Porter, my dog, and I have a great love for the beach, he likes to chase birds, play with other dogs, dig and will chew just about anything! I like the ability to enjoy both my passion for the beach as well as my puppy Porter. We live in an area that surprisingly to me, has no dog parks. There are so many rules and regulations about when and where we are allowed to have ours dogs, that when we are allowed on the beach we take advantage. October 1^st is the first day of the “off-season” that we are allowed to have our dogs on the beach any time of day.  In Rehoboth however, your furry friend still has to be on a leash. If you go to Dewey, your dog does NOT have to be on a leash. I do not live “in-town” Rehoboth, so I drive to the end of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk (Prospect Street) and walk into Dewey (to the right).  During the week I am usually on the beach after 5:30 pm, but on the weekends I am there by 8:00 am.  In the “off-season” it is easy to find a parking spot, but “in-season” (May 1^st to September 30^th) if you do not have a Rehoboth Beach Parking Permit, make sure you are off Prospect Street by 9:30 am or you will be ticketed! Also, in the “off-season” you can pull up let your dog out unleashed and walk to the beach, not the case during the “in-season”. In the mornings there is usually a Police Officer that sits at the end of the Boardwalk to make sure that your dog is leashed and that you walk TOWARDS Dewey beach. Rehoboth Beach law says your dog has to be leashed and curbed at all times, no matter what season it is.

Sometimes we like to take Porter other places around town that we can enjoy him “off leash”. One place that we found that is completely gated is the Little League Fields, off Holland Glade Road. Not all dogs can go off leash and come back on command. The Little League Fields allow Porter and his friends to play off leash, in a safe enclosed environment for them. If you do go to the fields just make sure to clean up after your dogs. There is more than one field there, so we try to stay on the back field that is not used as much as the front two. We also try not to use the fields when there is a game going on. We try to get there early in the morning when the fields are not in use.

There is one more place where you might find Porter and me, which is Rehoboth Elementary School. They also have multiple closed in fields that we can use. Once again, I do not use them when kids are in school using them. When they are not in use I use them as well as during the summer months. However, there are other leagues that like to use the fields as well. I try to make sure that there is nothing going on when I am there with Porter and his friends. Just make sure you clean up after your furry friends!

There are other places that Porter and I like to go, but we need to stay on leash. One that is convenient to me is the Junction and Breakwater Trail; this is a bike path that connects Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. This is a trail that is considered a state park, and your dog must be on a leash unless otherwise specified. There are areas in the state parks that allow dogs off leash. There will be specific signs that say where and when you’re allowed.

There are few places we can go and enjoy our furry friends; if you do go to these places make sure you clean up after your pet. If we do not take care of these places we will not be able to use them.