A daytrip to most Massachusetts beaches can show families with canine members that we truly are second class citizens to our state. Pay your taxes, but you can't use the facilities you pay for because some people with dogs are nasty.
Poppy is guilty with no opportunity to prove herself innocent. She sits on the seawall and wishes for sand between her toes. We can't walk on the beach because some other people have been irresponsible about cleaning up after or managing their companion animals.
We took a mid-week trip to Nantasket Beach. We looked left and right and saw the wide expanse of beach. And, at every entrance, we saw the signs telling us we were not allowed on the beach from May to October.
Here's the description of Nantasket from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
"Nantasket Beach has been a popular summer destination for city dwellers since the middle of the 19th century. The reservation encompasses 26 acres along one and a third miles of oceanfront."
One and a third miles and 26 acres and they can't set aside a section for a dog beach. I wouldn't mind if they restricted it to dogs who have their Canine Good Citizenship certificates. I wouldn't mind if you had to register yourself as a dog guardian and show a permit that you could lose for bad behavior.
Quincy Shore Reservation and Wollaston Beach is another example. Here's the DCR description.
"Open year round, dawn to dusk. Bathhouse open July to September. Quincy Shore Reservation offers a variety of recreational opportunities. Quincy Shore Drive links Wollaston Beach with Caddy memorial Park and Moswetuset Hummock. The 2.3 mile beach is popular for its jogging/bicycling trail and swimming. Caddy Park on the southern end of the beach has over 15 acres of fields and marsh as well as a play area, lookout tower and picnic tables. Moswetuset Hummock, on the beach's northern end, is a National Historic Site. Once a summer campsite of Native Americans during the 1600's, it is a mixture of woodland trails and open marshland. The site which has a short loop trail, offers views of Quincy Bay and 144-acre Squantum Marsh."
Sounds like a great place to get some exercise with your dog but dogs are forbidden access from May to October. With 2.3 miles of beach, the DCR can't find a less used section to open up to families like ours?
My recommendation is that you register to vote and tell every politician you meet that you want something for your taxes. You want dog parks, shared recreation spaces, and dog beaches at all state facilities.
Bark up the vote!
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
And, here's a post about some dogs that aced that "Nosing Class."
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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino