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American Morning

Dog Beach Opens in New York

Aired August 01, 2002 - 08:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Another first for New York City this morning, maybe a first for the nation. A beach reserved just for four-legged swimmers.

CNN's Jeanne Moos wasn't allowed but that didn't stop her from jumping into the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may not be a tropical paradise. It doesn't even have waves. But who needs waves when you can create your own at the dog beach, where the only stroke you see is the genuine doggy paddle. No human swimmers allowed, owners must stay on shore.

(on camera): And what does Hugo (ph) think, do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, he loves it. Look at him. He's just laying down, chewing on somebody else's ball. It's heaven, it doesn't get much better.

MOOS (voice-over): Think of it as a public beach for dogs, in the heart of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, a dog-friendly park administrator dreamed up the idea after dogs kept ruining the embankment by jumping into the pond. A sloping concrete surface was laid, no sand, and the doggy swim area was fenced off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's to keep the dogs from the ducks over there.

MOOS: And now the dog beach has its regulars. Snowflake, for instance, comes every day because her owner says water is good therapy for joint problems caused by a car accident. And this guy is known as...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The lifeguard.

MOOS: Even though he never actually swims. Oscar (ph) here could have used a lifeguard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He almost drowned the first time. Oscar (ph), come back!

MOOS: That's one of the problems, getting the dogs to leave. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Finally, I had to go in up to here and drag her by her tail.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has made their summer bearable. It really has.

MOOS: Sassy (ph) and Brule (ph) came to Brooklyn from Manhattan, just to sample the beach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She flails. This one is like a muskrat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She rolls the ball off the rock, so that then she can go get it herself.

MOOS: If another dog doesn't get it first. Just as humans have their beach balls, beach dogs are nuts about balls.

(on camera): You have really got to watch your balls here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. It's not even her ball.

MOOS (voice-over): The beach seems to invigorate some dogs, while others, like Dizzy (ph) here, prefer to just plop themselves down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the perfect ending for a beautiful day here.

MOOS: Ever since the dog beach opened a few weeks ago, there has been a whole lot of shaking going on.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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