AIBU dogs on beaches

i do not think that dogs should be allowed on beaches, they are not kept on leads thus allowing the dogs to wander wherever, almost knocking our toddler over then went on to poo,

We can only walk our dog on the Sandy part of the beach, if on the lead until September.

As for waste on the beaches, dog poo is a tiny part of the other waste on the beach, and no, it may not cause toxocariasis, but I dread to think what the human waste can cause or the condoms filled with semen. I've seen children pick those up thinking they are balloons, or used tampons; 'look mummy I've found a lipstick', you can imagine how her mummy reacted.

Most of us are very responsible dog owners, and to be very honest, the rubbish left by visiting humans is f a r far greater than from us dog owners.

Furret I've been thinking of something like that, but many visitors would take no notice of the patrols.

I wouldn't have a picnic anywhere near
a dog poo bin would you?
My friend got tossed in the air by a large dog which was racing another dog on an open stretch of beach. She landed badly on her ankle and never completely recovered- pins in her ankle,pain clinics etc. She later had two types of cancer but she told me what happened that day on the beach impacted her life way more than the cancers ever did. Be careful.

Totally agree with a previous post, people who leave litter, plastic bottles, disposable BBQs are far worse and have a far worse effect on the sea and environment. Most dog owners are responsible, and I like to see dogs enjoying the sea too, but can fully understand that some people don't like dogs and so some sections could be cordoned off for no dog areas. Where I take my dog, there are so many dog poo bins along the sea wall that it is a rare occurrence to find any dog mess anywhere on the beach. What does get my goat though is people who bother to pick up their dogs droppings but then they hang the bag up in a bush or tree, maybe thinking thatvtheybwill collect it on the way back, but always seem to forget. I hope that's the reason and not some sort of new decorating cult for woodland areas. If you can't be bothered to pick it up on the way back, just get a stick and flick the poop away from the path, it will then biodegrade naturally and no one will step on it. But no pop on beaches please, and more importantly, day trippers, take all your litter and left overs home with you.

LinkyPinky I agree. As I walked the beach this morning, I literally thought 'My council tax pays to maintain this facility for people who don't pay for it, while I'm not allowed to use it'

Iam64

Humans make much more mess, leave human poo, empty cans, bottles, bbq, rotting food etc on our beaches and beauty spots. The lock down period has been dreadful for litter.
Most areas have groups of volunteers cleaning up.
It’s simple we should pick up after our dogs and ourselvesr

When football fans got violent in the 70’s onwards Maggie banned and restricted ALL fans not just those involved. Same must happen to dog owners unless you police yourselves and you dont

Barmeyoldbat

Dogs have no place on beaches, plenty of other space for them to run around and do what dogs do.

Agree absolutely but try telling dog owners that

Totally agree,they’re a dam nuisance especially if your sunbathing jumping around every where

Humans make much more mess, leave human poo, empty cans, bottles, bbq, rotting food etc on our beaches and beauty spots. The lock down period has been dreadful for litter.
Most areas have groups of volunteers cleaning up.
It’s simple we should pick up after our dogs and ourselvesr

I live in Devon. We pay the highest water rates in the country to maintain the excellent water quality of our coast, and extremely high council tax towards keeping the beaches clean for the benefit of the tourist industry. All well and good. We welcome our summer visitors. I do feel it is a bit unfair then, that local people who have dogs are excluded from the beaches we pay to keep clean. All mess should be cleared up, obviously, whatever species makes it.

A lot more broken glass than I've ever seen before

Aberdeen beach has a clearly designated dog free area. You can take dogs on the remainder of the beach. It is well used by dog walkers most of which are responsible for picking up poo.

Oldbat1

I am a dog lover and owner. We have miles and miles of beautiful empty sandy beach in the North East. There are a few beaches where dogs shouldnt be between May and Sept which I don’t have a problem with. However this year dogs aside it has dreadful with human poo!! It is disgusting in the dunes and on the beach. No effort to cover it over also masses of used toilet paper strewn everywhere. Broken glass, used bbq, tinfoil, plastic containers. I despair sometimes.

Same here in the NW.

We have scores of volunteers every evening as a they've had to deal with many a human poo. Sometimes in a cardboard box Other times wrapped in baby wrap. Lots of litter of all sorts.

So give me a beach filled with lovely dogs please

I am a dog lover and owner. We have miles and miles of beautiful empty sandy beach in the North East. There are a few beaches where dogs shouldnt be between May and Sept which I don’t have a problem with. However this year dogs aside it has dreadful with human poo!! It is disgusting in the dunes and on the beach. No effort to cover it over also masses of used toilet paper strewn everywhere. Broken glass, used bbq, tinfoil, plastic containers. I despair sometimes.

