 "Photo: File photo by Joe Kaufman")
With Spring Break underway, t’is the season for the beach. All the usual suspects will be there – the sand and the surf, BBQ and cold beverages, new friends and old – all but one: Man’s Best Friend.
As of Sunday and ending on Monday, March 22, dogs will not be allowed on the beach between Zahn Road and Park Entrance 3. This means Man’s Best Friend isn’t invited to one of Man’s best parties.
The ban is only in effect on this small strip of beach, which just so happens to be the liveliest stretch of beach during the Corpus Christi Spring Break season. According to CCPD Commander Mark Schauer, “This is the second year that this has taken effect. Last year was the first year and it went pretty smoothly.”
According to Schauer, “There is a city ordinance, section 10-59, that allows the city manager to sign a decree saying that dogs cannot be all on a certain part of the beach through the dates he deems necessary.”
Now this might be a downer for some Spring Breakers, but as Schauer notes, “This is preventative in nature and it eases the burden on us and the crowd. People can walk around easier and not have to worry about being jumped on by loose dogs or keeping safe distances from more aggressive dogs that are leashed up.”
He said, “It’s also a lot more sanitary because dogs tend to poop wherever they please, and there are thousands of spring breakers walking around barefooted.”
With crowds on the Island expected to reach between 60,000 and 70,000 at the peak of the season, the temporary ban on dogs will also allow law enforcement to focus more on keeping things orderly on the Island for Spring Breakers and residents through the season.
Schauer said, “Last year’s results are pretty encouraging; we were able to concentrate on crowd control and watching out for intoxicated drivers. We had only one major infraction on the beach last year, which was taken care of pretty by law enforcement. We will have more officers on the Island this Spring Break season to help us better enforce DWIs and keep things running relatively smoothly throughout the season.”
Spring Breakers will have find other places on the beach where dogs are allowed. However, Elaine Smith of the Padre Island National Seashore has a caution for keeping dogs safe too: “Dogs are not banned on the beach south of Packery Channel, but keep them on a short leash. Don’t let them eat or drink anything off the beach and wash their feet and underbellies immediately after returning from the beach.”
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