Comments on: Dogs may not be welcome at Sandbanks

By: Alison Leary

Alison Leary — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:46:21 +0000

I agree with both Paul and Kate’s comments, and I too am a responsible dog owner. I think we are already fairly limited as to where we can exercise our dogs other than the beach.
I do also agree with Andrew and don’t think there is anything worse than having to step over a dog ‘turd’.

I live by Branksome Chine beach and I walk there every morning and evening with my dog, and can honestly say that there is more rubbish and mess left by humans than dogs. Plastic buckets and spades, beer cans, bottles, polystyrene cups, throw away bbq’s (that don’t get thrown away) nappies, crisp packets, fag packets etc and this doesn’t just happen in the summer! - Surely all of this has a greater impact on the environment than one or two dog ‘turds’.
Quite often it’s the tourists that come with their families, or/and their dogs, that are responsible for leaving behind mess, more so than the regular beach user who loves and respects the beautiful area in which we live.

Perhaps a good idea would be for local people to be given a pass which registers them and their pet(s) and enables them access to the beaches with their dog, all year round without restriction during the winter, and from 4pm - 11am (the following day) in the summer.

This way, the responsible dog walkers still have access for morning and evening walks in Summer and during peak times the beach is dog free, and lets face it - what sensible dog owner would want to take their dog for a walk on a sweltering hot beach littered with holiday makers!

By: Andrew Goodall

Andrew Goodall — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:10:42 +0000

Walking the coast my wife and I walked past Sandbanks towards the ferry on Easter Sunday. I left the beach to walk up to the public toilets and right on the edge of the concrete prom as I left the beach was a dog turd. I certainly would not pay those prices for houses as stated in the TV documentary to have dogs crapping where I wished to walk.

By: kate mansfield

kate mansfield — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:18:05 +0000

We are lucky enough to live very close to the beach and walk there every day of the year. It is one of the few places close by that our dog can run off the lead and get the amount of exercise she needs.
We are responsible dog owners and whilst we appreciate that some people are not, these people are in the minority.
We live in a beautiful part of the country. It would be a shame if we were not allowed to enjoy it with a dog that is very much part of our family.

By: Paul Mansfield

Paul Mansfield — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:56:03 +0000

I can understand why people would complain about dog mess on the beach, as a responsible dog owner it also disgusts me. I think the problem is the irresponsible few and not the majority, many of us use the beaches to walk our dogs 365 days a year and are quite capable of ensuring our dogs mess is cleared up. There are very few tourists or visitors to Poole that use the beaches to the same extent as the local residents, especially those who have dogs and walk on the beaches come rain or shine.

The restriction on dogs from May to October is already quite extensive and I feel it would be wrong to increase these restrictions even further. Instead of further restriction I would fully support higher penalties for those who are irresponsible and ensure that the rest of us can continue to enjoy our beautiful beaches through out the year.