Dogs are not allowed on the beach near(ish) the town at any time in summer which is ridiculous. There's no reason why dogs shouldn't be there eg 8pm-8am. Many seaside towns have an older demographic than inland, and having to walk half a mile along the front (and half a mile back) before the dog can be taken off the lead is very tiring for some of us older folk.
We walk our dogs every day, fair weather or foul. In normal times, we pick up holiday-maker rubbish off the beach. We pick up glass and cans off the prom. In 4+ years of walking the beach, I don't remember seeing dog poo on the actual beach.
When the tide is high, there are few places to let the dog have a run. Local parks are really just a small green space. Alternatively I can get in my car, and drive a few miles... (not environmentally friendly)

I think YABU for well behaved dog owners but entirely reasonable towards the irresponsible owners. Unfortunately, even a curfew doesn't remove dog poo. I am a dog owner and I get really mad about people not clearing up after themselves, not controlling their animals and thinking everybody else should automatically love their dogs. I feel the same way about horse owners who are allowed to exercise their horses on our local beach but feel they don't need to clear up their droppings. It is disgusting.

Dogs shouldn't be taken to the beach at all, unless their owners have a large sunshade and drinking water for the animal too, which I bet they don't if they can't be bothered not to let them do their business on the beach, or clear up after them.

If the dog cannot be left at home, the car should be parked in the shade with a window open.

Anyone who owns a pet should consider what is best for the animal as well as what is best for people who do not necessarily want others' pets around.

I agree with your post 100%. To own a dog you should have to buy a licence. Older people and those with impairments could be exempt.
If the laws were tightened it would only take a few to be heavily fined and that might stop irresponsible dog owners.
I can see that a dog is a great companion and I can admire a lovely dog but I don't want poo to spoil my day or others.

We have designated places on our beaches where we can walk our dogs. You go onto it a lot further down than where families normally go. We all should be allowed on them as long as dog owners clear up the dogs mess, disgusting leaving it anywhere never mind the beach, and families clear up their plastic rubbish left from picnics etc that go into our seas.

With you there oopsminty... give me dogs on a beach any day... humans leave more crap than dogs do..ps I clean up after my dog ?

I read IOM to mean Isle of Man

I live next to a beach which allows dogs all year round. Most people clear up but a significant minority don’t despite the notices and lots of dog bins. Funnily enough it is much worse in the winter and was dreadful during the lockdown - clearly some people only have a social conscience if there are others about. Someone flung a bag over the hedge into our garden last week despite there being a bin directly opposite. My other pet hate is trying to play ball games with my grandchildren on the beach with dogs rushing over and taking the ball. The dogs won’t go back to their owners who keep shouting “he won’t hurt them”. My daughter was bitten by a dog on the beach as she went for a run!

Hi all it’s not the dogs that are a problem it’s the irresponsible owners and Generally irresponsible people it’s not dogs that leave broken glass, nappies, face masks and their rubbish every were because they are to lazy, stupid or both to dispose of properly.
Yes I am a dog owner but a responsible one who has the health of my dog and our environment and my fellow humans at the foremost. I would never dream of taking my dog to a packed beach especially in hot weather he would hate it. But all of our dogs have loved the beach and the sea and it is fabulous for them to be able to run around and for us to enjoy that environment with them. I have many many happy memories of time on beaches with our dogs. It’s not fair to punish the majority of us because of the stupidity of some.
I hate littering of any kind and on many occasions I’ve challenged people about this and that includes irresponsible dog owners.
It’s a shame that commonsense has gone out of the window. At some beaches in the UK they are big enough that there are areas where dogs are not allowed and then areas that they are.
I can’t wait to take our new rescue dog onto the beach but I will wait until the weather is cooler and there are less idiots on the beach, give me a sensible dog owner and well-trained dog rather than stupid people on the beach any day!

I am in no way suggesting that people that have commented on this thread are stupid. I completely agree dog poo on beaches is not acceptable.
Have a great day everybody

Froglady

At Sandown on the Isle of Wight there is a ban on dogs on the beach during certain months - I was on the beach there last year and saw this large dog being sent onto the beach by woman with it. After it had done a large pile of poo she called and it trotted off the beach to her. I was too far away to ask the woman to clean up the poo; disgusting and I think it was a regular insurance.

That was supposed to read occurrence not insurance! Predictive text, I hate it.