Dogs on the Beach Cause Quite a Stir in Kittery, Maine

It’s enough to make you go barking mad.  I’m a dog lover so let me put that out there.  I also love to take my dogs to the beach.  According to seacoastonline there is a debate raging between dog owners and town officials that would leave anyone barking mad in Kittery, Maine.  Currently, you can take your dog Fort Foster and Seapoint Beach and roam free, off-leash, as long as your dog is controlled.  And there is the rub.

What one person calls “controlled” another person may see as crazy.  For example, I have an English Cream Golden Retriever named Apollo, which is kind of like having a pet polar bear.  He is a big guy, over 100 pounds and a gentle giant but he likes to smile.  Some people think it’s a smile and other people perceive that a giant white wolf is headed straight to rip their throat out.

Keep in mind, Apollo has never been aggressive toward any human or dog, but he is a large animal and I can’t control how others view him.  Understanding other people’s fears, I keep him on a leash when not in a fenced-in backyard.  He doesn’t mind.  In fact, the one time I tried taking him off leash he got lost and it stressed him out more than me.

But the folks in Kittery are in an uproar.  They are looking to re-write the town's dog ordinance and there was even a suggestion that dog owners pay a fee to bring their dogs to the beach.  The bottom line is it appears that there are some pet owners that spoil it for the rest of us.  There is always that one person that doesn’t pick up the poo or leaves the bag of poo on the sidewalk.  RUDE. Just the other day I went for a walk on North Hampton Beach in NH and guess what I saw dog poop. I watched this dog take a poop and the owner kept on walking. I wasn't too happy about that.

According to seacoastonline, the good news is since the hiring of an Animal Control Officer, the complaints have gone way down since the previous two years.  Let’s hope the Police Chief Robert Richter, Kittery Town Council Chairwoman Judy Spiller and all members of the Parks Commission and Conservation Commission can work out a solution with clear rules, so all sides are in agreement.