Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Dogs on the beach (revisited)

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My wife attended a meeting on La Ropa regarding (among other things) the dog issue, and I want to relate what transpired. The meeting (maybe 20 people in all) was attended by local officials, local restaurant owners and one gringa. First, it appears that the issue is by no means settled. Second, there seems to be a great deal of sympathy among the officials for the pet owners' point of view, and most seem to want to offer a compromise (e.g., grandfathering in home owners, allowing pets on a leash, etc.). Thank you everyone who wrote, and please continue to encourage them. Most of the restaurant owners also seem sympathetic. That said, there appears to be one or two powerful voices who rabidly (pun intended) oppose any dogs on the beach under any circumstances. In addition, there is mis-information being propagated to the government officials. For example, there is the claim that NO beach in the U.S. allows dogs (of course totally false). And the claim that dogs on the beach scare tourists away (again, completely false, as pet-friendly travel is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourist industry). So everyone, please keep up the pressure on the officials, provide them with correct information, and encourage them to allow pets (not free-range dogs) on the beach. Personally, we will also vote with our pocket books and boycott any restaurant that does not allow our dog. Feel free to do the same, as well as take your dog on whatever beach you please per Rob's suggestion.

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Thanks, Dave.

An excellent point about the misinformation. Actually believing what they want to believe to justify the end. But let's just pretend for a second that all dogs were banned from all US beaches. That should be simply an EXCELLENT SELLING POINT AND OPPORTIUNITY to attract more tourists to Zihuatanejo since as you mentioned more and more people nowadays travel with their pets rather than leave them in kennels. It has ALWAYS been one of our attractions, but VERY UNFORTUNATELY there is NO ONE in the current munisipal administration who understands tourism, and even less does anyone understand Zihuatanejo's niche in the tourism market.

And since when is Zihuatanejo copying the way things are done in the USA? If we're going to start imitating our northern neighbor then let's start with LAW & ORDER, TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT, WASTEWATER TREATMENT, GARBAGE PICKUP AND DISPOSAL, ZONING LAWS, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... There are a gazillion admirable qualities more worth imitating about the USA than banning dogs on beaches, which is historically something that has deterred family travel to many places where such bans exist.

I would love for you to name here the two adamant opponents to permitting pets on beaches, but if you don't feel comfortable doing so in public I hope you'll at least e-mail me the info.

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The public property (federal zone) should be dog friendly--that property is there for the public to enjoy and most, I believe, would be tolerant of dogs. Not on a leash? Not so sure as a beach full of carousing dogs might be offecding to some people and loose running dogs on the beach is an invitation to a dog fight-most folks who use off-leach dog parks in the U.S. have seen the occasional dog turned loose that wants to do physical harm to other dogs. To be sure if all dogs were small and are well behaved this would not be a problem but put an aggressive 30 plus pound dog into the mix and you the potential for a disaster. But still it is public property so endjoy.

Most restaurants use the legal "easement" provision of the federal zone to extend their businesses beyond there titled property. It is still public property and dogs should be allowed as above.

Dogs in the restaurants? Given a choice I will frequent the dog free establishment but owners should be given a choice also. I support choice as long as doesn't interfere with public health/safety or impede on the freedom of others.

Viva perros! or somehting like that.

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I understand and completely respect the rights of beachgoers not to be bothered by dogs, especially free roaming dogs. The latter caused us to find a new home for our beloved mutt Hershey back in 1990 after he became too fond of the beach and too friendly with beachgoers. But in the past 10 years or so locals have been working hard to get pet owners to clean up after their pets. We've come so far that it is actually more common to find folks walking their dogs on leashes and carrying plastic bags to clean up after them with than not (at least during the off-season when it's mostly just us locals on the beaches). Of course it only takes a few irresponsible pet owners to ruin a good thing for everyone. As to the street dogs that run wild, they are a different problem altogether, and the city's lack of seriousness and professionalism on the matter makes this a recurring problem that seems to always be out of control. But responsible pet owners who keep their pets under control and who clean up after them should not be blamed for the behavior of those dogs.

Banning all dogs from the beach is about as stupid as taking off one's shoes to fly in the USA.

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Having lived in France,the dog in restaurant issue is so ordinary ,it is hardly worth mentioning.They are all quiet and well behaved .However as for beaches,the last place I lived there,Menton, had both dog friendly beaches and no dog beaches,which seemed like a perfect solution

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In the state of Washington we have 157 miles of ocean beach and no one would even think of banning dogs on any of them. Many people go there for the sole purpose of letting their dogs frolic on the beach. Not so sure about the use of bags for waste but a lot of city people probably do it out of habit.

