Karl Smallman
DOGS will be banned from all beaches on the Costa del Sol this summer following an instruction from the Junta de Andalucia.
The ban will run from June 1 to September 30 and will apply to all beaches – including the specific dog-friendly beaches that have been set up in Casares, Malaga and Fuengirola.
The ruling has been circulated to all 14 coastal municipalities.
Compared to the 450 beaches in the UK or the nearly 200 in France, the number of dog-friendly beaches in Spain is only around 50.
The news has already started a lively debate on the Olive Press’ Facebook page…
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Jennifer Knowles: Why make a dog friendly beach and then ban them!?!?!? The Costa Del Sol do not provide many parks and when there are you are not allowed to take your dog and run off the lead. Most people live is apartments with nowhere to take their dog. Lets start thinking of the dogs!
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Steve Homer: The problem isn’t the dogs on the beach – it’s the irresponsible owners who let them crap anywhere they like and don’t clean it up, often because they have left them off the leads or they just can’t be arsed (and I have seen all nationalities doing this including the so called dog loving Brits). I’d prefer to see the police enforce fines for those who don’t clear up the mess….or for those who are not carrying sufficient dog mess bags….they should retain the dog friendly areas but it doesn’t mean that they should be allowed to crap there without it being cleaned up. I don’t agree with having dogs on the beach during holiday time.
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I guess the Mijas Town Hall must be running on an ever tightening budget because they haven’t posted any signs to this effect on beaches near La Cala. There is however one sign concerning dogs: apparently giving them a shower is not permitted.
As is often the case with more & more regulations, this banning on dogs has almost certainly been brought about as a result of a few dog owners not cleaning up after their dogs have done what comes naturally to them (& us!!). If such owners are caught, then they should be named & shamed appropriately & this would certainly include them being forced into cleaning the dog’s mess up & a photo taken of them doing so. I won’t be on camera as I do do the right thing.
A quick point on the UK and France having more dog friendly beaches, both countries coastlines are subject to tides which naturally clean the beaches, poo being bio degradable unless dumped in the sea in vast quantities by humans. Personally I’d like to see some of the disgusting humans banned from beaches, dogs do what omes naturally humans set out to get drunk and vomit leaving their litter all over the place.
In Benajarafe the back of the beach is a mine field of human crap in the summer, as people illegally camp on the beach which has no toilet facilities so they go in the bushes and leave it there complete with toilet paper – disgusting! This needs sorting out before penalising responsible dog owners who clean up after their pets. Where my sister lives in the UK, anyone walking a dog that is not able to produce a ‘poo bag’ receives a £100 fine. Even if the dog has not poo’ed. They must have the means to clean it up.
What more can we expect from a country that enjoys throwing goats from church bell towers and killing bulls in front of moronic crowds? Spain is a nation that loves to torture animals.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Mahatma Gandhi
i agree with you completely,very well put!
Totally agree with you Tom… Why do they fine people for their garbage and not for picking up their dogs SHIT !!! ??
Who is Tom?
Could work in favour of the dogs. It can be upsetting seeing some on hot days with no adequate shade and water. Surely they are better left in a cool room.
totally agree with you !!! I see dogs being walked in the summer on read hot roads …. the sand is the same !!!
The beach is not a place for dogs. There is plenty of land and greenery and water around for them to investigate without taking them somewhere where there is very little stimulation for them smell-wise.
Has anyone considered that perhaps it is also the best decision for the welfare of the dogs? The sand on the beaches during summer gets so hot that even humans can’t stand on it for longer than 30 seconds before reaching for the flipflops or running for the water.
Although chances are that the town hall did not have this in mind when making their decision, it may well be their best argument yet.
Excellent idea, even if owners pick up the mess there will still be residue left. Decisions like this though must be complemented with good sewerage cleaning plants.
unpicked up crap aside
dogs chasing your toddlers all day is a beach exit sign.
and dogs like kids and adults and midday sun?
