A dog travel Oregon coast checklist is mostly a list of things you'll wish you'd brought at 4pm on the first day, when the dog is soaked, sandy, and thrilled and you have one towel. Manzanita is one of the best dog beaches in the country: seven miles of sand, off-leash allowed on the open beach, and a town that puts water bowls outside its shops. Here's how to show up ready.
Pack this
- Towels, plural. Old ones. At least two per dog per day. The rental will have some, but not enough for the way a dog uses towels.
- A long line or 30-foot leash for beaches where off-leash isn't allowed or your recall isn't beach-proof yet.
- A dry bag or plastic tub for the car ride home with the wet gear.
- Fresh water and a bowl. Dogs drink salt water when they're thirsty and then regret it, usually on your floor.
- Paw balm and a brush. Sand and salt dry out pads; a nightly rinse and rub helps.
- Waste bags, more than you think.
- A crate or bed they know, so the new house has one familiar spot.
- Vet records and flea and tick prevention. Coastal grass has ticks. Check ears and armpits nightly.
- A headlamp for the pre-dawn or post-sunset walks the dog will insist on.
Know the water
The Oregon coast is not a swimming beach for dogs in the way a lake is. The water is cold, the currents are strong, and sneaker waves, which rush much farther up the sand than the waves before them, can knock a dog off its feet and pull it out. Keep dogs out of the surf zone beyond a splash, and keep them off driftwood logs at the tideline entirely; a log that looks anchored can roll when a wave lifts it. Our beach safety post covers this for people too.
Also watch for dead sea creatures. Dogs eat washed-up things, and some of them (certain fish, some algae) can make a dog very sick. A firm "leave it" earns its keep here.
Where the dog is welcome
The Manzanita beach itself allows dogs off leash if they're under voice control, which is the main event. Nehalem Bay State Park next door has a long beach and campground trails; dogs on leash there, and watch for the horse trail. Short Sand Beach at Oswald West, ten minutes north, is leash-only but the surf is gentler and the forest walk in is a treat. Neahkahnie Mountain allows leashed dogs and is steep; bring water. Cannon Beach, 25 minutes north, allows dogs on the sand around Haystack Rock, leashed in the busy areas.
In town, most of the shops on Laneda Avenue have bowls outside, several patios welcome dogs, and the farmers market on summer Fridays is fine with a leashed, calm dog. The Tillamook Creamery does not allow dogs inside, so plan that stop around a nap at the house.
Rules and etiquette, briefly
- Off-leash is a privilege on Manzanita's beach and depends on real voice control. If your dog chases birds a quarter mile down the sand, leash up.
- Snowy plovers nest in roped-off areas on some north coast beaches in spring and summer. Stay out of the ropes, dog or not.
- Pick up every time. The beach is shared with kids building forts.
- Not every dog on the beach wants to say hi. Ask before letting yours approach.
At the house
Rinse before entering. This is the whole secret to a good week. Puffin Lane, our four-bedroom in Manzanita, sits about a ten-minute walk from the beach on the golf course, with a cedar hot tub for you and a hose for the dog. Dogs are welcome, no nightly pet fee, and we keep a stack of dog towels for exactly this reason. A tired dog on a familiar bed while you soak is the correct end to a Manzanita day.
A sample day
Early beach walk at low tide when the sand is hard and wide. Coffee on Laneda. Midday nap for everyone while the wind picks up. Late afternoon at Short Sand or Nehalem Bay for a change of scenery. Rinse, dinner, sunset from the beach in front of town, hot tub. Repeat until you have to leave. Our Manzanita things-to-do page has the rest of the options, most of them dog-friendly.
Your dog is going to have the best week of its year. Bring enough towels to keep up.