The key distinction is that County beaches are a special habitat different from the rest of SC County. Beaches are home to wildlife that can live, rest, feed and breed nowhere else. Dogs running loose on the beach disrupt normal wildlife behavior making these sensitive species less able to thrive and in greater danger of species extinction.
Fenced and enclosed off-leash dog areas in existing local parks do not pose a threat to sensitive species and do not require special exemption from County, state and federal habitat protection laws.
Please support County efforts to establish more inland off-leash dog areas, preserve existing County leash laws and keep County beaches free of off-leash dogs.