| "It's a privilege having an animal on the beach and there's a responsibility that goes with that." | |
| Bill Tipton, Brunswick and Golden Isles of Georgia Convention and Visitors Bureau |
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It's an unsightly problem. Beachgoers bring their pets along to frolic in the waves, and Fido leaves more than footprints behind. Not only is it unpleasant for others sharing the shore, but it also poses a real health threat to swimmers and other animals.
When visitors began to complain about the surprises dogs, horses, and other animals were leaving behind on St. Simons Island beaches, Bill Tipton, executive director of the Brunswick and Golden Isles of Georgia Convention and Visitors Bureau, knew he needed to pick up where pet owners were leaving off, or rather, needed to help owners do the picking up.
By ordinance, St. Simons Island welcomes animals before 9 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m. during the peak vacation months of May through September. Animals are allowed on the beach any time during the rest of the year.
While there was signage at all beach access points listing beach rules, Tipton says, "it didn't seem to be strong enough."
Since it was time to refurbish the existing beach signage, Tipton got permission from the nonprofit organization that had erected the signs to take over the responsibility.
His plan was not only to make the signage more eye-catching, but to have plastic bag dispensers installed alongside it for owners to use to clean up after their canine companions. Tipton notes, "Burial at sea doesn't count."
At no charge, an advertising agency came up with new signage, which begins with, "If your animal leaves more than prints in the sand..."
The county already had portable trash cans on the beach that were attached to wooden poles embedded in cement-filled tires, which provided ideal places to put additional signage and bag dispensers, all in one unit. A group of local residents volunteered to restock the dispensers.
Information on the new canine waste disposal units is featured in a visitors' guide and on rack cards at welcome centers. A press event to announce the units resulted in a number of newspaper articles.
Three different types of dispensers were tested last summer. The unit style that was found to be best was made of high impact plastic and featured bags on a roll. Tipton notes the bags are degradable and each dispenser costs about $200 apiece.
Tipton says there have been some challenges with the program. Locks on the dispensers rusted shut after a week and half and have to be oiled, one of the dispensers was vandalized, and volunteers don't always think to let him know if there is a problem with one of the units.
The benefits, however, have outweighed the challenges, he says. A nearby neighborhood association has copied the idea, and people are becoming bolder about letting offenders know they have to pick up after their pets.
"We want everyone to have a positive experience when they come to our beaches," Tipton says. "It's a privilege having an animal on the beach and there's a responsibility that goes with that."
For more information on the canine waste disposal units, contact Bill Tipton at (912) 265-0620 or executivedirector@bgicvb.com. To order a copy of a visitors' guide, point your browser to http://bgicvb.com.
