Brace Point: beach access: dogs and darkness

[VBD]

I was just out walking my pup. A well behaved and quiet German Shepherd. We had him on his leash, requisite poop bags at the ready.

We live in Fauntleroy and often take him down to the little public access beach in Brace Point to watch the sunset. Tonight, it was after sunset (darn early fall evenings…) so although it was before 9:00, it was still fully dark. The home to the south of the access has a dog that barks from time to time, and he was going strong tonight. Suddenly a woman, that I assume lives there, briskly informed us that the beach access is “daytime only” and that dogs are not allowed at the beach (in spite of the sign stating that they must be on a leash). I didn’t make much fuss, and my wife and I left with our pooch, but I did mention on the way out that the sign only indicated that dogs must be leashed, and there was nothing about them being forbidden. Also, there didn’t seem to be any hours of access posted. She responded with something about a city ordinance.

So is she right, that we should not have been there? I’ve lived here for 20 years and have not run into this before.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by VBD.

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[WSB]

Seattle Animal Shelter’s reminder: No dogs on public beaches

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[VBD]

That’s interesting, because there is a conspicuous sign stating that dogs must be on a leash at the entrance, and there isn’t a “no dogs $500” sign like the ones you see at Alki and Lincoln park. There’s even a little poop bag dispenser. Cove Park has a “Keep Dogs Leashed” sign on the beach itself, so that one strongly implies that dogs are allowed there. And there’s a bag dispenser on the kiosk there as well. This is, at the vary least, quite misleading.

Could it be that the definition of “beach” in these access areas is defined as only the area below the high tide mark? Or is it perhaps that most of the beach in these areas is private, and those dogs are not restricted…

How about the “daytime only” part. Any validity to that claim? (again, no signs and nothing retrieved from a web search.)

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[savoirfaire]

Interesting. The law about dogs is from the Parks Code, but it prohibits them from “all public beaches”:
https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT18PARE_CH18.12PACO_SUBCHAPTER_IIIAN_18.12.080ANRULAPR

I’ve never been to this spot but I’m assuming it’s one of those shoreline street ends?

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[VBD]

Yes, it’s a road’s end beach access, and not listed as a park on the Seattle Parks website.

Here is a sign very similar to the one at the park. Clearly NOT a “no dogs” warning:

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[KBear]

Since it’s not a park, I don’t think it has official “hours”. It’s a street end, and I think you and your dog have as much right to be there as you would on any other street at any time. It is my understanding that dogs aren’t allowed on any publicly accessible shoreline in Seattle, except in the off-leash area at Magnuson Park, so you just need to stay away from the water.

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[VBD]

KBear, that certainly seems to align with what I’ve always assumed. No hours posted, and it is essentially a street end.

I looked up the legal definition of “beach”, and the most common wording is the shoreline area between high and low tide. So I had always assumed if you were above that line, you are fine to have a dog, unless the area is otherwise posted.

Since my dog doesn’t like the water much, it’s easy to keep him above the wet sand. So I’m going to continue with what I (and apparently several other dog owners in the area) interpret the rules to be: we are free to access the public areas with with our dog after dark, provided he’s leashed and we stay above the high tide line.

Ant objections?

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