Chic’s Beach posts new dog rules
Move comes after Shih Tzu was mauled in June
VIRGINIA BEACH — During quiet moments in his Chic’s Beach home, Vinnie Lionetti still thinks about Macaroni. The little gray and white Shih Tzu comforted him when times were tough.
“He was the best,” Lionetti said. “I definitely miss him.”
Macaroni died June 23 after a pit bull named Chaos attacked him near the beach entrance by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
The memories of that night — holding his injured dog and rushing him to the emergency veterinarian clinic — flooded Lionetti’s mind again this week.
But the horror of the tragedy has brought about change in his tight knit, bayfront neighborhood. Shortly after Macaroni died, the civic league started looking into what could be done to make the beach safer for dogs and people.
Darryl Stubbs, who chaired the committee, also owned a Shih Tzu that was attacked by a larger dog on the beach. His puppy lost an eye. Stubs learned about how the North End at the Oceanfront had signs next to the beach entrances with rules for dogs.
Gayle Johnson, a dog owner and North End resident, had worked to create the city-approved signs after a toy poodle named Petey, who was owned by Glenn Nacey, was killed by an unleashed dog on the beach Christmas Day in 2015.
“It has really raised the awareness of residents and gives us something to point to if people are being flagrant,” said Johnson. “I see it being a really positive tool.”
Among the rules listed on the signs: “Dogs may be off leash only on the
beach and only if handler maintains visual and vocal control at all times.”
Stubbs and the committee members worked with Lt. Jarvis Lynch of Virginia Beach Animal Control to obtain the same signs for Chic’s Beach this month. They were installed about a week ago and feature stickers with Macaroni’s picture and the words: “Remember Macaroni.”
“We’re starting out just trying to educate people,” Stubbs said. “If they are beach dog walkers, they will take a little more care when they take their dogs off the leash.”
When Macaroni was attacked, Lionetti’s friend and neighbor, Angela Martin, was taking him for a walk along Ocean View Avenue. Taryn Subeh, Chaos’s owner, was in the water floating on a raft when her dog pounced on Macaroni and clamped down on his head, according to witnesses who testified during a subsequent dangerous dog hearing.
The judge ordered Subeh to register Chaos as dangerous with the city, and to keep it on a leash and wearing a muzzle when not confined to her property. She faced several other charges, including failure to control her animal, no dog license and no rabies vaccine. She paid the fees and Macaroni’s vet bill.
Lionetti would prefer a law that requires dogs to be leashed on the beach and for Chic’s Beach to have a designated off-leash area. But he’s glad the signs are in place at least and hopes dog owners will read the rules and follow them.
“It brings a lot more awareness to it,” he said.
In a few weeks, Lionetti will pick up a new Shih Tzu puppy. He’s still deciding on its name.
“He’s a cutie pie,” he said.