'A nice compromise.' Barnstable won't shorten off-season beach walks for dogs

During the off season, when the ocean is wilder and the beaches are free of sunbathing outlanders, one of Layla Gould's favorite activities is to walk the abandoned sands, stretching her legs, filling her lungs with salted air, and — perhaps most fun of all — barking at seagulls.

Layla is an Australian shepherd with an instinct to herd, and visiting favorite spots like Hyannis' Keyes Memorial Beach on the end of a leash is one of the best ways to practice her vocal corralling skills without bothering the neighbors and while also getting exercise.

"First of all, you have to clear the beach of seagulls. This is extraordinarily important," said Toby Gould of Barnstable with a chuckle, describing the beach-going joy of his canine family member.

For him and his wife Merri, time walking with Layla along the shore, often at sunrise, is cherished by all three of them. But it's limited to the quieter months between late spring and late summer, and as weather permits. That's why the couple is particularly pleased the town is backing down from trimming more than a month off their beach-walking calendar.

Proposed changes to Barnstable's dog control regulations, first presented at a town manager's hearing in October, called for extending the existing seasonal ban on dog walking on designated saltwater bathing beaches, having it start on April 1 instead of on May 15, and running through Sept. 15.

But that is no longer the plan, Town Manager Mark Ells announced in his most recent written town manager report to the town council. Officials will keep the May 15-Sept. 15 ban intact, and instead added a clause allowing town officials to close sections of beaches to dogs for public health and safety reasons, and for endangered species and natural resources protection as needed.

"I'm thrilled. This is exactly what we wanted," said Gould, speaking by phone Monday.

He and his wife were out on Keyes Beach Monday morning with Layla, and they weren't the only ones braving the January cold with their canines. Like many fellow residents, the Goulds take their pup to walk various beaches just about every day when it's permitted.

"It's great for us. We both grew up on the ocean, so we like to see it, and the dog does, too," Gould said.

Dog walking is normally prohibited from late spring through the summer on Dowses, Kalmus, Craigville, Covell, Veterans Park, Eugenia Fortes, Keyes Memorial, Loop, Millway and Sandy Neck (public beach only) beaches.

The proposal to extend the dog walking ban, along with another change related to kennels and multiple dogs, touched off a flurry of opinions during a nearly two-month public comment period this fall. According to the town manager's report, 83 comments, both negative and positive, were received between Oct. 18 and Dec. 8 — 61% of those addressed dog walking on the beaches.

Gould was among many who spoke out against extending the ban. While he acknowledged areas of some beaches provide nesting habitat for piping plovers, a threatened shorebird that begins returning to Massachusetts in late March and early April, he thinks the measures the town takes to protect them are effective. Plus, dogs are not allowed to roam freely, affording additional protection.

Every year, he said, the town erects fencing and signs to warn early-season beach goers of the presence of sensitive wild populations like the plovers.

"I'm a member of the Audubon Society, so it's not that I don't like birds," Gould said, "but this was ridiculous. I looked at a whole bunch of beaches. No one else has done that on the Cape."

Nina Coleman, director of Natural Resources and Sandy Neck Beach park manager, on Tuesday said the decision to maintain the usual May 15-Sept. 15 ban was in response to the public's comments.

"We definitely had a decent amount of folks respond with concerns about that (April 1) date, and that they really like to use the beaches," she said. "So, we changed the language so we're now going to have the ability to close sections of those bathing beaches that have active plover pairs. It seemed like a nice compromise while still protecting the birds."

Some of the town's beaches attract a number of breeding pairs, and in the last few years the plover population has shown signs of rebounding, Coleman said. Sandy Neck, she said, is one of the town's beaches that has "quite a substantial population" of plovers. April 1 is about the time when her team begins ramping up protection of nesting habitat.

Proposed changes pertaining to owners with multiple dogs and those who board dogs or sell puppies from more than two litters a year were also modified as a result of public comments. These changes call for separate kennel or multiple dog licenses and increase the kennel license fee from $50 to $100. Town officials worked with a representative of the American Kennel Club to better clarify kennel and multiple dog definitions, according to Ells' report.

Another change under consideration amends the town's dog licensing dates: instead of licenses issued July 1 and remaining effective to June 30 of the next year, owners would need to renew dog licenses annually on Jan. 1 with licenses effective until Dec. 31. The dog license fee would also increase from $10 to $13 for dogs that have not been spayed or neutered, and from $7 to $10 for those that have.

The latest draft of the proposed dog control regulations is available on the town manager and Marine and Environmental Affairs webpages. Updates will be posted as officials move forward with approval of these modified regulations.

Heather McCarron can be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Barnstable changes course on off-season dog walking on beaches