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Letter: Don’t ruin dog privileges for rest of us

February 15, 2019

One of the pleasures of living in this community in the off-season is to be able to take one’s dog for a long walk on the beach. As a relatively new pet owner, I and my dog have been enjoying this privilege on a regular basis recently.

One of our favorite routes takes us along the beach from Roosevelt Inlet toward Lewes. While it is a joyful experience for both owner and pet, my puppy tends to express his happiness at feeling the sand under his paws by pooping. Consequently, I’ve learned to always carry a couple of dog waste bags on these excursions.

Unfortunately, there is ample evidence that some other dog owners feel no such compunction. It’s as if they regard our beaches as – forgive the puns - dumping grounds, where they can be relieved of any need to act responsibly.

I could hazard a guess that the guilty parties are likely locals living at or near the beach, but suffice it to say, they know who they are. As I stated previously in this letter, the pleasure of being able to visit the beach with one’s dog at this time of year is a privilege.

As such, it is granted through local laws and can be withdrawn or amended at any time. To those who would be among the first to complain if our local authorities were moved to revoke this privilege in the interest of public hygiene I would say: Please don’t muck things up for the rest of us.

Nick Simmonds
Lewes

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