Forget Surf City:

Some news: Huntington Beach has gone to the dogs, but all is well.

Last week, I received a note from Martin Senat, the president (and heart and soul) of Huntington Dog Beach.

“Chris — I thought your readers might like to hear that more than 12 years after opening, Huntington Dog Beach is being included in the awards this July 20 at 6 p.m. at the Huntington Beach City Council meeting. The city will be awarded ‘DogTown USA’ this year by the Dog Fancy Magazine, and Dog Beach will receive a check for our outstanding contribution. We at Dog Beach are delighted to have paid a small part in this worthy cause that benefits both this beautiful city and animals.”

Well, as has been written in this column before, Senat at times has had his hands full with Dog Beach, tirelessly juggling responsibilities and the occasional civic challenges. Given all that, I’m sure Senat felt a good degree of satisfaction from this news. And, in fact, it’s a nice comment on the entire city, as I learned from Susan Chaney, the editor at Dog Fancy.

She told me that typically the magazine considers about 100 cities each year, depending on how many cities are nominated by readers.

“There is no voting process,” she told me. “Once we get in all the nominations, we contact four entities in each city to get information on about 25 criteria — everything from how many vets there are to what kind of dog events take place each year, to how many dogs are euthanized each year at the shelter. Then we select the top cities and do further research into those. They’re ranked, and the city with the highest score is DogTown USA.”

This year, for the first time, Dog Fancy decided to do a big, mid-sized and small city so that some smaller communities would have a chance to win the title — and Huntington Beach won in the Mid-Sized DogTown USA category this year. (Other mid-sized cities researched in depth this year included Sioux Falls, S.D.; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Sanford, Fla.; Bellingham, Wash.; Boulder, Colo.; Coral Springs, Fla. and Fort Collins, Colo.)

As for what pushed Huntington Beach to the front of the pack, Chaney told me, “Having a beach dog park is a big plus. There just aren’t that many beaches in the U.S. where dogs can be without leashes. Huntington Beach’s is known all over the country. And the 80% spay-neuter rate is truly admirable. Very few cities we’ve researched can claim that high a percentage.”

And there were more reasons: “It seems like everyone is Southern California who knows dogs knows the Park Bench Café; and it’s in Huntington Beach! The city has a nice complement of veterinarians and specialists. Plus, 820 dogs through a shelter in a city of 30,000 dogs indicates that owners are keeping their dogs in the house, in their yards or on leashes. That’s a super number, as is the number of those dogs (610) who are either found by their owners, adopted or rescued.”

In addition, Chaney cited the fact that the downtown area is extremely walkable and hospitable to dogs.

“Every city that has won DogTown USA has walkable downtown areas of some kind,” she said.

The beach is receiving a $2,000 donation from the magazine. Whenever Dog Fancy choose a city as DogTown USA, they — or one of their sponsors for the competition — make a donation to a local organization that makes a difference in the life of dogs.

As for her personal experience here, Chaney told me, “I have never been to the Huntington Dog Beach, but I will be this Saturday for the Surfin Paws surf competition. I have a small mixed breed who LOVES the beach. Unfortunately, he also loves to chase sea gulls, so I have to be careful with him in unfenced areas.”

I was also curious why the folks at Dog Fancy think parks like Dog Beach are important for a community.

“Dog parks (whether beach or not) are important for three reasons,” Chaney explained. “1)They help bring a core of dedicated dog lovers together to create something new in a city or town, and during that process, they bring the dog population of the community to the City Council’s attention. 2) They allow dogs to run leash free. Most dogs revel in this freedom, enjoy spending time with their fellow dogs, and need the exercise. 3) Dog owners can mix and mingle, enjoy their dogs, and learn from each other.”

Well put.

If you’re unfamiliar with Dog Fancy, it is the most widely read dog magazine in the world, with about 1 million readers a month. They’ll be celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2010, and their mission is to help dog owners make the most of their relationships with their dogs, to care for them well, and to enjoy them every day. Visit them at www.dogchannel.com.

And Martin: Thank you again for all the hard work. You and your team should be very proud.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 14 books, including the new “Huntington Beach Then & Now.” You can write him at chris@chrisepting.com .