dogs off leash (which we witnessed anyway) so no frisbee throwing, no running on the beach. Everyone was just tightly hanging onto their dogs trying to keep them calm. We also saw numerous dogs barking at one another because of course it’s crowded. East dog beach on Pensacola beach is just as small, so not worth the time/effort. Thank goodness our Airbnb has a yard but we had to leave our dog behind to enjoy a walk on the beach. We’re sad that Pensacola is NOT dog friendly considering how long the island is and how much beach access there is! Dogs and owners need a mile to spread out and run. Hopefully Pensacola will fix this issue by adding more dog friendly mileage! We will be spending our next vacation on the Atlantic Ocean in a dog friendly beach town. We’ve had wonderful luck on the east coast with dog friendly beaches and we’re sorry that these ‘dog beaches’ here are so small compared to the population of Pensacola. We love the area otherwise but we travel with our dog and need some space to play...

The beach is a beautiful. This was our first time visiting so excuse me for not being up to date on all FL dog laws. Several people had their dogs off the leash. My two Yorkies are off leash trained and yes I had them off them when the beach was completely empty. We didn't walk through the dog park but the dunes next to it. I didn't see all the signs. We did however meet a very rude park ranger. Yes I completely understand I broke the law with having my dogs off the leash but what upset me more was the fact that she accused me of lying. Ok fine but she went on and on about how she might pass out from having to walk across the beach to get to us I assured her she was fine as I am a paramedic. At the end of our lecture she proceeded to tell me the next time I have a first responder to make sure I take better care as she just saved me from $800 in fines. If you have been in EMS as long as I have been (10+ years) WE ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN! ALWAYS!! It's insulting that she would even think I wouldn't. Regardless of the situation I would help anyone. My family and I will not be back...

It was great we found this beach, but very disappointing how small it is. It was our first vacation in the area and we discovered that there are no dog friendly beaches here… This one is, and that’s fantastic. However, it is only about 100 yards between designated markers, even though the empty beach goes east and west for miles. Then, out of sudden, a city pet control person showed up to check on all dogs and their owners. How difficult would be to make this dog beach 2-3 times longer so we all could spread out a little and enjoy it. The parking lot is small so we had to park along the road, which I don’t even know if it is legal. The parking lot at least had 2 porta potties, which seemed relatively clean. Again, very disappointing how the city (or the county) has to make it so difficult...