REHOBOTH BEACH, DE - Despite a recent poll indicating the interest of Rehoboth residents in allowing dogs on the boardwalk during the summer, city commissioners remain undecided on the matter, which had 59% of respondents in favor. Two proposals were presented at today's Board of Commissioners Workshop, but shelved.
One proposal suggested allowing dogs on the boardwalk from sunset to 8 AM during the summer, while the other aimed to extend the dog-friendly summer season by two weeks in May and September. Rather than voting on these proposals, commissioners opted to table the ideas, expressing concerns about the lack of enforceability.
Mayor Stan Mills emphasized the need to address enforcement issues before moving forward.
"Unfortunately, we kept coming back to the situation of the lack of enforcement. We don’t have adequate enforcement, and until we can solve that issue, so we decided to withdraw those two proposals."
Mills clarified that the concern isn't responsible dog owners but rather those who fail to dispose of their dogs' waste properly or supervise them.
Rehoboth Dog owner John Krafty, says he'd love to be able to bring his dog on the boardwalk, but agreed there were challenges,
"I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to have it year-round. If you’re a responsible dog owner, not an issue with it, but we know not all dog owners are responsible, and there's the issue."
For now, paw prints will continue to stay off Rehoboth beaches until a feasible solution addressing enforcement concerns is established.