Unleash at the Beach? Hikes? Oregon Coast and State Park Dog Guidelines, Laws

Published 7/16/24 at 9:55 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Oregon Coast) – Few things are more adorable than taking your fur baby to the beach. Watching their sheer joy at enjoying the ocean and sand is nonpareil. Not much can beat that kind of doggo smile and wag. (Photo US Coast Guard - from a 2023 rescue)

Yet venturing out to the coast with them has its definite dangers, and a few dog rescues this year by Oregon responders really illustrate the kind of bad luck you can conjure up by not taking a few precautions.

Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has a few good tips for keeping your pooch safe, as well as actual rules and laws that are in place at not just all state parks but many outdoor areas throughout the state as well as the beaches.

Leash Laws for the State Parks

When it comes to any state park, within the park itself your dog should be on a leash at all times. There are exceptions, however. In general, according to OPRD: “Your pet needs to be physically restrained, meaning you must have them on a leash no longer than six feet.”

Exceptions:

The exceptions are if your pet is in a designated off-leash area; or inside your vehicle, tent, or pet-friendly yurt or cabin.

These are largely the rules in most Oregon rec areas, even if they're county sites. Make sure you read the signs at the entry points of any park.

Part of the reasoning here is that while your pup may be the friendly one, another dog may not be.

“Leashing your pet prevents them from tangling with wild animals or other visitors' pets, becoming lost, ransacking campground garbage, damaging plant life, being hit by a car, or falling from a cliff,” OPRD said.

One of the most important instances here is on cliff areas of the Oregon coast. A general guideline is no matter where you are in the state and there's a cliff or rocky area next to the surf (like Yachats), keep them on a leash. Oregon Coast Beach Connection has covered far too many of these cliff falls and subsequent rescues. Not leashing your dog on a hike is a horrible idea. See: Injured Dog Rescued on Remote N. Oregon Coast Shore After Falling Off Cliff Near Cannon Beach, Video

Dogs Running Free on Beaches

For the majority of ocean beaches, pets are welcome. However, there’s a catch: keep that leash handy. Even in the wide-open expanse of sand, there are times you should have them on a leash.

For the beach in front of Cape Lookout State Park, this is always required.

Sometimes, you’ll get lucky and leashes won’t be mandatory. However, even then, your pet should remain under direct control (within your sight and responsive to your commands). Be prepared, though, said OPRD: keep that leash nearby in case a park employee asks you to restrain your enthusiastic companion.

Wildlife Protection: Some beaches have a strict no-pets policy (yes, even if they’re leashed). Why? To safeguard wildlife, like those adorable western snowy plovers. This is definitely true from March 15 through September 15 at a handful of beaches: only several miles worth of sands scattered throughout some 362 miles of shore. The restrictions will be clearly marked by signage at the beach access – but many of these are fairly remote, so your chances of bumping into this are small.

Also see: Coos Bay's Party of Historical Proportions: S. Oregon Coast Town Celebrates 150 Years - In 1874, the little town of Coos Bay was born.

A Case Study: What Can Happen on the Coast To A Dog

From the Depoe Bay incident

Back in the early 2010s, Oregon Coast Beach Connection witnessed a harrowing dog situation in Depoe Bay where an unleashed goldie went sailing over the seawall and nearly died in the surf. The dog was extremely lucky.

There was suddenly an awful commotion at the seawall, with a woman wailing uncontrollably. A witness nearby indicated the woman's golden retriever had just chased a bouncing ball over the seawall and plunged into the manic waters of the bay.

Golden Retriever Traumatized by Fall Off Oregon Coast Cliff, Rescued by Coast Guard Helicopter -

Apparently the dog first hit the rocks then slid into the water. Some bystanders popped up to help, and it's unclear if anyone actually jumped into the angry ocean to fish the dog out. At one point, a small group emerged into view, with one carrying the soaking wet, shivering goldie.

The poor dog was extremely traumatized and shaking violently while being dried off by his owners.

It was a frightful Oregon coast moment that should be a lesson to those who forget to leash their pet, even if it's in town and there's water nearby. Not to mention, traffic in Depoe Bay – and other coastal towns - is relatively insane much of the time and leaving your dog unleashed after getting out of your car seriously raises the chances of something happening there.

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