No dogs on the beach from June - Sept

Cheeky Chops

I just saw all the new pavement signage down the beach. When was this introduced? I'm delighted. The pavement markings regarding littering also have a phone number on them.

I have to say the walk was the cleanest I have ever seen. I stopped walking there due to the harbour and dog poo.

(apologies if this has been the case for a while but I don't frequent the beach with my family in the "summer" due to the filth on the beach)

fk34

Hi I walk my dog along there every morning. The reason it is so clean is because it was resurfaced and marking just went down last night. There is a lot of people who walk their dogs including myself, have them under control and pick up after them. There are also a lot of dogs who wander unattended. I can understand about the dog poo problem but this will not prevent unattended dogs accessing the beach and only prevents responsible dog owners availing of this facility. I wonder who is going to control this as it seems to be impossible to locate a dog warden in Wicklow?

Dr.Silly

fk34 wrote: »

it seems to be impossible to locate a dog warden in Wicklow?

odd, it took me about 1.8 seconds !

http://www.118.ie/Results.aspx/businessname/Rathdrum_Wicklow/Dog_Warden_Wicklow

loyatemu

very common by-law in France. I assume its just part of the beach (north of the 2nd arch)?

fk34

Rang that number which gives a recorded message re the opening hours of the dog pound. Not access to a warden

luapenak

I hope this nonsense will be ignored by dog owners. If you care about dog poo, then have the warden fine people for failing to clean up after there dogs.

Cheeky Chops

luapenak wrote: »

I hope this nonsense will be ignored by dog owners. If you care about dog poo, then have the warden fine people for failing to clean up after there dogs.

Nonsense? Dogs should not be on a blue flag bathing beach during the summer. I think it is nonsense that they have been allowed until now. If dog owners ignore a request to not take dogs onto a small section of Greystones beach then there will end up being an outright ban on dogs being off the leash and on beaches like in South Dublin. Is that what you want?

People have a right to be on the beach without dogs running around and dog poo in the hands of a digging toddler.

Oh yeah, I have a dog. The above reaction is why so many people do not like dogs. Total lack of respect and selfish behaviour by a minority of dog owners.

Maisy

Cheeky Chops wrote: »

luapenak wrote: »

I hope this nonsense will be ignored by dog owners. If you care about dog poo, then have the warden fine people for failing to clean up after there dogs.

Nonsense? Dogs should not be on a blue flag bathing beach during the summer. I think it is nonsense that they have been allowed until now. If dog owners ignore a request to not take dogs onto a small section of Greystones beach then there will end up being an outright ban on dogs being off the leash and on beaches like in South Dublin. Is that what you want?

People have a right to be on the beach without dogs running around and dog poo in the hands of a digging toddler.

Oh yeah, I have a dog. The above reaction is why so many people do not like dogs. Total lack of respect and selfish behaviour by a minority of dog owners.

I too have a right to walk the beach without poo - baby poo that is - have you seen the mess left behind after family picnics in the summer ?! Used nappies a speciality !

Ban on toddlers anyone ?!?

Spongebopp

Maisy wrote: »

I too have a right to walk the beach without poo - baby poo that is - have you seen the mess left behind after family picnics in the summer ?! Used nappies a speciality !

Ban on toddlers anyone ?!?

I have never in my life seen baby poo left on the beach, seriously?
But Dogs running around on the beach, so glad this will be a thing of the past.

bennetts

As dog owners who regularly walk our dog on the beach and always clean up after her, we are quite appalled by the amount of litter left by day trippers and local kids who come the beach. We use the beach early in the morning or in the evening so as not to spoil the fun of families enjoying the facility but we feel some of them are spoiling our enjoyment by leaving drinks bottles and cans, picnic rubbish, soggy clothes and, yes, we have seen a rolled up babies nappy, on the beach.

We are also concerned by the amount of broken glass on the beach – as much a danger to our dog as anyone running about in the sand without shoes. Our feeling is that if you can bring it to the beach you can remove it from the beach and there are rubbish bins to make it easy.

The signs regarding litter and the lo-call number are a positive step but what happens if you call the number? Do the litter police come to the beach and arrest the offender? Should we take pictures of them as surely they will have left the beach by the time the 'litter police' arrive? What happens after that? Are they prosecuted, fined, imprisoned?

