REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - At Friday's Boardwalk and Beach Committee meeting, members expressed concern for how to handle dogs on the beach and enforce current state laws like keeping them on leashes. Also discussed was a time window for allowing dogs and bikes on the boardwalk at the same time year-round.
State law says dogs have to be on a leash, but committee members mentioned that it isn't enforced, citing higher priorities for officers and people claiming to not know the rules when approached by officials. They discussed possibly raising the fine for not cleaning up after dogs, as well.
Some committee members appeared hesitant about extending the dog-friendly window to every morning year-round, stating that it's already hard enough to avoid bikes on the boardwalk and adding dogs to the mix, especially those not kept on leashes, would create more hazards. City resident Dave Diefenderfer was in attendance and commented on the issue, identifying the differences between responsible and irresponsible dog owners.
"In my opinion, there's enough room on the boardwalk until 10 a.m. to walk a dog and have bikes," said Diefenderfer. "What's happening is, responsible dog owners have their dogs on a leash and control them. What you're doing is penalizing the resident who pays taxes and who cares about the city to not let me take my dog on the boardwalk on a leash."
Currently, dogs and other animals are not permitted on the city's boardwalk or beach at any time from May 1 through Sept. 30. Because of issues surrounding dogs off leashes, the committee discussed the idea of dedicating a space for off-leash dogs.
Another recommendation was creating a new role to oversee a permit and tagging system. Beach visitors who want to participate must pay for a dog tag to be allowed to bring a dog to the beach. Rehoboth Beach resident Peter Skylar compared it to a system in Dewey Beach and thought it may deter large numbers of pets from being brought to Rehoboth.
"If you don't want the dogs off the leash and on the beach, make it permanent, charge people to do it, and watch half of them disappear," he said, "because people aren't going to want to bring their dogs to a dog park they've got to pay to get on. Some people will because they love the beach that much. Other people will go away most likely."
These suggestions will be revisited in the future.