Posted on: Monday, April 30, 2001

Dogs on beaches: Aloha is required

Among the great controversies of our day, the uneasy coexistence of dogs and people on beaches is one issue we'd prefer to come down decisively in the middle of. There are few sights more pleasurable than a good-hearted, healthy dog romping on the beach.

Unfortunately, there are few thoughts more disgusting than that of stretching out on the sand and taking in the heady aroma of proximate dog urine. Do dog owners who pick up their dogs' droppings imagine that the sand they've left behind is pristine enough for young children to play in?

Dog owners feel their rights narrowing: Where once they let their animals romp free, now they're being required to leash them. Beach-goers who used to welcome dogs now glare at them.

Where to draw the line?

This is an issue that right-thinking people can solve by themselves, without government intervention. There doesn't have to be a law; there don't have to be beach-dog cops.

But perhaps we can agree on areas of beach that dog-lovers can take advantage of, while other stretches remain canine-free. "Bark parks" are proving successful; why not extend the idea to our shoreline?

The key is for each side of this issue to think long and hard about the needs and wants of the other side, instead of hardening their own demands and polarizing the dispute.

This will remain the land of aloha only as long as we keep it that way.