It is all well and good to make rules about dog walking and litter spying but who will enforce it? All this does is make local people irrate, regardless of their view. If those in power want to make these rules they need to have a full time dog warden and a full time litter monitor on the beach.

A last thought - why is there a sign on the beach saying 'I feel so lonesome I could die'? What is the purpose? Was this privately funded or a waste of tax payers money? As we approached it we expected it to say 'Dog walking beyond this point'...

Spongebopp

bennetts wrote: »

As dog owners who regularly walk our dog on the beach and always clean up after her, we are quite appalled by the amount of litter left by day trippers and local kids who come the beach. We use the beach early in the morning or in the evening so as not to spoil the fun of families enjoying the facility but we feel some of them are spoiling our enjoyment by leaving drinks bottles and cans, picnic rubbish, soggy clothes and, yes, we have seen a rolled up babies nappy, on the beach.

We are also concerned by the amount of broken glass on the beach – as much a danger to our dog as anyone running about in the sand without shoes. Our feeling is that if you can bring it to the beach you can remove it from the beach and there are rubbish bins to make it easy.

The signs regarding litter and the lo-call number are a positive step but what happens if you call the number? Do the litter police come to the beach and arrest the offender? Should we take pictures of them as surely they will have left the beach by the time the 'litter police' arrive? What happens after that? Are they prosecuted, fined, imprisoned?

It is all well and good to make rules about dog walking and litter spying but who will enforce it? All this does is make local people irrate, regardless of their view. If those in power want to make these rules they need to have a full time dog warden and a full time litter monitor on the beach.

A last thought - why is there a sign on the beach saying 'I feel so lonesome I could die'? What is the purpose? Was this privately funded or a waste of tax payers money? As we approached it we expected it to say 'Dog walking beyond this point'...

I stand corrected regarding nappies on the beach, I guess I have been lucky to never come across one!

Taltos

My OH took photos on a few days last summer of nappies while walking our dogs. Not sure if she ever sent them off but I remember she was infuriated at the time at just some of the following - all on one day - all close to the steps down from the lifeguard hut.

1. rolled up nappy
2. Abandoned BBQ
3. Broken glass and general litter
4. Fishing line with hook still attached
5. Dog excrement - for someone who picks up after his own this freaks me out as my dogs love to smell everything...

I took the line and disposed of it as only a while earlier I had met a couple whose dog had gotten a fish hook stuck in her throat down at the cove.

Instead of banning one group of the community why not pull together for a community plan.

1. Restrict dogs to the area south of the 2nd arch for the months mentioned above. No one likes to have to wander down to the sea past crap or to return to their clothes to find an errant dog has peed on them...
2. Police the area with a litter warden or someone capable of imposing & collecting fines
3. Clear signage and a strict adherance to the law - you litter you pay...

Hopefully some of the funds collected this way can go back into the community. Not sure about the rest of you but besides the above my pet gripe is still cigerette butt ends. Have not seen as much chewing gum recently - but still see ciggies, bottles and cans all over.

Mr Diamond

Hmm - a bit torn by this one.
We clean up after our dog always and love to walk it on the beach. It absolutely loves the waves and chasing thrown stones.
However, its painfully obvious that some other dog owners don't care to clean up after their own. If the beach was clean, it wouldn't have come to this. There's no point in talking about litter - this is only about dogs.

So... because of these inconsiderate folk, we'll have to leave the dog at home from now on during summer. Its another case of a careless minority ruining it for the majority.

Oldlegs

Taltos wrote: »

1. Restrict dogs to the area south of the 2nd arch for the months mentioned above. No one likes to have to wander down to the sea past crap or to return to their clothes to find an errant dog has peed on them...
2. Police the area with a litter warden or someone capable of imposing & collecting fines
3. Clear signage and a strict adherance to the law - you litter you pay...

Hopefully some of the funds collected this way can go back into the community. Not sure about the rest of you but besides the above my pet gripe is still cigerette butt ends. Have not seen as much chewing gum recently - but still see ciggies, bottles and cans all over.

