Wrightsville Beach has enough trouble enforcing the current dog regulations, and changing the ordinance now would only exacerbate the problem, town leaders agreed.
The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen revisited the town’s policy regarding dogs on the beach during its Feb. 14 retreat in response to a request by resident Tom Thompson in May 2014. Currently, dogs are prohibited on the beach strand between April 1 and Sept. 1 and required to be on a leash during the off-season.
Thompson researched dog regulations in nearby beach towns and found Wrightsville Beach’s rules to be restrictive in comparison. Only New Hanover County’s Kure Beach had a policy as strict as the one enforced by Wrightsville Beach, he told the planning board last May.
When Thompson presented his findings at that meeting, a major concern raised was the potential risk to bird and sea turtle nests. Wrightsville Beach Park Ranger Shannon Slocum said if a dog disturbs a sea turtle nest, the owner receives a $10,000 fine.
Several residents, including Tim Taylor, also spoke against the proposed change.
“In the summer season with our crowds, our officers have enough things to do,” Taylor said during the retreat. “I just think we have a good law now, a good compromise for everybody.”
The aldermen agreed. Alderwoman Elizabeth King and Mayor Bill Blair both said, as dog owners, they understood why people would want to let their dogs run loose. But the town first had to get its current dog policy under control, because town leaders and residents both said they witnessed dogs off leashes up and down the beach strand.
“Common sense says you can’t expand a program if you don’t really have a good handle around the program that you’ve got,” Blair said.
