Earlier this year, after Guernsey created a designated dog beach, a petition was launched to have a similar designation in the Island.
The person who set the petition up argued that the Island was too small not to have a dog beach where the pets could have a free rein.
The petition gathered pace and reached 1,000 signatures, warranting a government response, and the figure now sits at 1,450 signatures.
A minister has responded and confirmed a number of attempts have been made to make this happen but no rules would be changed.
Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham said: ‘The existing rules are fair and are reasonably generous to dog walkers. They take account of the broad range of other reasons that both residents and tourists visit Jersey’s beautiful beaches.
‘There are advantages and disadvantages to both the time-based restrictions in Jersey and the geographically based restrictions in Guernsey.
‘In Jersey, however, it is considered that the existing rules have proved to be a workable compromise that have allowed for a broad range of different beach uses to coexist relatively comfortably.
‘The existing rules also ensure that dog walkers in Jersey always have the convenient option to use the beaches that are closest to where they live – albeit that they must sometimes keep their dog on a lead.
‘It is worth noting that the rules affecting dogs on beaches have been raised frequently via conventional and social media in recent years, particularly during the April/May and September/October periods when the rules change.
‘One example of such discussions was an online poll, conducted in May 2014 by the Jersey Evening Post newspaper. It concluded that 48% (726) of respondents supported maintaining the status quo, while 26% (393) considered that dogs should be allowed to run off the lead on beaches all year round.’
The Policing of Beaches Regulations 1959 allows dogs to be exercised on any Island beach all year round and there are no rules preventing them from entering the water.
Between May and September inclusive, though, a dog must be on a lead between 10.30am and 6pm.
The minister has also argued that having one designated beach may deter people from going to that one beach.
Senator Farnham added: ‘Jersey is a relatively small island, as the petition acknowledges. While it benefits from having a good number of beautiful beaches, all of those which might be considered large enough to service the demands of dog walkers may also be regarded as the favoured beach of Islanders and tourists who use the beach for other purposes.
‘Those other users may be inconvenienced or even deterred by the probable increase in numbers of dogs running off the lead on a designated beach.
‘On balance, therefore, government is not proposing to change the rules at this time.’
