In light of the petition to allow dogs off leash on Gloucester public beaches how do you feel about the subject?
Below the poll is the petition and where you can go to sign it.
Toby and I discuss it in this week’s podcast. You can listen to it by clicking on the icon here-
Please note: we have just been informed that the City of Gloucester will not accept the online petition. We therefore are asking that people take the time to sign paper petitions which are available in Gloucester at the following locations:
Animal Krackers
Petco
Last Stop Variety
Paws at Play
North Shore Veterinary Hospital
Cape Ann Veterinary Hospital
The undersigned hereby petition the City Council as follows and request changes to the beach ordinance 4-16a.
Currently it reads:
Sec. 4-16a. Dogs prohibited on beaches at certain times.
Dogs shall be prohibited from public beaches from May 1 to September 15, annually. Dogs shall be allowed on public beaches from September 16 to April 30, annually, and shall be under the control of the owner or keeper.
(Ord. No. 95-1998, § I, 7-7-1998; Ord. of 7-23-2002, § I)
We hearby petition to amend ordinance 4-16a to include:
Dogs may be permitted, during the above mentioned dates, on City of Gloucester beaches, off-leash and for the purpose of exercise.
A. The dog must be under visual and voice control by owner/guardian at all times.
B. All dogs must wear a collar with current tags.
C. All dogs must have current vaccinations and licenses.
D. As a condition of admission to beach areas, the owner/guardian of such dog shall use a suitable container or instrument to remove dog feces and shall dispose of it in waste containers provided for that purpose.
E. Aggressive dogs are not permitted. Owners are legally responsible for any injury caused by their dogs.
F. Dogs shall not be left unattended.
G. Female dogs in heat are not permitted.
H. Use of the beach by the dog shall constitute implied consent of the dog’s owner/guardian to all regulations and shall constitute a waiver of liability to the City of Gloucester and an agreement to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Gloucester, its officials and employees for any injury or damage caused by a dog.
The creator of goodmorninggloucester.org Lover of all things Gloucester and Cape Ann. GMG where we bring you the very best our town has to offer because we love to share all the great news and believe that by promoting others in our community everyone wins.
View all posts by Joey Ciaramitaro
11 thoughts on “Poll- Should Dogs Be Alowed Off Leash On Gloucester Beaches From Sepember 16th To April 30th?”
I tired of wet dogs foaming at the mouth jumping on me or rubbing up against me on the beaches during off season. As the owner is yelling “don’t worry, he’s friendly…..giggle giggle giggle”
Don’t we have a dog park???
I understand both sides here. I do have to say that as co-founder of the dog park we were very clear in all hearings and meetings with city council that the creation of the dog park was never intended to be the sole off-leash recreation area for dogs. It was designed to be an alternate area for dogs and their human companions to enjoy. Without going into more details, I felt this was an important fact to bring out during any future meetings with officials regarding the current petition.
For the dogs and their guardians,
Mary Lou Maraganis
Some Facts, & Dogs and their Owners cleaner than the summer beach goers…
ATTENTION ALL DOG OWNERS!!! (Approx 1820 Registered Gloucester Pooches)
In case you haven’t heard, there is a new ordinance being voted on on Nov 12 at City Hall Banning all dogs from being off leash anywhere except at the dog park. This would be a total injustice to pet owners, and their pooches. For those of you that do not understand the dynamics of Dog parks, they are great for our pets, BUT when you have too many at one time, in a small enclosed area, they can take on pack mentality, and thus cause problems, never mind the actual issues of dog owners in such close proximity to each other (lol). There is also the risk of not being able to keep the dogpark clean/shovelled during the winter (lets face it, you cannot really plow the area…). We should be able to allow dog owners and their pets the right to head to the beaches during off season to be able to run for more than 35 yards at a stretch, in the open air, and to be able to jump and frolic in the ocean. Please sign and share this petition for all dog owners in the city.