Run for the campo with your four legged friends
and learn some country rule
Keep them off the beaches and make them wear nappies in public areas, as they sometimes do in France. This should apply to offending owners too :-)
Ban the following, not dogs: 1) people who don’t pick up after their dogs, 2) Spanish who bring their entire kitchen with them, and then leave half of it as garbage, 3) drunk, loud and vulgar Brits, 4) fisherman who leave their spoiled bait and fish hooks on the beach.
About time this was done. Not only do dogs defecate and spoil the beach, they are a constant pest when doing any running along the beach. I’ve lost count the amount of times I’ve been jumped on by an overenthusiastic dog, and all the owner says is, don’t worry he won’t bite, by which time I’ve got claw marks down my legs, sometimes with a cut.
They should have been banned a long time ago from the beach. Is about time all governments made dog ownership more costly and accountable, i.e. 1000 euro licence with compulsory dog training once the dog has been bought. Restrictions on owning a dog of a certain size if you live in an apartment.
This will weed out the faddy dog owners, and scum bags who have dogs.
Well, well.
Aren’t you a pleasant fellow. Did you torture kittens as a child as well? As for the dogs bothering you, it’s quite amazing how they have a 6th sense for nasty types. As a so-called “scumbag” dog owner myself, I hope the next one really gets into you. If not, as dogs are usually much more gentle than many people, if I see you running along the beach, I’d be happy to be the scumbag who trips you.
Oopsy daisy…
Well well Rubicon. You imply Robert is a nasty type for disliking uncontrolled dogs and their owners while expressing the hope that the next one really gets into him or you would like to be the “scumbag” who trips him up.
Sorry refill. Every reasonable person agrees that owners should be repsonsible for their dogs. However, where exactly does Robert limit his banning of ALL dogs to “uncontrolled dogs”? and owners. I don’t recall seeing that in his dog hating dogma. Not to mention his rather nasty description of dog owners as “scumbags”. But then again, I don’t really care much about people who don’t like dogs anyway. Usually a bit odd, that type.
Thanks Rubicon for giving me an answer that proves my point, you are the irresponsible dog owning sc*m bag I’m talking about. There are too many idiots like you out there, and by making the licence fee so expensive, and the dog training compulsory, idiots like you would abandon the idea of dog ownership, as you would not have the patience, integrity, finance and love of proper dog ownership to meet the criteria I mentioned.
The only thing proven is that you don’t like dogs. And that you called their owners scumbags. Might want to look in a mirror while your running down your “private” beach, expecting everyone to bow down to you and get out of your way. Lastly as for people who don’t like dogs, usually something a bit anti-social or odd about that type. Same kind of person who calls other people scumbags, I suppose.
People that let their dogs jump on people, let their dogs defecate and don’t bother picking it up, are generally the same people who are liable to commit other antisocial acts, therefore the word scumbag is as good as any to describe them. You try and win an argument by making ridiculous assumptions and putting words into people’s mouths.
I used to have a labrador years ago, who was proper trained and went running with me, so that blows your nonsense about me hating dogs.
Lastly I didn’t call all dog owners scumbags, only a certain type, I said many were faddy. Now go and buy a poop scoop and some bags and behave yourself.
I’m with Robert, mostly. Too many dog owners think love me, love my dog. Well I don’t and I don’t. I liked the word ‘faddy’ and it is a fact that owners choose dogs that look like the owner. Do a people watch – it’s uncanny.
Problem is these dogs will find themselves off the beach and onto the boardwalk in our locality, along with the crazy cyclists. The worst are the dogs riding bikes and travelling on skate boards that are not intended for them
Spain at its stupid worst…..a little bit of beach for dogs ?? Too much to ask????….as for mess,give owners big fines,but do the same to litter bugs and other such like
Yes, like drunks who throw up all over the place and don’t clear up after themselves.
