Rye Town Park Initiates Winter Beach Dog Run “Experiment”

First it was about parking, now it is all about barking.
 
The Rye Town Park Commission voted at their December meeting to establish a Winter Beach Run for dogs on a trial basis.  The run will be located at the north end of Oakland Beach, with the entrance gate located south of the north beach shower area. 
 
The beach dog run will be separated from the rest of Oakland Beach by a snow fence that will run from the low tide area of the beach to the beach wall gate by the entrance. 
 
The dog beach run will be instituted January 11 and continue through March 31, 2010. 
 
The measure was proposed by outgoing Rye City Mayor Steve Otis. Otis is a regular dog walker in Rye Town Park.

The goal is to give dog walkers a place where they can run their dogs that will not pose a threat to non-dog walkers.  In the past year there have been several incidents where off-leash dogs threatened or injured adults and young people.  Dogs must still be leashed while walking through park areas.
 
The Rye Town Park Commissioners agreed that they would see how the beach dog run works this winter before deciding whether to make the run an annual program.  They noted that dog walkers are still required to maintain control of their dogs, as sometimes dogs get aggressive with other dogs.
 
And, they stressed that the laws regarding “picking up” are still in effect.  In fact, dog walkers must be even more vigilant to protect against contamination of the beach and water.
 
Rye Town Park is located between Dearborn and Rye Beach Avenues off of Forest Avenue in the City of Rye.  The parking entrance is near the beach end of Dearborn Ave.  The Park is comprised of 28 acres of lawns and grounds, and 34 acres of beach and swimming area on Long Island Sound.
 
Persons wanting further information about the dog beach run should contact the Town of Rye at 939-3075.