Dog Owners Express Opposition to Proposed Restrictions at Gibson Lane Beach in Sagaponack

Dog-loving residents of Sagaponack Village — and a few who live outside the village boundaries — turned out at a public hearing on May 10 to express their opposition to a proposed change to a local law that would prevent dogs from having year-round access to a popular public beach.

Gibson Lane Beach, an ocean beach that is owned by Sagaponack Village, has been a popular meeting place for dog owners in the village and beyond, because it allows dogs on a year-round basis, restricting access for four-legged visitors between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from May 15 through September 15.

A proposed amendment to the code, which was debated at the public hearing before the Village Board, would ban dogs entirely during those months, which is the current restriction for many other areas beaches including nearby Sagg Main, and Foster Memorial Long Beach in Sag Harbor, both of which are run by the Town of Southampton.

Village Mayor Bill Tillotson said the proposed law change and public hearing came about because of complaints the village has received about dog owners not abiding by the rules of keeping their dogs leashed at all times and being required to pick up any waste. Tillotson said he understands those concerns because he has personally experienced the consequences of irresponsible dog owners.

“I used to swim every day at Gibson Lane, late in the day, and I had times when I’d try to get out of the ocean and a dog would run up to me, or jump on me and scrape my legs,” he said. “So I switched to Sagg Main in the summer. I know others have the same sentiment.”

While a few other residents shared that sentiment at the public hearing, the vast majority of people who spoke expressed their opposition to any change, saying the beach has become a cherished and essential gathering place for dog owners, especially during the warmer months, when so many other beaches completely cut off access for dogs.

“I find this proposal soul crushing,” said Blake Horn during the hearing. “I don’t think this type of prohibition that is so all encompassing is an appropriate response to isolated incidents that are happening. The compromise that dog owners have to deal with is that you can’t have a dog on the beach between 9 and 5 half the year. There’s already a great compromise being made by dog owners. I look at what other towns do and find it offensive.”

Richard Katzman, who goes to Gibson Lane in the evenings with his dog, said the beach has become a social gathering area for dogs and dog owners during that time, and said he’d hate to see that taken away.

“Anyone who doesn’t want to be at a beach with dogs has other options to go to,” he said. “Removing the ability to bring dogs there almost amounts to animal cruelty when you see how much these dogs love the beach.”

Barbara Bornstein pointed out that “there are already rules in place that would make this unnecessary if they were enforced.”

The board was scheduled to meet again on May 17, at which time it could either vote on the proposed change or leave it alone. Tillotson said he’s inclined to encourage residents and dog owners who regularly take their pets to Gibson Lane to step up their self-policing in terms of following the leashing and waste pick up requirements, and see where sentiment stands some time down the road.

“We’ll see what happens this summer,” he said, adding the law could end up changing if dog owners aren’t more respectful of nondog people who want to use the beach.

“This board is not mean-spirited and is not trying to do anything negative,” he said at the hearing. “We’re just trying to resolve a conflict for different users of the same facility.”