The best way to control dogs is to have wardens who check if owners have the means to clean up after their dogs. If they do not produce a ‘poo-bag’ when asked they should have an on the spot fine of 100 euros. Prevention is better than cure. I love to hand someone a spare bag and watch them gingerly pick up after their pet – so embarrasing for them
I currently have 3 rescued “abandonados”, one of which is a PPP breed (this particular dog is now also officially licensed, insured, and has received professional training). During my lifetime I have owned many dogs of various breeds and temperaments and always ensured that my dogs were never a nuisance to anyone else. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about some children – and their “owners”! I enjoy visiting the beach for a stroll along the water’s edge, perhaps a quick swim, or just a quiet few minutes relaxation. Fat chance when there are screaming kids running all around you, kicking or throwing balls about which cover you in sand even if they don’t directly hit you, running straight out of the sea and colliding into you, etc. etc. I definitely agree with what has already been mentioned here concerning the human variety of “animal”, and their dirty habits. Perhaps they should also receive training, preferably before they procreate!
My dogs have always enjoyed playing on the beach and in the sea as much as most children do. Additionally, they never scream, yell, or annoy everyone else when they can’t have an ice-cream. Many other countries have dog friendly areas of beach, so why not Spain, as pg asks? I feel sorry for anyone that has booked a holiday on the basis of a nearby dog-friendly beach – I personally would feel extremely angry at this late decision. That said, I do agree with earlier comments about the heat of the sand, etc. during the daytime – but what’s wrong with early mornings/late evenings?
Well said.
Pat, I agree with you. And of course, irresponsible dog owners should be held responsible. But not by banning ALL dogs. Using that logic, if someone in a commnity comitts a crime, the entire village shoud go to prison? I don’t think so.
Besides, as you so eloquently said, a soccer ball to the head, out of control children, mounds of trash, and drunks are far more of a nuissance.
But be careful, people like dog hating Robert, will demand that children and people should also be banned next from the beach. That is, unless they happen to be part of his priviledged class of “joggers” running on their private beach. While the rest of us “little people” who he labels scumbags should stay at home with our furry friends. But then again, probably much better company than he would be anyway.
I will give you a hand if you need it, Rubicon!!!
Thank you PG, I appreciate the offer. But I won’t need your help, I assure you. That is of course, unless you would enjoy a little sport. Per other well reasoned comments, yes of course everyone agrees that owners need to be reposnsible. But the ban is for ALL DOGS, regardless of training, behaviour, etc.
As for Robert and his dog hating ilk, there is nothing more sick or intolerable than people who hate animals. It’s also a proven sign of anti-social beaviour and mental disorder. Maybe that’s why Robert is so concerned about his running… away from what?
Dogs and other creatures share this earth with us. As they are innocent they can also be easily abused. Dogs in particular, who have been “Man’s best friend” through the agess have a special place in our DNA. And their owners (who Robert calls Scumbags!) have as much right to the beach as the arrogant fellows who run along thinking its’ their private track and field course, and that the rest of us should get out of their way. Sorry, not me. Nor my dog! Using their perverted logic, they should buy a treadmill and stay home. Away from the so-called “scumbag” people out there and their dogs.
Says it all for lovely little doggies.
“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-33211099”
For all those who profess to be good owners then there are significant numbers that aren’t and for them a solution has to found that doesn’t require the rest of the nation, UK or Spain, to pay the price.
Pat I guess you were the beneficiary of procreation so give it a rest with your holier than thow. Have licences that provide funds for educating the pet owner, whether cat or dog.
I don’t hate pets but I just wish owners would keep them to themselves. Even today I have my bare legs licked by a large dog and it make me feel dirty and prone to disease. I didn’t ask for that
I have pledged that one day a smaller dog getting near my legs with a threat to bite will be hoofed/lifted on my foot far away. Is that unfair…
i am sorry to here about the dog beach closing for the summer,and sorry to here about the stories of dogs jumping up people on the dog beach,the summer here leaves the sand red hot so it was good to go there in mornings,and last thing at night,there are thousands of dog lovers and owners sadened at the news that thay cant take there pet to the beach this summer,but i herd the gelly fish are on the way down to malaga and fuengi so shame really because no one canine or human can swim this summer without being extra carfull,,,,,,,sep will be back to beach with my massive malumute inc dog bags…….
