AIBU dogs on beaches

Exactly Jess20. My favourite beach is a dog beach. I like it because it's very remote. This is also why it's a dog beach, so far away from most beach goers. I've never seen any poo despite the fact that professional dog walkers with 4 or 5 dogs ? use it.

If only all dog owners took any notice of bans! There are rules in this respect at my local beaches but from what I see, many dog owners don't take a blind bit of notice. If beaches aren't patrolled and rules enforced, I fear there will always be some fouling.

If you are responsible they is no reason for dogs not been on the beach.My dog is part of my family.We always go to dog friendly beaches always clear up any mess and take a windbreaker for shade and water.I don't see why my dog shouldn't enjoy the sea as well

Where I live dogs are only allowed on a certain part of the beach and nearly everyone keeps to this so it works well , also they have quite a few dog poo bins along that stretch

The village we go to has a blue flag beach. The central area -where most people congregate - is dog free in the summer season. But a short walk in either direction and there are areas where dogs are allowed. Tbh we prefer those quieter areas anyway and have not seen dog poo but are only walking along and not digging!!

We often go to an all year round dog freindly beach, looks like mostly locals use it as it's not particularly pretty or commercialized, and all the ones I've chatted to say they very much want it to stay dog friendly. There are other nearby beaches which are no dogs. I think it's a fair compromise. I have never seen dog poo left on this particular beach, everyone is very careful to clear up. If it was a busy family beach I guess restrictions like a limit to part of the beach is fair enough, or time of day restrictions, but poo could still remain on the beach above the tide line if it's not cleared away. Unfortunately there are always a few people who will spoil a reasonable arrangement though, not train or supervise their dogs properly. I'd support large fines for not clearing up after dogs and other antisocial behaviour. I worry that many people have purchased dogs and little puppies during lockdown and will now have to think about how to manage them once back to their jobs and long hours out of the house. Perhaps owning dogs could be made more difficult, not by banning them but by making more effort to ensure they are cared for responsibly and dog licencing.

'whilst I agree the mess left can be horrendous, you can’t catch toxocariasis from it'.
Maybe not, but what about used syringe needles and other such 'delicacies'?

There is usually a designated part of the beach, for people with dogs and I must say the majority of dog owners are very responsible, they keep control of their dogs and clear up after them. They take their dogs on holiday with them because they are part of their family. Our dog loved going in the sea and we have lots of happy memories of those times. Why ban them? It's unreasonable.

Dogs don't belong on beaches! We never take ours to a beach (apartfrom the fact there is no beach close to us. But dogs often just go mad on the beach with the infinite space and water!

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

As someone who worked in a special school I had dealings with a child who had lost their eye sight through contact with dog poo. Dog owners need to be aware of this risk- and appreciate why there needs to be dog free zones on beaches. I’ve also had a dog cock his leg on my towels. My youngest son was traumatised by an aggressive dog running free on a beach, the owner took ages to act. Took a lot of work to overcome his fears. I do actually like dogs.

Our beaches do not allow dogs from mid May until mid September (S E Essex)

The thought of sitting on a beach with a dog pooing nearby makes me feel ill. Dogs should not be allowed on beaches.

A lot of beaches have restrictions prohibiting dogs from April to September. The months when beaches are known to be used more often. A lot of dog owners think if they allow their dog to foul a beach it will be cleared away by the tide. I have had dogs for many years and think taking a dog on a beach in the busy months is disgusting.

I'd rather share a beach with dogs than with most people. In my experience dog owners are generally better at clearing up their mess than the vast majority of families. (I know there are exceptions) Witness the devastation of litter left behind at the end of a long day and compare with abandoned dog poo. It's not as if food/drink litter is smelly to take home if the bins are full. The amountbif entitled folk who seem to think it's someone else's job to clear up after trm astonishes me.

Jaxie

Nobody has mentioned the danger of children & pregnant women contracting toxocariasis from dog poo. If children crapped on beaches there would be an uproar: what is more important than the health of humans as balanced against the need of dog owners to exercise their dogs responsibly?

Isn't this ONLY if they're not wormed? I would have thought that the dogs with owners who take them to the beach will have been wormed.

And my grandson DID poo on the beach a couple of weeks ago. He's 2. Jeez. Sue me. I cleaned it up.

Nobody has mentioned the danger of children & pregnant women contracting toxocariasis from dog poo. If children crapped on beaches there would be an uproar: what is more important than the health of humans as balanced against the need of dog owners to exercise their dogs responsibly?

I have 2 dogs. Firstly in this hot weather they were walked at 6am and 8 pm to avoid the heat. Responsible owners do not leave poo anywhere and certainly not on the beach. I would be worried about covering poo with sand though because the children may play there. If I did see poo on the beach I would move it off the beach if I had a bag of any description. It’s not my responsibility to deal with other dogs poo but I wouldn’t want children playing in it. I hope you don’t take this as a criticism, more a sharing of a viewpoint. Obviously you have to be able to sanitise your hands always after picking up poo in a bag and lets face it, it’s very unpleasant, so I understand that non dog owners would find it hard

I work with dogs and we had ours 14 years. We only went to the doggy designated beaches and I think that is right. I’m tired of seeing dogs absolutely everywhere because owners won’t take responsibility and seem pretty entitled. I don’t like the abundance of dogs in shops and restaurants either. Don't get me wrong I love dogs but they need to be trained properly and not put on a pedestal.

I do not have a dog, but I enjoy watching them running on beaches, going in and out of the sea. They seem to enjoy it too. On the beach area in our city which is more heavily used than beaches outside the city, I think there was conflict between people with dogs and people with children though the two are not always separate. There was a suggestion that a part of the beach should be dog free which seemed a fair suggestion to me. But I don’t think it got anywhere. Dogs can be a problem off lead in parks, in the countryside. A dog whose poo is picked up and that is called to heel if it is being annoying and comes to heel when called is no problem to anyone else. It is some people that are the problem. I don’t think dogs should be always on leads, at home on their own while owners work and so on. It is no life for an animals. But we are selfish and use then for our own ends.

I have a dog, but I agree. I think some beaches there is a certain area where a dog can use.Or there are time limit which vary in summer and winter months.
In Australia near my dds there is a designated beach for dogs.

Even if poo is picked up and put in a bag, whats to stop a child playing in sand which has recently had dog poo on it?

At our local beach there are notices about keeping dogs on leads at all times and clearing up any mess. The dog owners ignore these signs and allow their dogs to run anywhere and even up to families with young children sitting on the beach. There are horses which are also on this beach.
I dont know why people think it is acceptable to force others into having their animals close by and at times joining a group of people sitting having a day out.
If it is your dog it is your poo, don't leave in for others to step in. This puts me off dogs

Dogs shouldn’t be on beaches, not just because it is unhygienic for people but also because the sand gets into the dogs’ pads and causes sore paws.

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.