Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Warning to Dog Owners

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If you bring your dog to Zihua, do not expect to enjoy walking on the beach with your furry companion. Only if (1) your dog is a registered service dog and (2) you follow all the procedures required to receive a certification from the Muncipal government will your dog be allowed on Playa La Ropa or La Madera. Some people get around this by walking or running the beach in the early morning, before the "regulators" come to work. In our experience on Playa la Ropa, this can be any time between 8:30 - 10:00. If one of these people sees you on the beach with your dog, you will be stopped, harassed, and even threatened with having your dog taken from you.

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Yes, we got hassled a couple of days ago with our little 7 lb Papillon on a leash. (Our best defense is always "no habla espanol, dude". Meanwhile the Chilangos on August vacation are leaving tons of garbage strewn up and down the beach. Well, thank goodness there's no dog pee. Clean beach indeed! Ah well, it will probably revert to normal after the next election…other priorities and other cousins to employ, doncha know.

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We have been here since June 8 (this time) and have been amazed by the numbers of people and agencies involved in the effort to keep dogs off the beaches. Eco Guardia, Guardia Ambiental, Zihua Sanitario, and now Ecologia (from the municipality). Yet, as you said, there is no reduction in the amount of garbage left on the beach. And -- as we all know -- every time there is a heavy rain, more garbage and other stuff washes down the hillsides and into the bay. But dogs make such an easy target.

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Please try to take their photos when they harass you. NONE of those people have the authority to take your dog away or to arrest you. I urge civil disobedience and my family and I will continue taking our dog to any damn beach we please!

Nevertheless, my family and I still enjoy the beach at Rossy's Restaurant, Gaviota Restaurant and the Catalina Hotel because they are all 100% pet-friendly.

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Rob, yesterday the "gentleman" from Ecologia told us that since we were on federal property (i.e., the beach) the Marineros (who happened to be near by) had the authority to take our dog. Not sure if this is true or not, but really do not want to find out. We are in the clear now, as Poquito has been "certified" by Ecologia. Just wanting to warn other folks of what they could face. Regardless of whether or not they have the authority to take our dog, it is no fun being stopped and harassed when you are just trying to enjoy a peaceful walk. Paty's is also 100% pet-friendly.

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Same applies to Paty's, Elvira's, El Manglar, El Pirata and El Marlin, all of which you can enter from the street side. Bistro del Mar at Madera Beach is also pet friendly. Just avoid La Perla as they are the opposite.

--
Graham Felipe'

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If you bring your dog to Zihua, do not expect to enjoy walking on the beach with your furry companion. Only if (1) your dog is a registered service dog and (2) you follow all the procedures required to receive a certification from the Muncipal government will your dog be allowed on Playa La Ropa or La Madera. Some people get around this by walking or running the beach in the early morning, before the "regulators" come to work. In our experience on Playa la Ropa, this can be any time between 8:30 - 10:00. If one of these people sees you on the beach with your dog, you will be stopped, harassed, and even threatened with having your dog taken from you.

I have a hearing disability and I have a card stating my dog is a service dog. I will be coming to. Zihuatenejo for three months in January. Please tell me what the procedure is to get her registered so she can accompany me. Thanks.

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Since several people have asked, and since the intent of my post was to help other dog owners, here is how we received our certification for our dog to accompany us to the beach. It is actually fairly simple. We went with our documentation (service dog registry card and certificate, letter from a local physician confirming the disability) to the office of Ecologia at the Palacio Municipal. They made copies of our documentation and told us they would review it, and to come back on Monday. This was on a Thursday. On Monday we returned to the office and received our certificate. It is for La Ropa only (they asked us which beach we wanted) and must be renewed every four months. You do need to speak Spanish in order to do this, or go with someone who does.

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One additional piece of documentation is required -- a certificate from a local vet stating that the dog is healthy and free from parasites. very important If you have just arrived, perhaps the health certificate required for traveling would work for this. I am not really sure about that. You would need to ask someone at Ecologia.

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I recommend telling anyone who hassles you about having a pet on the beach to "vaya a la chingada". :stirpot: :wtf:

You can tell them I told you so: "ZihuaRob me dijo que le dijiera que vaya usted a la chingada."

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Rob, you crack me up. Let me know next time you are going to walk on La Ropa with Lola. I will bring my camera.

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As soon as we arrive in November, we will be doing the paperwork on our two dogs-one a 12.5 year old service dog, and her younger "sister" in training, who is 3. I still have a couple more questions.
Did your dog accompany you to the official office in town? Was it/or would it have been appropriate?
Can you please post the exact location of the office we need to visit?
Our Spanish is pretty decent. Do you think that would be adequate?
We live in a compound where a doctor lives, so the letter should not be a problem. Would you consider providing a template, or example of what worked?
We really appreciate all of the information you are making available to us.