Instead of taking dogs on the beaches teach them to chase cats and take them into villages. Hey presto lots of exercise for the dogs and fewer pesky pussy cats roaming around :)
With you John Lightfoot all the way and I don’t look forward to seeing a massive malumute with dog SACKS on the beach.
While we’re about it could the law be extended to picking up faeces in the countryside especially on tracks. Many a walk is spoilt by the constant search to avoid stepping on the totally unnecessaries. Dog owners are a lazy ‘breed’.
NB Take note
I would not say that I am a particular dog lover but I live on the park in a small but busy village in Scotland where virtually every home has at least 1 dog .
We have dog friendly bins situated over the park where dog owners can walk them and everyone carries plastic bags so they lift the dropping and deposit them in the bins which are regularly collected by council workers .
THere is enough room on this planet for all including dogs “A MANS BEST FRIEND ”
Food for thought !!!!
AG
@ John Simpson – I consider this tragic event to be the fault of an irresponsible adult, although the dog will naturally be blamed for everything despite it being reported that “Police said the family’s dog posed no threat to the wider public”. Dogs and children can form a wonderful bond, but it has been well publicised that they should never be left alone together. In this case, a 30-year-old man has apparently been arrested, so it seems the full facts have yet to be revealed.
Yes, John, I was indeed the beneficiary of procreation, and my parents taught me courtesy, consideration and respect for others, as well as right from wrong. If this makes me “holier than thow”, then so be it – but I am sorry if you did not receive a similar upbringing. As for having “licences that provide funds for educating the pet owner”, a responsible owner should not need educating and an irresponsible owner would not bother anyway. Unfortunately there are too many of the latter (and I am referring to their progeny as well as their pets).
Using your phraseology, I don’t hate children (or at least the well-behaved ones) but I just wish parents would keep them to themselves – and, so far as your final sentence is concerned, I must admit to having the same temptation when some out-of-control child nearly knocks me over!
Rubicon,
obviously there are some seriously dysfunctional saddos posting on this thread. They have had bad experiences with animals as children or been programmed by parents who should never have procreated at all, maybe they should take the Kool-Aid acid test – that would sort them out – one way or the other.
Now to look at this issue from a sane point of view. My personal take is that popular beaches should be in summer at least dog free for health reasons. I lost 3 abandoned dogs to thieves in Guadix and I can only imagine what fate befell them apart from being on the wrong end of a corrupt judges ruling for confronting the thieves. We left Spain with two more abandoned dogs who live a wonderful life in a country where dogs are an integral part of the way of life and where they can be taken to most hotels and restaurants. I would like Robert to say what he has on this thread to the ordinary Frenchman, I know he would get to find out just how good the French health system is.
The point about red hot sand is absolutely valid and only a stupid or uncaring dog owner would take their dog to a sandy beach in the summer – I won’t walk on bare feet so why would my dogs want to?
Back in the UK – living in Brighton or Hove you have to put up with London scum who leave tons of litter every weekend, spew up or light barbecues that have left innocent children with 2nd or even 3rd degree burns on their feet and I may be wrong but I believe a ban on dogs is in place there.
Until I suffered a trapped nerve in the spine I was an addicted runner – sun or rain there is no legal high like it but guess what Robert, I always met runners who took their dogs as well. I was never once attacked or had a dog jump up at me.
The truth is that dogs and cats are a great way to find out the craic with someone new – if your dog or cat does’nt like them – watch out they are a wrong-un and that’s for sure. Dogs and cats can suss out anyone in a moment – the problem is’nt the dogs Robert – it’s you that is the problem. The beach is not for you – try ridge running in the mountains – one slip and your gone but what a buzz.
