New York has no shortage of spots for swimming with dogs, but be warned:
there are hazards involved.

These hazards include contaminated water, $100 fines for swimming in a city park, tickets for being on most beaches, and aggressive swans (in spring 2000, a swan in Central Park killed a Jack Russell Terrier that belonged to designer Donna Karan's daughter Gabby).

There's only one watering hole in the area that's open to dogs with no strings attached: the Dog Beach in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. To get there, enter the park at Prospect Park West and 9th Street, then follow the path past the Tennis House on your left and through the Long Meadow to the Upper Pool. The beach is paved and fenced so that dogs can't swim too deep. It's not a spot for serious exercise swimming, but it's still a lot of fun. For photos, visit www.fidobrooklyn.com/features/dogbeach.html and Lia's Flickr page.

For year-round indoor swimming, visit Water4Dogs in Tribeca. Though it's primarily a facility for aqua therapy, they have scheduled open swim times. Reservations required.

Intrepid dog owners have alerted Urbanhound.com to the beaches listed below—but keep in mind that none of these spots is officially open to dogs, at least not year round. So don't say you weren't warned! Recently, one resident of Rockaway Beach in Queens, for example, told us that after years of daily walks on the beach with their dogs, she and her neighbors are suddenly getting ticketed by the police. The best way to avoid trouble is to go during the off season, or early in the morning.

Jamaica Bay, Gateway National Recreation Area, Brooklyn & Queens
The section of the Gateway National Recreation Area that surrounds Jamaica Bay has several nice beaches. Plum Beach is just off Shore Pkwy., near Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. A little further along Shore Pkwy. is Floyd Bennet Field, another spot with good access to the water. Then there's Fort Tilden, a 317-acre park toward the end of the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. A former US Army base, Fort Tilden has one of the last natural sand dune systems in the city. For more information call 718-338-3688 or visit www.nps.gov/gate.

Gravesend Bay Beaches, Coney Island, Brooklyn
An the westernmost tip of Coney Island, near Seagate, lie a few lovely quiet beaches that are open to the public, but these are not official public beaches with lifeguards and signs. "They are just there," a local told Urbanhound.com. "And a fine secret they are."

Great Kills Park, Staten Island
The place for swimming here is about halfway down the southeastern coast of the Island. For information, call 718-351-8700 or visit www.SI-Web.com/Recreation/GreatKills.html

Francis Lewis Park, Queens
At the foot of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, on the Queens side of Francis Lewis Park, is a tiny, dirty strip of a beach. Its appeal? According to urbanhounder Shariellen: "Relatively calm water for dogs who want to swim and a gate creating a certain degree of closure. " To get there take the Whitestone expressway toward the Whitestone bridge, and take "LAST EXIT BEFORE TOLL" (3rd Avenue?). Go to the end and make a right. Watch the parking restrictions!