FYI There were Approx 1,820 dogs registered in the City of Gloucester for 2012. That is an awful lot of dogs to jam in the dogpark daily. even 1/4 would be approx 500. Most people that do not go to the dogpark usually take their pooches to the beaches as well as the trails and parks around town. If this passes, or doesn’t change, That would mean that 500 dogs and their owners (Owners need to be in dogpark with pooches as rule) would be jammed into the dogpark between 3:30 -6pm most days. Most people walk their dogs after work and before dark, and the dogpark doesn’t have lights either. Personally, I would be open to paying an annual fee to register my dog to be allowed on the beaches during the off season than to bring him to a dog park that sees upwards of over 500 dogs daily.And just so you know, I do go to the dog park with my Shepherd, and he has a great time, but when you start getting more than 20 dogs at a time in there, it can get very crowded (Between the dogs and owners), and all it takes is one dog to get scared or nervous, feeling closed in with now room to “Escape” from the attentions of a dog wanting to play to start seeing chaos. This doesn’t mean that these dogs are vicious, or not well behaved, just that they are feeling enclosed and intimidated by other dogs and their personalities. Imagine you sitting at a Patriots game with obnoxious drunk excited fans around you. And you start feeling uncomfortable and need to take a breather, and they start following you around the section your sitting, and the security is not allowing people to leave their section… kinda like that…lol
Most dogs on the beaches are not barking, Dogs mostly bark looking for attention, or when they are cooped up, or Leashed meeting other dogs because they want to go greet them! As far as the mess, Most people pick up their pets mess, and there are others that pick up missed dog mess as well. We are a vigilante group, and the beaches are 1000 cleaner than the damn human slobs that leave NON BIODEGRADABLE bottles, plastic, cans, and other trash all over the beach each summer day! Now that is a travesty! Send your email, and I will send you pics from this summer from 6pm, and 6 am of the beaches with all the trash. As far as polluting the waterways, where do you think your waste goes everytime you go the restroom my friends…. exactly…
By the way, at 25% between the hours of 3:30 and 6pm, that equates to 200 dogs and 200 owners each hour! Oh part of the law also means leashes have to be no longer than 6ft (i believe)
Crazy..
As someone who was attacked and bitten by a very large dog recently, I feel dogs should be on leash at all times when off their owners property. If the dog owner had been keeping the animal under control with a leash I would not have suffered the bite. It was very painful and has left me with a generalized distrust of dogs. For everyone’s safety,they should be leashed when in public places.
Cranes Beach at least sections off one end of the beach where dogs are allowed off the leash. Owners need to get a pass to use the space, that makes them liabel. This gives non dog walkers the opportunity to avoid the area where there are wet, slobbering, barking, rushing dogs. I love dogs, I just don’t think people should have to trust in an owners judgement that all dogs should be off leash in a public space. Who are you going to sue if you get bit, not the measly owner.
Walking on Good Harbor in the off season is like finding yourself in the dog version of “Lord of the Flies.” Those of us with very small children find it very uncomfortable dealing with all of those “friendly” dogs. Let’s compromise, the dog owners can go off-leash in January and February and on-leash for the rest of the off season.
We lived in New York City for a while and spent a lot of time in Central Park. The regulations are simple and work well: Dogs could be off leash between 9pm and 9am. If you had your dog off leash when you shouldn’t during the day, you could (and frequently did) get a $200 ticket. Non-negotiable.
There are a lot of dog parks in NYC, and they are well used, but dogs enjoy a good run once in a while. Let them do it when they won’t bother people, and make the fine substantial if you break the rule.
Walking on Good Harbor with all the dogs off leash when you have a dog that does not walk off leash is impossible and unfair. I also saw a man tripped and almost totally knocked over by the dogs running into him. The dogs” owners were not paying attention to them. No one is patrolling now with the leash law in effect so what is go to change it with the rules for your petition. It is a total free for all. It is great for dogs to run. Mine runs at home in a fenced in yard! People are still sitting on the beach and trying to enjoy it in September and October. It is nice to be able to take your dog to the beach, but use a leash! The idea of winter months might be considered for off leash, but the off the leash people are ruining it for the few of us who follow the rules and enjoy walking our dogs on the beach leashed.
I like to call the people that don’t follow the rules in everyday society “untrained rats”. I see it everyday in so many different ways. Yes, they are ruining it for the rest of us.
Good Morning Gloucester 
I tired of wet dogs foaming at the mouth jumping on me or rubbing up against me on the beaches during off season. As the owner is yelling “don’t worry, he’s friendly…..giggle giggle giggle”
Don’t we have a dog park???
LikeLike
I understand both sides here. I do have to say that as co-founder of the dog park we were very clear in all hearings and meetings with city council that the creation of the dog park was never intended to be the sole off-leash recreation area for dogs. It was designed to be an alternate area for dogs and their human companions to enjoy. Without going into more details, I felt this was an important fact to bring out during any future meetings with officials regarding the current petition.
For the dogs and their guardians,
Mary Lou Maraganis
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some Facts, & Dogs and their Owners cleaner than the summer beach goers…
ATTENTION ALL DOG OWNERS!!! (Approx 1820 Registered Gloucester Pooches)
In case you haven’t heard, there is a new ordinance being voted on on Nov 12 at City Hall Banning all dogs from being off leash anywhere except at the dog park. This would be a total injustice to pet owners, and their pooches. For those of you that do not understand the dynamics of Dog parks, they are great for our pets, BUT when you have too many at one time, in a small enclosed area, they can take on pack mentality, and thus cause problems, never mind the actual issues of dog owners in such close proximity to each other (lol). There is also the risk of not being able to keep the dogpark clean/shovelled during the winter (lets face it, you cannot really plow the area…). We should be able to allow dog owners and their pets the right to head to the beaches during off season to be able to run for more than 35 yards at a stretch, in the open air, and to be able to jump and frolic in the ocean. Please sign and share this petition for all dog owners in the city.