Stuart, your response is equally as good as Pat’s.
Pat, wonderful reply.
It would appear that this story has been seen by some people as an opportunity to rant about how much they dislike dogs. Lots of things in life are not very nice but you can’t expect everything you do not personally like to be banned, it has to be reasonable and proportionate. Of course people should always clean up after their dogs, keep them on a lead and under control in public places and a ban on dogs on the main busy public beaches in the summer is reasonable. However, people should be able to take dogs on to quiet, out of the way beaches as long as they control them properly and pick up after them. The all or nothing approach is rarely successful.
Just a note, do not compare Spain with UK for dog friendly beaches, half the time or more the only people you see on the beach in the UK are dogs and their owners the rest are tucked up somewhere warm. I still have the central heating on and we are past the longest day and on our way back towards winter, what a lousy wet and cold year up to yet. But good for dogs :)
The ban is now law. Walk your dogs somewhere else. Simples! Enough places to walk your dogs anyway and if there aren’t why have you got a dog in the first place. I have nothing against dogs but it seems to me these days that an article about animals gets more reaction than an article about people suffering. A lot of the World’s problems are caused by people thinking they are owed something. Well it is not up to the councils to set aside areas for your pets. It is their beaches so they are entitled to ban who/whatever they like. They quite rightly chose dogs.
When i got my dog i lived in a beautiful area with plenty of places for dogs to run. it was a dog friendly zone. However due to the carelessness of some lazy dog owners there is now strict laws and signs everywhere stating that dogs are not allowed. i didnt ask the council to create a dog friendly space and neither did i ask them to take it away. Is it mine or my dogs fault that the place we used to run and exercise is no longer dog public access! it is the way it is. Now my dog cannot get the exercise he deserves nor do i have a big enough space to give him proper training. but i dont blame my dog or the council or the other dogs out there. At the end of the day it is the irresponsible owners out there who ruin it for everybody else. im sure if dogs had thumbs they would clean up after themselves.
As already suggested – dog wardens are needed – (plain-clothes maybe?) to fine the offenders. I have seen folk with poo-bags fastened to their dog leash, who just look the other way when their dog takes a dump on the beach, or paseo – and then carry on walking. As it’s such an annoyance to folk (me included – and I’m a dog-owner) it would be worth public funding of dog warden posts. Miniature head-cams could be used to avoid disputes- as our wardens do back in Scotland. I reckon the fines would soon pay for the enforcement service. But there SHOULD be dog-friendly beaches too – in every resort – that way, nobody has any excuse.
Spain is a huge country with so many tracks and walks that there is really no need to take them on the beaches where children and adults alike will be relaxing, digging, playing in and on the sand. I think owners just take dogs on the beaches because they are too lazy to go a short distance and find nice interesting walks that the dogs would also enjoy more.
The ban for beaches for dogs is motivated for a law that forbids it for hygienic reasons. The only way for to allow a beach for dogs it´s forbidding the bath of people.
Hi everyone,
I have waited until this time to take dogs to the beach as I have a dog walking/sitting service, only to find that I get accosted by a bunch of wrinkly naturists telling me that I am not allowed? What? Now I am very liberal, so live and let live as far as I’m concerned but that really takes the biscuit. So it’s ok for kids to be subjected to others people private parts, whether they want to or not but nudists get offended when I take my dogs on the beach for a walk in autumn. Really? It seems they are not as liberal as they make out.
So I guess my question is can we or can’t we at this time of year, (take the dogs on beaches I mean, not get naked ;))
Oh and for people saying that dogs mess is a problem, then let me remind you that nobody messes, dumps and pollutes like a human, maybe we should be banned from beaches for that reason.
Mel, having looked at the rules again, it would appear that dogs are allowed on the beach from 1 October through to 31 May.
