Dillon Beach is a privately-owned stretch of sand in Marin County that has been a haven for dog owners for years. It is one of the few beaches in the North Bay where dogs are allowed off leash.
Inevitably, there are conflicts when so many dogs gather in one spot. That is apparently what happened recently, which resulted in the controversial decision by the owners to ban pit bulls from the beach.
According to the comments from the original blog post, camps have developed.
Camp 1. “Judge the deed, not the breed.” In other words, it’s not the dog, but the act.
Camp 2. Pit bull owners are white trash and irresponsible. Okay….that makes no sense.
Camp 3. All pit bulls are vicious. Refer to Camp 1.
Camp 4. Clueless owners who underestimate the issues of their dog.
That one has a lot of validity. There is no saving these folks who fail to understand their dog is reactive to other dogs. Off leash dogs will often be rude and rush up to other dogs. Fearful dogs do not like dogs rushing up to them. The owners of these fearful dogs are as much to blame for conflicts as are the people with rude and pushy dogs. They have put their dogs in a very vulnerable environment.
People fail to know that a major goal of your dog, is to learn to to ignore other dogs.
Camp 5. Dillon Beach operators are short-sighted in banning one specific type of dog. See Camp 1.
Going to this beach and having your dogs off leash is a privilege. Like all such benefits, it could go away.
The bottom line is this; Dillon Beach is a private beach. If you do not like the ban, don’t go to the beach.
If you do go the beach, keep control of your dog.
