Saugeen Shores councillors are looking at revisiting rules for dogs on beaches in the Town.
At Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, (July 25) councillors received a correspondence from a long-time resident and dog owner asking for more space or time to allow dogs to be walked on beaches in the summer.
The residents says a bylaw forbids any dogs on the beach from May 1st to October 1st, noting he understands no dogs are allowed on the main beach during its busy hours, and also notes there is a dog beach in Port Elgin, but says it’s all rocks, and says he’s seen broken glass on the dog beach. He also says he’s heard of dogs being injured on the slippery rocks. “It’s just not a safe place for our dogs,” reads his letter.
He contends that the dog beach at MacGregor Point Provincial Park requires most people to drive to it, and not everyone can afford to buy a seasonal pass to enter the park. He says driving to Concession Rd #4 is not ideal either, just to be able to walk a dog on the beach. He’s asking for a piece of sandy beach that dog owners can use, perhaps in off-peak hours from 9p.m. to 9 a.m.
His suggestions include considering the Izzard road beach access or Gobles Grove, both in Port Elgin.
Deputy Mayor Don Matheson said during discussion, “I think this is something we’ve talked about a lot but it is an issue I think that we can revisit again,” noting the space allotted on beaches for dog parks is ‘very small,’ adding “If we did change the times a little bit, I think that would please everybody.”
Matheson suggested asking staff to bring a report back to council on the matter.
Vice Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt also supported the suggestion saying, “I’ve heard over my eight years on council many questions, concerns about dogs on beaches. Of course, and some like them, some don’t but the dog owners certainly believe that there should be better areas designated for dogs and not just rocky beaches that aren’t good for paws.”
He added, “Let’s take a look, and maybe there’s a small section of beach somewhere that we can take our dogs, I don’t own a dog but I think it’s important to provide space for dog owners with a sand beach somewhere.”
Mayor Luke Charbonneau agreed it’s worth considering, noting, “I have received several pieces of correspondence on dog beaches in the last short little while.” He noted he had spoken to staff that day about how to revisit the matter.
It was agreed upon that staff will be directed to include the item for consideration in their 2023 business plan.