How unreasonable of those naked folk. There’s you Mel, trying to make a few bob by letting other people’s dogs do wholesale crapping and weeing on the beach and these naturists have the temerity to complain. Perhaps you could follow John Lightfoot’s advice given here, then no-one can object.
I was going to do a reply to Mel’s posting but am sort of stunned into silence. Mel…..the law of this land has told you that you can not take dogs onto the beach. What part of that don’t you understand. Taking dogs to beaches is as has been said a lazy option. The naked people and most humans do not defacate on the beach. Even IF you clean that up there are traces left. These traces can blind children and worse make them very very ill. Humans as a rule do not defacate on the beach. I am hoping you were on a wind up and are going to tell me you got me. Really really hope so because if not then you need to get real and obey laws or if you prefer suffer the consequences. Btw the bit with the naked people on is small. Walk another hundred yards and then you wont see them.
I’ve seen plenty of people walking their dogs on the more out of the way beaches but I’m obviously not going to say exactly where. As far as I can see, there is a far greater problem with endless plastic bottles and building rubble on the beach.
Jane G. Nasty as they are, plastic bottles and building detritus don’t blind kids.
Stefanjo, to be fair, I didn’t see any dog faeces on the beach at all and I think the vast majority of people carry plastic bags to clean up after their dogs and then deposit it in the bin. This was a very out of the way beach and not what you might call one of the main public beaches with sunbeds etc. There is a wider problem that needs addressing and that is the number of stray dogs that roam around and defecate all over the place and that is random and difficult to control. With the best will in the world, there will always be some degree of dog mess around.
I live in England for most of the year, by a beach where I take my dog to walk (and yes, to poo). I always clean it up, (in fact it’s much easier to clean poo from sand the from the pavement). So do 99% of dog owners. But some don’t and this is upsetting. If I feel up to it I sometimes pick up other dogs’ left-overs too. I can see why people who don’t own dogs get annoyed. But my point is this: I also get fed up by the plastic bags, used nappies and other litter left by families with children. I would not suggest banning families from the beach as I can see it’s not everyone doing this. So why can’t Councils view dogs in the same way? Dog owners spend money and pay taxes too, same as people with kids. Unfair.
I think that you are absolutely wrong in puting the kids in the same plain that dogs.And, if all people would prefer to have dogs instead kids, probably some ones would be happy, but there will be a problem: the human race will extint.
Gillian,
your mention of nappies reminded me of the day I was going to feed our abandoned dogs which we kept in a corral out in the Tierras Malas thanks to our friend Pepe the shepherd I was walking along the road to Benelua and a car passed me and a woman threw a used nappy out of the window.
The clue is in their description Stuart. They call them “disposable” nappies. Gormless, couldn’t-care-less mums take it literally as you found. I used to live on a farm served by septic tanks where one of these mums caused utter chaos, taking their description as gospel. Some even found their way into field drains, with predictable smelly results.
Gillian: correct observation about human mess, but it’s the toxocariasis in animal crap that’s the problem. (mostly for kids) Even “picking up” can leave traces, transmission has been shown from stroking and close contact too.
Being a dog owner myself I agree that all dogs should be banned from all beaches during summer months, as its not a good advertisement for tourism with shit all over the place left behind from careless owners. Anybody seen, caught not picking their dogs mess up should be fined, heavily!
I dont understand why Fuengirola has created an area especially for dogs only to ban them in the summer, at the same time talk about extending it. Baffled!!
Does anybody know when this years rules will be announced?
Euro100. fines after a generous public warning period in several towns in Asturias has vastly reduced the poo on city sidewalks – though there are, of course, those who say “I don’t clean s**t off the streets.” Like most of these issues, it is a balance between public education and fines.
The summer beaches are for tourists – mainly families. To all those weirdos that think they have a god-given right for their PET to have priority over other humans – wake up! You Dont!
In my neck of the woods we want, no need, tourists. They want beaches.
Not bloody yappy rats and poo everywhere.
So those complaining can eat their dogs presents and sod off.