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In the state of Washington we have 157 miles of ocean beach and no one would even think of banning dogs on any of them. Many people go there for the sole purpose of letting their dogs frolic on the beach. Not so sure about the use of bags for waste but a lot of city people probably do it out of habit.

And since we get so much of our tourism from the state of Washington you make an excellent point that local officials and Francisco should consider if they want to continue receiving visitors and potential property owners from your neck of the woods. :dude:

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That's 157 miles of public beach? 'Cause I've run across a wholde bunch of private beach owners that run off dogs---and people.

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Try the ocean beaches ..not the small Islands where people own their tide lands and don't let any people or dogs on the beach.

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I am speaking strictly of ocean beaches. We actually have 3,026 miles of shoreline, much of it private.

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"both dog friendly beaches and no dog beaches,which seemed like a perfect solution"…..except for those of us who have invested a bunch of money in a home back when our beach was dog-friendly. A big part of our choice had to do with being able to take morning strolls on the beach with our (little) dogs.

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"both dog friendly beaches and no dog beaches,which seemed like a perfect solution"…..except for those of us who have invested a bunch of money in a home back when our beach was dog-friendly. A big part of our choice had to do with being able to take morning strolls on the beach with our (little) dogs.

You hit the nail exactly on the head. There has to be a better solution. Like maybe fines for people who don't pick up after their dogs. Would give the doggie cops something to do besides harassing people who are causing no problems whatsoever.

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Or maybe those guys could do something USEFUL like picking up trash, instead of harassing tourists and residents!

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I was thinking the same thing. One day I saw one of them sitting on the stairs going up toward Casa Que Canta. I had just passed a large family surrounded by all kinds of styrofoam and plastic garbage. I mentioned it to him in passing, but he did nothing. Yesterday afternoon on La Ropa there was a group of about a dozen "vendedores ambulantes" picking up trash and cleaning the beach. One of them explained to me that they do this every Wednesday. I can't help wondering why the doggie cops don't do a little picking up as well. There is certainly plenty of garbage to go around.

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We live on a southern California beach in Ventura County. Tiring of the illegality of taking our dogs to the beach, 25 years ago we worked with the local officials, specifically the harbor master and head of the county animal control office, and changed the law. We are legally allowed to have our dogs on the beach, on a leash, with something other than a piece of clothing to clean up after it with, between the hours of 5pm and 9am. Why those hours? Because during the summer season, there are lifeguards on the beach between 9 and 5, and no one wanted to put them in the position of having to enforce a dog law. We are NOT the only beach in Californa where dogs are allowed.
Last November, on our second day back in Zihua, Los Guardientes de la Bahia were having their press conference/photo op on the beach in front of Las Arenas. They were showing off their no dogs on the beach signs and trash bags. We immediately approached them, and they were very friendly, as they always have been. They explained to us that their intention was to have more people like us: keeping our dogs on a leash around others, and cleaning up after them. We suggested they change their no dog logo to the no poop logo.
We'll be back in November, and are prepared to do whatever is necessary to enjoy our time with our dogs on the beach.

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It is a beautiful Sunday afteroon at a nice park in suburbia USA. The Memorial Park is "per free". And then the TV cameras show up for ---- the foriegn nationals (pick one, say, Arab) and they are protesting they can't ring their camels to the park. Oh, yeah, all the local politicians show up and give their support to the protesters. hehehehe

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I live in Oregon and run the Whales of Guerrero Research Project down there in the winter. I base my vacation decisions on whether the place is dog friendly and tend to spend the majority of my time where dogs are allowed. (Dogs are allowed on 350 of Oregon's 363 mile coast, and off leash is okay if they are well trained and under good voice command.)

IMO, the issue is dog poop, and I am all in favor of making biodegradable dog poop bags more available down there. We have to bring our own down from the states.

This winter we are hoping to expand our study to add a study boat and a bunch of fun whale themed events in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. When I found out dogs aren't allowed on the beach in Ixtapa, it ruled out the possibility of staying there during the study. I am just one person, but know I am not the only one who decides where they will go and stay based on whether it is dog friendly.

I hope Zihuatanejo doesn't go the same direction as Ixtapa but instead becomes a leader in encouraging dog owners to pick up after their dogs and keep them under voice control so everyone is comfortable.

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Hate to break it to you, but Zihuatanejo has already gone the same direction. Dogs -- with the exception of service dogs -- are now banned from all beaches in Zihua. With the possible exception of Playa Principal, since that place is usually overrun with street dogs. Anyhow, we just went through a long-drawn-out process to get our service dog "certified" by the municipality to accompany us to Playa la Ropa. See the message board archives for the details. You should not have to go back far.

