AIBU dogs on beaches

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

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

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

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

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'

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.

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.

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

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.

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,

I was walking back from the beach today, with my 3yo GD, when there was a tannoy announcement about dogs not being allowed on the beach. We were discussing why dogs shouldn't be on the beach, stepping in dog poo etc, when she announced that if dogs go on the beach they should be put in jail! I tried to tell her that if anyone should be put in jail it should be the dog's owner not the dog; but she was adamant. Though I am still pondering how a 3yo knows about jail.

I hate dogs on beaches. Me & DH we’re in Cornwall last year. Went to a lovely beach called Rock - fab sand, great place for a dip in the sea, was totally spoiled by dogs running around, weeing, pooing, basically doing what dogs do. Why can’t they just take them elsewhere? Drives me mad!

Why can't we take our dogs elsewhere ?It is becoming increasingly difficult to find somewhere dogs are welcome.If you look at British beaches to see when and where you can take your dogs many are restricted to a much smaller area.Some only in Winter.I don't have a problem with researching in advance and sticking to those dog friendly zones and times.I do object to never being abke to enjoy a beach walk with my dogs.
The reality is there is far more beach available to those without dogs to enjoy, Our daughter lives a short distance from a popular beach where dogs are allowed.She rarely goes now as it's been too depressing with the huge amounts of litter,and she doesn't let her dogs off because of the amount of discarded food cartons and picnic rubbish that inevitably they would be tempted to investigate.Give me dogs over humans anyday. For every poo bag I carry back from a walk I have several other filled with cans,bottles etc.

Here in the NE coast we have a beautiful coastline and lovely clean beaches too. Sadly we don’t get the weather . We also have a strictly no dogs policy from 1st May - 30th September and anyone with a dog on the beach during those dates will be fined .

Fennel

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

I was thinking that patrols would have powers Fennel - same powers as traffic warden but for beaches, parks, etc.

Sadly the British public are a clarty lot, especially some young ones and loutish males. The service would surely pay for itself in fines and save the cost of clearing up the disgusting litter later.

Love that expression Furret " a clarty lot "

I haven't read all this thread, but Norfolk beaches have either no dogs on the beach in the summer months, or where there's just one beach access, dogs to the right, no dogs to the left. (Or visa versa.). That seems to work well.

Any excuse for the anti-dog brigade to have a moan! It's NOT the fault of the dogs - it's irresponsible owners, so why shouldn't responsible dog owners be able to walk their dogs wherever they want? I'm with the ones who say the mess left behind by humans is far worse.

grandtanteJE65

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.

Responsible owners do this if they want to stay on the beach for a long time. Many use windbreaks.
Dog walkers tend to carry water with them or have a bottle in the car for the dog to drink when they return to it.
I don't think you are a dog owner. Because to suggest that it is left in the car, in the shade with a window open, is not responsible for many reasons.

Unfortunately there are a growing number of people who don't consider others. Hence the tons of dangerous rubbish left on beaches every day, many of which are cleared up by volunteers.

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

Crikey, grandtanteje65, that's a shocking thing to even suggest.

Totally agree Woodmouse49

The damage that humans cause is incredible.

I live by a beach.

Who is it that leaves rubbish? Burned BBQs. Filled nappy bags. Plastic cartons. The list is endless

Give me a dog any day

Also the volunteer rubbish collectors on our beach are finding human excrement in takeaway boxes and other containers.

And people worry about dogs.

washerwoman

Come to Cornwall.

Over 300 beaches and only 47 that have some restrictions. Most have a 2 month restriction: 10am to 6pm (July + August
The rest are Blue Flag beaches which have just over a 4 month restriction: 10am to 6pm
Only one has a total ban all year (it's an estuary).

This was done following the feedback from the Public Spaces Protection Orders consultation/questionnaires last year. The times are now consistent across the county and fit in the lifeguards time on beaches.

Oopsminty

"Also the volunteer rubbish collectors on our beach are finding human excrement in takeaway boxes and other containers"
Here, in Cornwall, before the toilets were full operational, the beaches, and in particular the dunes, were used as toilets. It was even found in carparks.

I wish I could say the beaches are now totally free of human excrement but they are not.

There’s human filth plastered all over our local beaches here in Cornwall, it’s disgusting the amount of litter people leave behind, I regularly pick up various items of rubbish for the bins provided whilst walking my dog ! More people should contribute toward the endless mission of keeping beaches clean and free of #PlasticPollution - get your gloves on and pick it up, even if it’s not yours.

Our beaches are pristine and we do have regular patrols throughout the summer months ( not just for dog walkers) . Anyone letting their dog in the sands will be be fined and I know people who have been .