By Dogs are living their best lives when they are running around, free, chasing balls, playing with each other. Seeing my dog get excited and run is one of my great joys of being a dog owner. Couple his unbridled joy at unleashed play with the sand, surf, and smells at the beach and you’ve really got a recipe for a good time - for him and me.
With how much fun we are planning on having, it’s always a bummer to get to the beach only to discover that the dog cannot run free. Leash laws protect other beachgoers - especially children who may be afraid of dogs approaching them - but can be inconvenient for dog owners. And if you’re not looking for sandy paws, you might want another option altogether.
Look no further! I’ve got you covered. I’ll cover the rules and regulations as well as “the vibes.”
Pawleys Island Proper
In the Town of Pawleys Island, the rules change twice during the year. In the peak season, from May until October, dogs must always be under complete control and on-leash, even in the water. From October through April, dogs may be off leash on the beach, but the owner has to have the dog under voice control AND be carrying a leash. You are also explicitly required to pick up after your pooch.
As for the vibes, I’d say the leash laws are not strictly enforced in the evenings, even during the summer. Town of Pawleys does have dedicated police force that patrols the beaches, so do be aware. You don’t want to be caught chasing your dog leashless when the patrol comes through on a crowded day in July. Beyond that, I’d say as long as you’re courteous and your dog is fairly well behaved, you won’t get too much trouble with an off leash dog in the evening.
County Beaches
For the other beaches in the area, the Georgetown County rules apply. According to those rules, your dog needs to be on a leash from 9AM until 7PM, year round. When dogs are off-leash outside of those hours, they must be under voice control, and though I’ve never seen this, the rules state you must be able to demonstrate voice control to an officer if asked. Though he’s generally responsive to command, I’m trying to image exactly how my dog would respond if he got excited and wet and then an officer asked me to demonstrate voice control. 😅
Though most of my experience is on the South Litchfield beach, I’d say the leash laws are less enforced and the attitude more relaxed on the county beaches. Because the crowds are thicker, I wouldn’t test that in the Litchfield By The Sea area, or in the middle of the summer days, unless your dog is extremely well behaved. On less crowded days in the winter though, it’s pretty common to see dogs walking off-leash.
Though Pawleys Island calls it out explicitly, regardless of which beach you are on you should ALWAYS pick up after your dog. There is nothing nastier than stepping in a big pile of poop barefoot, except for maybe having your dog eat another dogs poop and then barf it up later (guess how I know about these two things). Every public access in Georgetown County has freely available dog bags. I always grab a couple when I take my pup down to the beach and tie them on to my leash. No excuses!
Other Options
Stables Park is a popular dog walking spot. Please note that the rules for the park ask that dogs not be allowed on the fields - no aspiring young footballer wants to get tackled into some stray poop. The rest of the park features some nice walks, and there are stations for free dog bags and trash cans in the park. It’s not uncommon to see dogs off leash in the park.
The Bark Park in Surfside isn’t too terribly far away if you want a more traditional dog park experience. The website has a lot more detail, but one nice amenity is separate areas for large and small dogs. As a small-dog owner, my lil’ guy can get nervous around even very friendly large dogs.