Beach is cool news for hot dogs

Boca about to give stretch of sand to Rover

BOCA RATON — The city is about to take the plunge— into designating a section of beach where Rover can paddle on over. With its expected opening in the next 60 days, the part of Boca’s beach that goes to the dogs will be the only official, oceanside romp for the four- legged available between Jupiter and Fort Lauderdale.

“I would love to see that happen — I’m a dog lover,” said Jane Porter- field, 45, of Deerfield Beach, who frequents Boca’s South Beach. A certain chocolate Labrador retriever, Torte, would really enjoy it too, she said.

Deputy Mayor Susan Haynie, who is not a dog owner, proposed the pilot project this week, asking that the city spend $ 15,000 to wade into the idea. “People drive up to Jupiter to take their dogs to the beach,” she said. “Boca Raton should offer it.”

Which 100 yards of Boca’s 5- mile stretch of beach will become the canine’s coastline still has to be worked out, along with

a number of other

Boca’s dogs are likely to be more restricted than those at Jupiter’s dog beach, where dogs are allowed a 21⁄ mile run at all hours of the day. There, rules say they should be under the control of their owner, which may or may not involve a leash.

Haynie said she would like to see Boca adopt something more like the dog beach in Fort Lauderdale, which started a year ago allowing leashed dogs on the beach during four designated hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, she said.

Shewas met with enthusiastic support fromher fellowCity Council members.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said AnthonyMajhess, who sits on the council.

But there is some trepidation about the beach becoming

particulars. a doggy destination — especially concerning what they might leave behind.

Sean O’Connor, 31, a Boca Raton resident who runs his own business, said that he loves animals but doesn’t want to see them at South Beach, where he goes two or three times a day.

“This is probably Boca’s busiest beach,” he said. “If they put it here, you’d probably have a lot of angry people.”

Mickey Gomez, recreation services director for Boca Raton, said it’s been something that the city has been considering for years. He thinks it might work better near 40th Street, where a lot of people unofficially take their dogs, he said.

“Hopefully people will appreciate it and take care of it and it’s a huge success,” he said.

Mark Zisk, whose Yorkie Dion has a Facebook page as the “mayor of dog beach” in Jupiter, said that doggydo can be a problem — so Friends of Jupiter Beach, the nonprofit that oversees the dogs, has a cleanup the first Saturday of every month.

“You see people all over the place who don’t pick up after their dog,” said Zisk, 61, wholives in Jupiter. “But for the most part, the people who live here take care of it.”

Scott Granet, 40, an architect who’s lived in Boca his whole life, said he knows his flat- coated retriever, Blue, and vizsla, Opie, will love diving into the waves, chasing the ball and swimming at their hometown beach.

“Going to Jupiter turns a simple pleasure into a long day,” he said.