Pet Friendly Beaches
By Lynn Lopez
The sight of a person playing Frisbee or running with his dog in pictures, ads, and even movies makes for a heartwarming, relaxing sight, and would make you think that you can take your canine friend by the seashore. After all, the beach is part of the great outdoors, and surely animals are free to pay it a visit, right?
Unfortunately, that’s wrong. It would probably surprise you to find out that pets aren’t always welcome on beaches. This is mainly due to the fact that there are dog owners who are irresponsible with their pets, letting them roam around unchecked and failing to clean up after them.
But beaches aren’t totally ignoring beachgoers with dogs. There are beaches that allow you to bring your dog, but they do have a set of rules which you must follow. For example, for most pet-friendly beaches, you need to keep your dog on a leash, and others won’t allow you to use a leash that is more than six feet long. You are also required to clean up after your dog, naturally, and for a lot of places, there are only certain months out of the year when you can bring your pet.
Here's a quick list of pet-friendly beaches, where they’re located, and their rules for you and your pooch.
- Huntington Dog Beach, California prides itself on being one of the few beaches where dogs can freely frolic. You only need to pick up after your pet and dispose of all waste in the trash cans scattered all over the beach. You will also be welcomed by people who monitor all activity on the beach and even hand out doggie bags.
- In St. George Island, Florida, your dog must be on a leash or they should be trained to respond to voice commands. A good thing about this beach is that they don’t charge any extra fees for bringing your pet. Numerous establishments around the area also welcome pets.
- Many beaches on Oahu, Hawaii, such as Kailua, Lanikai, and Mahakea, allow dogs, as long as you observe correct etiquette as a dog owner.
- In Croatia, there are few city beaches that allow dogs, so your best bet would be to check out the beaches outside the city.
- Poppit Sands in Wales is popular among the local dog owners as well as tourists. All of the beaches in the Pembrokeshire National Park welcome dogs as well.
So if you're taking a trip to the beach with your dog, find out if your planned destination will welcome your friend, and don’t forget to be a responsible dog owner.
Also see: Puppies , Dogs , Pet Horoscopes
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