By MADDY VITALE
One might say it was a dog-day afternoon in Sea Isle City on Sunday, as pooch lovers and their hounds walked along the Promenade, dipped their feet and paws in the surf and even attempted to dig up treasures or treats in the sand.
Rebeka and John Kline, of Reading, Pa., couldn’t wait to take their 6-year-old Labradoodle named Bailey up to the beach.
“This is Bailey’s season,” joked Rebeka. “Our trip to town today was so that Bailey could play at the beach.”
And play he did – in the water, on the sand and on the Promenade.
“When people are gone for the season, that is when Bailey gets to have fun,” Rebeka explained of the quieter fall months. “He does have a bit of a phobia, though, of the foam from the water.”
City officials allow dogs to romp and enjoy the beaches and Promenade beginning in October. The only thing that is asked is that owners are responsible and clean up after their dogs.
City Council’s message in Sea Isle’s Oct. 8 E-Newsletter noted that, “Now that October has arrived, pets are permitted once again on Sea Isle City’s beaches and promenade.”
The message continued with this very big caveat, “However, we remind everyone that dogs must be on a leash at all times and their owners must clean up after their pets without delay. Please remember that children play along our shoreline throughout the year and stepping in a dog’s fecal matter can ruin a day at the beach.”
While Bailey was a “seasoned” offseason beachgoer, Holly, a 3-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel and cocker spaniel mix, headed to the ocean with owner, Frank Cerne, of Philadelphia, for the first time.
“She is used to the trails around the campground,” Cerne said of a vacation retreat he and his family have offshore in Ocean View. “She likes streams. This is something different. It is nice to see her so excited about the beach. It is a great day.”
While dogs romped, frolicked and savored the breeze, sun and adventure, the Eddys, of Mount Laurel, N.J., were walking up to the Promenade so that their pet, Scarlett, could get a glimpse of the ocean.
Rick and Debbie Eddy, and Debbie’s mom, Anna Cummings, said Scarlett was a veteran of the Sea Isle beach.
The rescue pup, who was celebrating nine years since her adoption by the Eddy family, seemed pretty sure of herself and familiar with the city’s Promenade and surroundings.
“She loves it,” Rick noted. “We came here today just so that Scarlett could have some fun.”