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We have been bringing our dog to Mexico for the last 10 years... On the plane, it is rare that anyone even notices her as she is quiet and better behaved and less obnoxious than many of the people on board. We bought our condo vs renting specifically so we could bring her along. We can't even imagine coming to Mexico without her. So, this new rule about La Ropa is crazy.
Will someone please post the email addresses or way to write those officials who have power to sway a change back to allowing dogs, on a leash, on the beach with the owner responsible for picking up the pooh? I will support all the businesses who allow dogs on their property, but will not go to the places that don't make me and my dog feel welcome. Love me? Love my dog...

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We have been bringing our dog to Mexico for the last 10 years... On the plane, it is rare that anyone even notices her as she is quiet and better behaved and less obnoxious than many of the people on board. We bought our condo vs renting specifically so we could bring her along. We can't even imagine coming to Mexico without her. So, this new rule about La Ropa is crazy.
Will someone please post the email addresses or way to write those officials who have power to sway a change back to allowing dogs, on a leash, on the beach with the owner responsible for picking up the pooh? I will support all the businesses who allow dogs on their property, but will not go to the places that don't make me and my dog feel welcome. Love me? Love my dog...

Besides writing your complaints and comments right here on the Message Board where our "responsible authorities" can plainly see them, here are some people and places to contact where your voices should matter.

The Presidente Municipal is Lic. Eric Fernández Ballesteros. His e-mail is ericpresidencia2012@hotmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/EricFernandezBallesteros
https://www.facebook.com/GobiernoDeZihuatanejoDeAzueta

The Director de Turismo is Francisco Rivera Camacho and his e-mail is turismozihixt@hotmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/turismomunicipalixtapazihuatanejo

The Directora de Ecología is Lizette Tapia Castro and her e-mail is ecologia_azueta@yahoo.com.mx
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/imedsza.dezihuatanejodeazueta

Secretaría de Fomento Turístico de Guerrero (SEFOTUR)
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SEFOTURGuerrero

Secretaría de Turismo (SECTUR)
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SECTUR.MX

There is also a COMPLAINT FORM on the municipal government's website at http://zihuatanejodeazueta.gob.mx/inicio/2014/01/quejas-o-sugerencias/

Feel free to write to these people in English for clarity if you prefer. They should all speak English, but if they don't they have people who can translate for them.

(Remember we use both our paternal and maternal last names, so to address someone Anglo style you would use the first of the two last names: Eric Fernández, Francisco Rivera, Lizette Tapia, etc.)

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Gracias Rob! I will be writing...

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Thank you Rob. We have done our part and written to every agency on your list. I urge everyone to PLEASE write to encourage our well-meaning (but deliberately misinformed) authorities to establish a sensible compromise policy that allows dogs under owner control (but not feral dogs) on public beaches. Policy meetings are being held off season when there are few if any tourists/part-timers represented and therefore no one to push back on behalf of a sensible policy. To avoid the appearance of consensus, we must therefore be willing to speak up by writing to the authorities.

Please also be aware of where this misguided policy originates, and vote with your feet and your wallets. Summarizing a meeting with the authorities held at his restaurant La Perla, Francisco Ibarra Rivera writes on his FB site:
"Platicamos el asunto de los perros, queda definitivamente prohibido en Playa La Ropa por motivos sanitarios, tenemos que cuidar y respetar nuestras playas cumpliendo con las restricciones, muchas gracias por su apoyo y comprensión." Translation: "We discussed the topic of dogs, which are definitely prohibited on La Ropa Beach for health reasons, everyone must care for and respect our beaches complying with the restrictions, thank you very much for your support and understanding."

No Francisco, we do not support your policy, we do not understand the disrespect that you show towards pet owners and we are not willing to roll over and simply accept this as a fait accompli, done while no one was looking! You certainly have the right to ban dogs from your own restaurant, but not the right to bully other restaurant owners nor to dictate policy for Federal Zone beaches. Likewise, we have the right not to frequent your establishment. Maybe you've heard that that saying about the customer always being right? (Or maybe not).

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There's going to be another meeting on this matter at La Perla on Monday morning at 11AM with various local officials. I will try to attend, but more important than my voice are your all's collective voices, especially folks who own property at either La Madera or La Ropa or who habitually stay there during vacations.

My friends from the Sociedad Protectora de Animales de Zihuatanejo (SPAZ) are going to be there.

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