Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by kenny j.

We will be going to the beach next month and I wanted to take my maltese, is it ok to do that or is too hot? I also heard that sand fleas where bad to get on a dog. I would hate to leave him behind but would rather do that instead of making him miserable.

DISCUSSION:

We just returned 2 wks ago from the beach and we took our 9 month old maltese. Depending on where you are vacationing, alot of public beaches won't allow dogs, we found this to be true in the Carolinas. During the day we left her in the condo, someone was always going in and out to check on her. We did take her to the pool and she loved it, just made sure she had plenty of water and if she started panting alot I sprinkled some water on her back and this helped keep her cool. We did take her to walk on the beach in the evening, which she loved. The worse thing was getting the sand out of her hair! She has a long coat and she matted easily with the combination of sun, sand and wind. Hope this helps!
-Lori

We have a place at the beach so Sassie (7months) has already made several trips. The biggest problem we have found is sand spurs. She gets several everyday and they are hard to get out of her hair. On one occasion she had one on every foot. Then she acted like we were trying to kill her when we pulled them out of her hair.

We have not taken her to the beach during the heat of the day. She spends the day inside with the air-conditioner. She loves the sunset walks on the beach. She gets so much attention from other people she is beside herself. The tail waging alone wears her out. Sassie would never consider staying at home while we are at the beach. She wants a vacation too.
-ChrisL

Our dog loves the beach and boating! He wears a visor to keep the sun off his face, and loves to sits on my lap, while floating in the lawnchair. What a life!
-Patti

We just spent a week at Cape Hatteras with our 10 month old and she loved it. Dogs are allowed on the beach in the National Park but must be leashed. She especially liked to run from the surf and chase birds but be aware that if there is any tar/oil content in the sand it will find itself into that white coat. Missy came home a nice beige color.
-Jack

For spring break we had went to south padre island. they allowed dogs on leashed there. NiNi loved the beach but hated the water. He didn't even want to get close to it. Make sure to give him plenty of water and a place where there is shade so he can sit down and rest. They can get overheated and burned very easily. Once in awhile clean out his nose. They are so close to the ground that all the sand can clog up their nose. Other than those few things, my baby loved the beach and cried when we had to go.
-Linda/NiNi