Great compromise suggestion. Key will be policing the area for Litter and Dog owner (or lack of owner) abuse.

kits2004

Hi, Just came across this thread while trying to find information on this subject. Is it the case that dogs aren't allowed up to the 2nd arch but are from that point on? If thats the rule then I'm ok with that. I understand some people don't like dogs, etc so a no dog area is a good idea. Seems quite unfair if it means the entire beach is off limits. Especially seen as unless its sunny then a large percentage of the people on the beach are dog walkers.
Does anyone know if there is an official statement from the council? There seems to be contradictory signage on the matter between the new pavement writings and the fact the old sign saying "Your dog must be controlled or on a leash, etc" is still there too.

Oldlegs

The signs prohibiting Dogs on the beach are actually at the 1st arch - i.e. where the walkway begins/ends. So basically dogs will not be allowed on the main area of the beach, but can be taken onto the beach south of the 1st arch.

So this appears reasonable IMO, just hope similar action/enforcement is taken against general littering on the beach also.

kits2004

Okay, I can live with that and will follow the rule but I don't really see it being enforced properly. I do endorse some sort of dog and/or litter warden system. Not just for the beach, Greystones in general. My house is near a laneway off the main street and it's shocking how many people litter on a daily basis. I just can't get my head around it.
Btw any idea on that "so lonesome i could die" sign mentioned in an earlier post?

bennetts

I don't know what the hard and fast rules are - we're hoping there will be an area for dogs. I think the '2nd arch' was a suggestion from an earlier thread - and a good one in my opinion. The signs went up very hastily, I felt, so perhaps it wasn't thought through properly with regard to mixed messages and the old sign wasn't removed or updated. In view of the recent decision regarding Dun Laoghaire (http://www.dogs-unleashed.org/dear-supporters/) I wonder if the plan is to totally ban dogs from Greystones Beach.

It seems to me that dogs are walked on the beach 365 days a year, early morning swimmers are there almost as frequently and sunbathers and day trippers perhaps using the facility for a third of the year. If the North beach was made more accessible perhaps this could become the 'dog beach' but it seems there are problems there too (see the 'Reach For The Beach Campaign' thread).

If anyone wants support in taking this matter up with the council I'm up for it but personally I would not know where to start or who to talk to.

kits2004

It does seem to have been pretty hastily done. I assume if they were to try ban dogs altogether then some sort of debate or public consultation would have to happen(like Dun Laoghaire). Until I hear otherwise, come June, I'll enter the beach from the first arch. If some sort of dog banning campaign were to start then I will definitely take it up with the council.

Taltos

Hi all

I have been in touch with Greystones Council and they were great in clarifying this for me.

Here is the update I received:

the beach bye-laws were recently reviewed with the inclusion of no dogs allowed from June to Sept along blue flag area. The area involved is between the two arrows shown on the path ONLY i.e. south of the north arch, dogs are allowed at all times.

Hope this helps - as I said they were really fast in getting back to me and any issues or queries I have had in the past they have been brilliant about.

Key thing here for me is the fear that some (a minority) of dog owners will flout this and cause a tightening of the by-laws. Real shame really, it only takes one or two inconsiderate dog owners to impact the rest of us.

bennetts

That's great news - more than happy to stick to the rules as we prefer to walk south of the main beach area anyway. And it's great of you to take the time to find this out - a benefit to all ;-) Let's hope all dog owners are respectful of the changes - it's a good compromise to keep everyone happy.

kits2004

Great work Taltos, thanks for looking into this. More than happy to follow this rule to keep everyone happy. Interested to see if people follow it too. Also interested to see if the "litter hotline" works out.

Max Headroom

Apologies if this is a repeat...But we only just noticed the new sinage stating "No dogs on beach June-Sept".....bit shocked tbh....does this include dogs on leads too....:(

zenno

Max Headroom wrote: »

Apologies if this is a repeat...But we only just noticed the new sinage stating "No dogs on beach June-Sept".....bit shocked tbh....does this include dogs on leads too....:(

It should say "No people on beach june-sept" as people dirty the beach up a thousand times more than a dog would.

Taltos

Previous thread here.

LEIN

Threads merged.

Macy0161

zenno wrote: »

It should say "No people on beach june-sept" as people dirty the beach up a thousand times more than a dog would.

People are the problem in both cases. Irresponsible dog owners who don't clean up or control their dogs caused this. The whataboutery is ridiculous - no dog foul, no problem and no ban.

Max Headroom

Taltos wrote: »

Hi all

I have been in touch with Greystones Council and they were great in clarifying this for me.

