Report from the Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Environment in relation to the petition that has been received in pursuance of paragraph 30.1 of the Council Procedure Rules:
Change Southwold Beach Dog Ban to May 1st
Currently Dogs are banned on Southwold beach from April 1st each year, whereas every other beach in Suffolk is May 1st. If you would like to see the ban brought in line with every other beach in Suffolk to May 1st, please sign this petition. Why should Southwold be any different from the rest of the county?
Let's extend our dogs walkies by 1 month a year! Please sign and share. We need more signatures, please share with all your contact lists and let's get this on the councils agenda.
Meanwhile, here's a little personal story about my life with dogs in Southwold....
I was born in Southwold in East Street near the beach and have 2 older brothers. At the age of 8 in 1976 I was desperate to have a dog, but my older brother was afraid of them, so family disputes were highly debated over the topic. Every day I would look at the classifieds section in the back of my fathers EADT newspaper, reading out all the puppies for sale. My father trying to be diplomatic said if we were to have a dog, he would prefer a Boxer dog, which were £150 at this time. He told me if I could save up £150 of pocket money I could have one. In 1976 this was a LOT of money and a seemingly unsurmountable accomplishment for an 8 year old! I shook hands on the deal and went for a walk on Southwold beach. On the beach I found three £50 notes rolled up with an elastic band round them!!! I took them home and proudly presented my parents with the £150 and asked if we could now get a puppy! My mother asked where on earth I had got the money from, on telling her i found it on the beach, she said someone has lost this and we must hand it in at the Police station, which we did. The Police officer said we had to wait for 6 weeks to see if anyone claimed it. Every day I ticked off the days on the calendar. After the 6 weeks was up, the Police called to say no one had claimed it and it was mine! Shortly after we got our first Boxer named Benjy, who the whole family, including my brother who had previously been scared of dogs, fell i love with.
I'm now 57 and have had dogs my whole life. I never wanted children, but dogs (and cats) have been my constant companions. I've gone from Boxers to Scotties as I've got older, but love all breeds and know as a long term dog owner that what you put into dogs you get out. Responsible ownership, cleaning up after your dog, keeping them on lead on the promenade, ensuring your dog is not a threat to others, all help create a better social environment for us all. In summer taking water bowls and shade for our dogs, who love a dip in the sea just as we do. Let's hope that if we keep sharing and signing the petition we will get whats fair and in line with every other beach in Suffolk, allowing us on the beach with our dogs until the end of April each year. 36% of households in the UK own a dog! So many families bring dogs to the town for holidays, it was voted 70/100 top places in the UK that is dog friendly, which helps tourism in the town and helps support local business.
Thanks for listening, sharing and supporting this petition.