TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. — Dog owners on Tybee Island are getting a chance to share the sand with their pets this winter. The City Council voted 4-2 this week to try an off-season pilot that opens a stretch of beach to dogs through Feb. 28.
The approved area runs along the south end of the island from the pier down to Chatham, roughly a tenth of the shoreline. During the trial, dogs are welcome between 8 in the morning and 6 in the evening, giving residents and visitors a chance to walk their pets on the sand during the quieter cooler months.
Owners must get a permit, which the city is giving out at no cost, and keep each dog vaccinated and on a leash no longer than 8 feet. They are responsible for cleaning up after their animals. The proposal on the agenda also limited handlers to one dog each, required dogs to stay under control, and barred them from chasing wildlife or wandering into the dunes and vegetation. Dogs are to reach the sand by way of the beach crossovers, and owners must carry waste bags and certify that their dog has a rabies shot.
If beach renourishment work starts in the pilot zone, the program would be paused there. That possibility is part of why officials decided not to charge for the permit.
The vote came late in a long meeting after residents spoke on both sides. Supporters said the trial would let responsible owners prove they can care for the island. Opponents worried about enforcement, the small size of the beach, how dogs might behave and the effect on shorebirds, some of them endangered.
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