Here is the update I received:


Hope this helps - as I said they were really fast in getting back to me and any issues or queries I have had in the past they have been brilliant about.

Key thing here for me is the fear that some (a minority) of dog owners will flout this and cause a tightening of the by-laws. Real shame really, it only takes one or two inconsiderate dog owners to impact the rest of us.

Thats good news...at least theres lesser chance of my dogs stepping on broken beer bottles or cans ........;)

GStones32

I just found this thread while searching online for info on dogs & leashes for Greystones beach and would like to hear other people's perspective .

My fifteen month old son, who is only learning to walk, was knocked over by a dog while playing on Greystones beach. The owner was no where near their animal so couldn't control it, and I had to chase it off my son. I sat down, shocked, and thought; what if the attack was more sustained, or if I hadn't got to him in time, it is unthinkable what could have happened.

I got in touch with Stephen Donnelly's (T.D.) office and his staff were very helpful. I asked them was it law to have a dog on a leash and they said that the beach had it's own bye laws stating “on a leash or under adequate control”. However, the Law states that away from the beach i.e. the footpath etc. dogs must be kept on a lead ("Control of Dogs Act requires that dogs be accompanied and kept under control in public places"). Every day I walk along the beach I see most dogs off their leads, and every time I feel this cannot be safe.

I would like to know what measures could be put in place to prevent a more serious attack in the future in Greystones. The beach is a great amenity and on our doorstep but our friends and I have to think about our children's safety first.

loyatemu

However, the Law states that away from the beach i.e. the footpath etc. dogs must be kept on a lead ("Control of Dogs Act requires that dogs be accompanied and kept under control in public places").

Sorry about your boy - a lot of dog owners don't seem to appreciate how big a dog is compared to a child, and how scared kids can be as a result. I know I'd be terrified if a dog taller than me ran up and jumped on me.

However that quote above doesn't state that dogs must be on a lead...

here's the actual legislation, there's no mention of leads:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1986/en/act/pub/0032/sec0009.html#sec9

section 17 of the same act empowers local authorities to enact by-laws requiring dogs be kept on a leash.

cocker5

GStones32...

I have to ask .... are you actually being serious?

You say you child was knocked over by a dog on the beach.... the you mention the word "attack"!!!!! was the dog growling at your child, being aggresssive or was he actually just knocked over??

reason i ask is you mention the word "attack" many times in your post yet you say you son was infact just knocked over? They are two VERY VERY different issues. And to be honest your sound a little hysterical.... and over the top if infact a dog just knocked your child over.

So im going to take it you as being a very over proctective parent using words like "attack" etc and assume (as you said in your post) the dog knocked your child over and say this.....

I am a responsible dog owner who often walks / runs my dog around the "path" area of Greystones Beach and all over Greystones infact.

I always walk him on lead, he is a very friendly dog whom I adore but I do understand not everybody is dog friendly and wouldnt appreciate it if he ran up to them for a pet etc... so I do believe dogs should be kept on lead on the Greystones South beach and I also think ALL dog owners who dont clean up after the dogs should be fined €100 on the spot, as should the parents who leave "sh*tty" nappies on the beach, and sweets wrappers from their kids... they too should be fined.

We all have to play our part and keep the beach clean and safe for EVERYBODY to enjoy.

With regard to the incident with your child, the fact is it shouldnt have happened, the dog should be on their lead, was you child hurt? It doenst sound like it (thank god) but lets be realistic here, its a public beach if you dont want anyone, anything, any animal near your child best keep them at home is my honest answer.

Its a public area that should be enjoyed by all.

another child could have ran by and accidently knocked your child over... or a flying ball this could could have come in contact with your child. Its a part of life Im afraid. the same could have happened witha swing in the playground - maybe that should be removed too?? you honestly sound hysterical using words like attack...

Everybody has the right to enjoy using the beach... regardless of whether it scares you or not.

I hope you child is ok .... but your really sound like an over proctective parent (its a bit scary if in honest) when firstly you say you child was knocked over by a dog then you refer to it an an "attack"!!!

you really need to use correct words and stops trying to scaremonger.

The law states dogs need to be under control NOT on lead....

anyway its a public beach to be used by the public.... this includes.... parents, children, OAP's, dog owners etc....