Dogs may soon be allowed on the beach

Boynton considers opening sections at certain times

Do the dog days of summer have you missing your pet while spending your weekends at the beach? Boynton Beach may have the cure.

The city is looking into allowing leashed dogs on a section of its beaches during less-crowded hours and on certain days.

It would join a handful of South Florida cities that allow dogs on sections of beaches, including Jupiter, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood Beach.

Boynton City Commissioner Joe Casello, who proposed the idea, asked the city to hash out all the details.

“The idea is to possibly have a section of the beach open on certain days or certain hours, like the morning or in the evening, where people could take their dog down to the beach and enjoy the ocean in a certain section,” he said.

Hounds are allowed in Boca and Fort Lauderdale only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during certain hours, and the cities charge residents $30 for an annual pass. Nonresident passes are $45 in Fort Lauderdale and $165 in Boca.

But a beach lifestyle for dogs hasn’t gone without controversy.

Last year, Delray Beach rejected a dog beach trial run, citing concerns about the waste that the dogs might leave behind. Beachgoers who walk their dogs on the sand could be fined $50.

The decision upset Delray resident Dana Hidalgo, who runs a professional dog-walking business called Dana’s Gone to the Dogs.

“It absolutely broke my heart when Delray decided against it,” she said. “If Boynton goes ahead and does it, kudos to them. I’ll be the first in line to buy a permit.”

One of Hidalgo’s rescues, 4-year-old

Captain Jack, loves the ocean, she said. He howls, runs and plays whenever they visit the beach.

“He’s a little pirate,” she said. “Allowing dogs on the beach pays for itself, and how great for the dogs who just love it.”

In Boynton Beach, Casello’s proposal has been met with support from fellow commission members.

Mayor Steven Grant, who has an Australian Shepherd named Daisy, said he was in favor and had spoken with Ocean Ridge, the 1.1-square-mile oceanfront town across the Intracoastal Waterway from Boynton. Both municipalities work together to determine rules for beachgoers.

“Whatever we can do to get dogs there,” he said. “When I was in Jacksonville Beach, they had certain dog hours, and leash laws, and it worked out very well.”

There’s still a lot of logistics to get through for Boynton, such as leash laws and figuring out how to dispose of waste, Casello said.

MIKE STOCKER/STAFF FILE PHOTO Ed Rose, of Davie, right, takes his dogs Beau and Dixie to the Dog Beach in Hollywood. Boynton Beach is considering whether to allow leashed dogs on its beach.