Fiona Tomas
THERE’LL be no barking on Andalucia’s beaches this summer, after the Junta banned dogs along its entire coastline.
The decree which approves the new legislation states that ‘it is prohibited to give pets access to bathing zones, with the exception for any activity approved by the competent health authority.
The ban will be in place until September 30.
Jesus, 22, a lifeguard and dog-walker from a beach in Sabinillas, Malaga, told the Olive Press: “I’ll continue to walk my dogs along this beach in spite of the Junta’s decision.”
While Richard Hopkins, 46, a British resident in the same area who doesn’t own any dogs, commented, “I haven’t got anything against dogs, but they can make a mess on the beach.
He continued: “I have a friend whose dogs are very well behaved. If people are responsible, I don’t mind.”
However, Paco, a 65-year old holiday maker from Madrid, said: “I don’t like taking my dog on the beach. I believe that dog-friendly beaches should be treated in the same way as nudist beaches – they should be away from everything else.”
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I agree with Richard Hopkins but would also point out that humans can also leave a mess on the beach & they often do. No, let me re phrase that, all too many humans leave all manner of unwanted material on the beaches & as a result, the various Town Halls put a lot of man & machine hours into cleaning up after them. It’s easier to pick on dogs & whilst it’s perfectly true that some will leave their mess on the sand, most dog owners will remove it. Sadly as always, it’s the bad owners that get the undesirable reputation for all & the result is more regulations are put in force. Just a few days ago there was still no notice prohibiting dogs on a beach near to La Cala.
If Spain knew how to pick up after their dogs, this may not have been an issue (it starts with the humans)!
And as for the comment about human mess…I will take a sandwich wrapper over dog poop anyw day!
Unfortunately some os the waste left by humans kills animals
At the end of the day it comes down to showing a bit of respect whether it be dog mess or human mess. I have just returned from Majorca. I could not believe how clean it was compared to the UK. In some villages there wasn’t a leaf out of place!! Unfortunately there was some dog mess around and I believe that there is a law out that this should be removed. Unfortunately some dog owners are not adhering to this. Like you say its all down to humans…….