We already have packed 50 sets of collars/harnesses and matching leashes to donate to the wonderful group on the plaza.

Yes, Rob, let's all walk on La Ropa and have you save us. Bet you would!

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Dear R & J, between us we have 5 dogs.. 3 of which have come off of La Ropa beach, all of them rescued from who knows what, all sweet. Just not going through the trouble to deal with the new certification B.S. Plenty of walks east of the beach. Looking forward to that come Nov. R & K

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Yes we would join that walk always on leash of course with bags in our back pockets. and pick up the poop. Also picking up crap left by tourists from?

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There are more and more non-smoking sections everywhere in the world.

There are pools for kids only. And pools for adults only.

Some do not allow sound systems---strident noise.

What´s wrong with having a handful of dog-free beaches???. Mexico welcomes dogs in hundreds of beaches!!!!

I would like to have the CHOICE of a joyful, peaceful time without smelling, blowing tobacco smoke on my face, or kids screaming, splashing, crying, free of senseless music blasting, and no dogs barking and pooing in front of me while I am enjoying a good ceviche.

Just let us have 5% of the beaches where the only sound is the waves crashing.

Asking for respect. That´s all

PS BTW Nothing against dogs. I always treat them with respect

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There are more and more non-smoking sections everywhere in the world.

There are pools for kids only. And pools for adults only.

Some do not allow sound systems---strident noise.

What´s wrong with having a handful of dog-free beaches???. Mexico welcomes dogs in hundreds of beaches!!!!

I would like to have the CHOICE of a joyful, peaceful time without smelling, blowing tobacco smoke on my face, or kids screaming, splashing, crying, free of senseless music blasting, and no dogs barking and pooing in front of me while I am enjoying a good ceviche.

Just let us have 5% of the beaches where the only sound is the waves crashing.

Asking for respect. That´s all

PS BTW Nothing against dogs. I always treat them with respect

Fine, but with all due respect it sounds like you should be seeking a different vacation destination, because my neighbors and I are going to fight this, and frankly I don't believe this very un-Zihuatanejo-like short-sighted policy will be enforced once the current municipal administration leaves office in a little over a year.

Zihuatanejo has never aspired to be like Miami Beach, which sounds like a place you might like. Banning dogs on the beach is as much out of sync with our local culture as is keeping dolphins enslaved in tanks so unthinking folks can pay to swim with them. The day Zihuatanejo starts imitating other snobbish resort destinations with dumb oppressive rules and regulations will be the day this website comes down because I will refuse to promote that place for the same reasons I refuse to live in such a place. I and too many of my friends and neighbors cherish our freedoms too much to begin allowing their erosion like has happened in so much of the USA. Here we prefer tolerance and to live and let live.

El respeto al derecho ajeno es La Paz.

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Rob that says it all. Jeez I'd hate to sneeze next to the guy.

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We totally understand, but for us, it's all about the beach.
Hope this works out, we are just marking time to move down permanently. If the dog stuff doesn't work, we can't do it.
Please add the envelope to your name. I had computer issues and lost your e-mail.

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Here is the address where the government offices are located:
H. Ayuntamiento Municipal de Zihuatanejo de Azueta
Av. Paseo de Zihuatanejo Poniente N.21 Col. La Deportiva
Zihuatanejo de Azueta, Guerrero 40880
If you turn on the email envelope next to your name, I will send you the other info you requested. I am glad to be helpful to other dog owners. It took us two months of trial and error to get this process figured out. Like Rob says, it may all change once the next elections happen. But who knows.

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Thank you Rob and Katherine for all the information. This is heartbreaking, and I am willing to help lobby for changes... Even if it is dogs on leash and owner fined if they leave dog pooh on the beach. Can we write anyone? Mexico's Tourism Board? The Zihuatanejo Mayor? When Mexico decided not to allow dogs in the cabin of planes in Mexican airspace, a huge group of dog lovers lobbied and the change was reversed... Thank God. We need to mount a huge public outcry because this is very different than smoking, which is a health risk as opposed to our dogs, which essentially are better than any other therapy.

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Oh yes, our 8 lb Chihuahua did come with us to the office. They seemed to like him.

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I can't thank you enough Katherine, you've made our job easy with all the info you've put out.

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Glad I could help. And of course, it is nice to be appreciated. ;-)

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I have added the envelope to my name, thanks so much.

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