ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Dog owners could find a new place to take their pets if County Commissioners allow dogs to roam Wildcat Cove.

The measure would let dog owners allow their pets to roam without leashes in the area so long as the owner is in control of the dog.

Wildcat Cove is located at 3399 North A1A in North Hutchinson Island just west of Pepper Park. The area has a riverside view.

Commissioners are expected to set a date for a public hearing at Tuesday’s meeting. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at 2300 Virginia Ave. in Fort Pierce, and the public hearing is expected to be in early October. If passed then, the space could be used as of Nov. 1.

The county has beach space for dogs at Walton Rocks on South Hutchinson Island, but nothing on North Hutchinson Island. Walton Rocks is located at 6700 South Ocean Dr., which is listed as Jensen Beach though it’s in St. Lucie County.

The county is looking to give another option to dog owners searching for scenic places to exercise their animals. Some dog owners have wanted a spot along the ocean to legally take their animals, while others have complained about dogs getting out of control.

County Mosquito Control Director Jim David said environmental factors have made it difficult to find a beach spot for dogs.

“The biological issue with the dunes are sea turtle nesting,” David said. “The dogs can dig into areas around sea turtle nests and they can be a predator of sea turtle nesting areas. … Dogs can do as much damage as a natural predator.”

The county owns land further north on the beach in North Hutchinson Island, but there is no parking. Pepper Park has a parking lot, but the park already is not designed for dogs. Wildcat Cove has parking on both sides of the land, but county officials want to make sure that’s adequate.

David said Wildcat Cove provides miles of trails and gives people the space necessary to exercise larger dogs.

“It’s a great jogging trail or walking trail, and it’s interesting to both the dog and the owner that they’ll see a lot of wildlife around them, but they won’t necessarily be given an opportunity to chase it because most of that wildlife will be out in the wetlands,” David said.

DOG PARK MEETINGS

Who: St. Lucie County Commissioners

When: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Where: 2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce

What: Commissioners could determine a date for a public hearing to review whether dogs should be allowed on Wildcat Cove at 3399 N. A1A in North Hutchinson Island. Dogs currently are allowed to be at Walton Rocks at 6700 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach. Though Walton Rocks has a Jensen Beach address, it’s in St. Lucie County on South Hutchinson Island.

Eric Pfahler

Tags: animation, beach, commissioners, dog, dogs, driving, North, pet, pets, search, Turtles

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 10:49 am and is filed under Hutchinson Island. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.