FYI There were Approx 1,820 dogs registered in the City of Gloucester for 2012. That is an awful lot of dogs to jam in the dogpark daily. even 1/4 would be approx 500. Most people that do not go to the dogpark usually take their pooches to the beaches as well as the trails and parks around town. If this passes, or doesn’t change, That would mean that 500 dogs and their owners (Owners need to be in dogpark with pooches as rule) would be jammed into the dogpark between 3:30 -6pm most days. Most people walk their dogs after work and before dark, and the dogpark doesn’t have lights either. Personally, I would be open to paying an annual fee to register my dog to be allowed on the beaches during the off season than to bring him to a dog park that sees upwards of over 500 dogs daily.And just so you know, I do go to the dog park with my Shepherd, and he has a great time, but when you start getting more than 20 dogs at a time in there, it can get very crowded (Between the dogs and owners), and all it takes is one dog to get scared or nervous, feeling closed in with now room to “Escape” from the attentions of a dog wanting to play to start seeing chaos. This doesn’t mean that these dogs are vicious, or not well behaved, just that they are feeling enclosed and intimidated by other dogs and their personalities. Imagine you sitting at a Patriots game with obnoxious drunk excited fans around you. And you start feeling uncomfortable and need to take a breather, and they start following you around the section your sitting, and the security is not allowing people to leave their section… kinda like that…lol
Most dogs on the beaches are not barking, Dogs mostly bark looking for attention, or when they are cooped up, or Leashed meeting other dogs because they want to go greet them! As far as the mess, Most people pick up their pets mess, and there are others that pick up missed dog mess as well. We are a vigilante group, and the beaches are 1000 cleaner than the damn human slobs that leave NON BIODEGRADABLE bottles, plastic, cans, and other trash all over the beach each summer day! Now that is a travesty! Send your email, and I will send you pics from this summer from 6pm, and 6 am of the beaches with all the trash. As far as polluting the waterways, where do you think your waste goes everytime you go the restroom my friends…. exactly…
LikeLiked by 1 person
By the way, at 25% between the hours of 3:30 and 6pm, that equates to 200 dogs and 200 owners each hour! Oh part of the law also means leashes have to be no longer than 6ft (i believe)
Crazy..
LikeLike
As someone who was attacked and bitten by a very large dog recently, I feel dogs should be on leash at all times when off their owners property. If the dog owner had been keeping the animal under control with a leash I would not have suffered the bite. It was very painful and has left me with a generalized distrust of dogs. For everyone’s safety,they should be leashed when in public places.
LikeLike
Cranes Beach at least sections off one end of the beach where dogs are allowed off the leash. Owners need to get a pass to use the space, that makes them liabel. This gives non dog walkers the opportunity to avoid the area where there are wet, slobbering, barking, rushing dogs. I love dogs, I just don’t think people should have to trust in an owners judgement that all dogs should be off leash in a public space. Who are you going to sue if you get bit, not the measly owner.
LikeLike
Walking on Good Harbor in the off season is like finding yourself in the dog version of “Lord of the Flies.” Those of us with very small children find it very uncomfortable dealing with all of those “friendly” dogs. Let’s compromise, the dog owners can go off-leash in January and February and on-leash for the rest of the off season.
LikeLike
We lived in New York City for a while and spent a lot of time in Central Park. The regulations are simple and work well: Dogs could be off leash between 9pm and 9am. If you had your dog off leash when you shouldn’t during the day, you could (and frequently did) get a $200 ticket. Non-negotiable.
There are a lot of dog parks in NYC, and they are well used, but dogs enjoy a good run once in a while. Let them do it when they won’t bother people, and make the fine substantial if you break the rule.
LikeLike
Walking on Good Harbor with all the dogs off leash when you have a dog that does not walk off leash is impossible and unfair. I also saw a man tripped and almost totally knocked over by the dogs running into him. The dogs” owners were not paying attention to them. No one is patrolling now with the leash law in effect so what is go to change it with the rules for your petition. It is a total free for all. It is great for dogs to run. Mine runs at home in a fenced in yard! People are still sitting on the beach and trying to enjoy it in September and October. It is nice to be able to take your dog to the beach, but use a leash! The idea of winter months might be considered for off leash, but the off the leash people are ruining it for the few of us who follow the rules and enjoy walking our dogs on the beach leashed.
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NO!
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I like to call the people that don’t follow the rules in everyday society “untrained rats”. I see it everyday in so many different ways. Yes, they are ruining it for the rest of us.
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