Dog Owners Must Heel to Beach Rules

With urbanization, come regulations; small individual freedoms yield to the greater good.

But last week Encinitas held the pressures of urbanization at bay in a small way when the city approved a six-month experiment to allow dogs to run free along a three-quarter-mile strip of beach, as long as their owners are nearby.

Most beaches are too crowded anymore to allow dogs to play Frisbee or jog with their owners or to romp in the surf--for obvious reasons. Fiesta Island, a small piece of Ocean Beach called Dog Beach, and part of the Del Mar beach may be the only stretches left that don’t require a dog to be on a leash, at least part of the year. Many beaches prohibit dogs altogether.

But we’re glad dog owners were able to persuade the Encinitas City Council to give it a try.

Beacon’s Beach was a state-run beach until recently, when the city of Encinitas took it over. Dogs were allowed there with a leash, but in practice often ran free. So this experiment just continues a tradition.

The pressure of population growth will probably one day make the tradition impractical. Even now, it is only reasonable during certain hours of the day in summer. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, unleashed dogs will be allowed from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

But dog owners in Encinitas can learn from the experience of San Diego’s Dog Beach, which came under fire last year because owners were not cleaning up after their pets.

Only if owners consistently scoop up droppings and follow the rules to protect the bluffs will they be able to keep this small bit of casual beach-town flavor. And make a lot of dogs very happy.