A 2010 dog hot spot is the conflict between property owners on Dyer Prince Road and the over-populated summer visitation from dog owners and their dogs. The opposition intends to ban the dogs from the beach in the summertime. The Eastham Dog Owners’ Association (EDOA) is very concerned our privilege to use this town area will be lost forever unless action is taken by us and have requested a meeting with the BOS.

It is the mission of the EDOA to promote the welfare of dogs, responsible dog ownership and equitable town ordinances relating to dog ownership in the Town of Eastham in a spirit of neighborly regard and in a manner that will maintain the unique beauty of Cape Cod.  We consider that walking dogs on the beach, particularly in the summer, is a privilege and one that we value very highly. The access to Town beaches is already drastically restricted during the summer since dogs are permitted only during very limited, non-peak hours, on a small segment of beach (Dyer Prince Area) that is less utilized than the other Eastham beaches. We are actively working with the Board of Selectmen to seek equitable solutions that would address the concerns of all tax payers. 

Some of the arguments made by the residents of Dyer Prince Road do have some merit.  There are, at times, many dogs on the beach.   Enforcement of the existing parking regulations adopted by the BOS in March 2000 requiring a valid Eastham beach sticker would reduce the number of cars and ipso facto the number of dogs on the beach. 

There have been allegations that dogs on the beach pose a health hazard even though it is the stated opinion of the Town’s health officer that the frequency of beach closings at Dyer Prince is not different from Eastham’s other bay beaches, where dogs are prohibited.  In December, two of EDOA’s Board members made a presentation to the Board of Health and presented evidence that refuted those allegations.  At that meeting, the Board of Health agreed that the conditions that contributed to the beach closings could not be attributed to the presence of dogs on the beach.  However, it is our opinion that solid dog waste should not be present, in any amount, on our beaches, our parks and other public places.  Individuals who do not pick up after their dogs are irresponsible and there should be consequences. 

Clearly there are irresponsible people who flout society’s rules and regulations; however, we believe that some of the potential problems at Dyer Prince could simply be addressed by public education.

To ensure that the rights of the non-dog public are protected, EDOA is compiling a list of volunteers that will serve as beach monitors.  These volunteers would assist in the distribution of public information, would stage beach clean-ups and would report violations to the police.  We hope that these suggestions, together with our volunteer efforts, will help to maintain the beach availability to the dog-loving segment of the Town’s full and part time residents.

To volunteer contact the Eastham Dog Owners’ Association via our website  at www.easthamdog.org