Pet Tracks
Jan Jaeger
BEACH BOUND

We have been lucky that summer has stayed with us for several weeks now, with more weeks of good beach-going weather still ahead. As people arrive or plan to arrive, at the shop an often-fielded question is, “Where can I go to the beach with my dog?”

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as simple as it used to be. But, fortunate-ly, unlike many other beach com-munities across the country, Nantucket still has many shoreline places we can go with our pets.

“Technically, there is a leash law in effect over the entire island, so wherever you go, your pet should be on a leash,” said Town Beach Manager Amanda Bixby. “The areas you definitely must avoid, if you have your dog with you, are those posted areas in endangered species habitats and in beach areas with life-guards.”

Bixby explained that because the island and its beaches are not getting any bigger, beach usage is increasing by virtue of our people and pet popu-lations continuing to grow.

“Most often, problems occur in areas with a high concentration of people,” said Bixby. “On a good beach day, popular spots become crowded with families. With so many kids around, if there are unsupervised dogs added to the mix, anything can happen.”

In-town beaches on the North Shore such as Children’s, Brant Point and Jetties receive heavy use and are best enjoyed without your pet.

The Nantucket Regional Transit Authority (NRTA) shuttle service is available during the summer months for transportation to Jetties.

However, there are still lots of places to go. Also along the North Shore, Dionis Beach, about three miles from town, has a lifeguarded portion by the main entrance.

Further down, where this beach is accessible by vehicle, is more con-ducive to visiting with your pet. The same is true of our South and Eastern Shore beaches. There are lifeguarded areas at Surfside, Miacomet, Cisco, Madaket and ’Sconset, but if you move away from the central points of entry, the beach can become less con-gested.

Public transportation to Surfside Beach during the summer months is available on the NRTAShuttle, which permits leashed pets on board.

The NRTA Madaket route will take you within walking distance of our western-most beach and the Shuttle’s ’Sconset route provides reg-ular bus service to this part of the island.

It goes without saying that the least crowded times to visit the beaches, particularly during the height of the summer, are in the early morning and later evening hours. You can still enjoy a relatively solitary walk with your dog along the beach if you time it right.

Great Point has traditionally been an area for fishermen and vacationers to travel with their dogs. Steve Nicole, Property Superintendent of Coskata/Coatue Wildlife Refuge, points out that this summer the rules changed. This is the first year dogs on leashes are not permitted.

“The summer has gone very well,” Nicole explained. “People have been very understanding about the change in policy. We actually anticipated greater problems with compliance than we are experiencing.

“We are very grateful that people are so cooperative, because we real-ize we are disappointing a large seg-ment of our users. We did not make this decision lightly.”

He is quick to point out that, unlike most wildlife refuges, dogs on leashes are still permitted during the off-season from September 15 to April 15.

At Great Point, this summer the numbers are up, although Nicole admits this might have nothing to do with the dog issue.

“Our increased attendance could have more to do with the fact that the weather has been stupendous or because we didn’t have to close large portions of the refuge for nesting birds this summer,” he said.

Bixby speculates there are more dogs at the public beaches than there used to be as well.

“Maybe I’m just more aware of them now that I am a dog owner myself,” said Bixby.

She said the Town works hard to keep the beaches attractive for its vis-itors and to make the beachgoing experience a positive one, a job made more difficult by those visitors who lack respect for our public areas.

“In order for the Town to continue a policy of leniency towards dogs at our beaches, we urge the cooperation of pet owners to clean up after their pets, to be sensitive to their surround-ings and the proximity of others and to comply with our leash law,” said Bixby.

Asked about her favorite beach, the Town Beach Manager is cagey.

“All I’ll say is that it is my special place to go with a good book and a big hat!” she said.

Jan Jaeger is owner of Geronimo’s, Ltd., Nantucket’s pet supply and gift shop and is a member pf DWAA and CWA (Dog and Cat Writer’s Associations of America). Her pets at home are Junior, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and three cats. At the shop are the cats Messrs. Fish and Chips, Flower bunny, Millie guinea pig and three budgies. Send e-mail to jan@geronimos.com.

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