At the risk of sounding vague, the answer is actually yes and no. I'll explain.....
Some may say that our area is not very pet-friendly due to the fact that the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach both have ordinances that strictly prohibit pets on the beach. The city's jurisdiction would be south of the "mean high tide line". North of this line is private property and is owned by either the respective condo association or beach home, whatever the case may be. Our beautiful beaches are the main attraction to lower Alabama so this could affect some visitors' plans on whether or not to bring their furry loved ones on vacation (if their pet loves the beach).
I have read, however, that there is a section of the Fort Morgan peninsula, that does allow pets on the beach. Fort Morgan is located in the western half of Gulf Shores. Although I haven't been able to verify this through the Gulf Shores rules and regulations, it is said that dogs that are on a leash are allowed on the beach in Fort Morgan between Engineer's Wharf and the fishing pier.
As far as pets and real estate in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach goes, we are a resort and second home market. The bulk of our economy thrives on the tens of thousands of summer vacationers as well as the snow birds in the cooler months. Most of the tenants during the warmer months stay for 7 days and it's not uncommon for snow birds to rent a condo for 3 or 4 months during the fall and winter. Staying for such a long length of time could be an issue if the tenants are pet lovers and will be away from home for so long. Well there is good news! BringFido.com is a great website that lists hotels all over the country that are pet friendly of which our area had a really good representation. Also, after doing a cursory search for pet-friendly vacation rentals in Gulf Shores, there were a number of options to choose from. Most of the high rise condos on the beach ,however, allow pets for "owners only" though and not for tenants. So, most of the search results for pet-friendly vacation rentals were for single family beach homes or small ,3-4 unit condos. Another resource to check out would be www.vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner). There is a filter on the site that allows you to check for "pet-friendly", which turned up 69 results just now for me. Yet, another option would be to search in Foley, Al. You will still be fairly close to the beach but yet have the same climate that you were hoping for when coming down in the first place.
Things to do with you pup!
Although the beach may not be a good option, there are still a number of places to let your dogs stretch their legs. Here's a few to check out:
Backcountry Trail - Leashed dogs are allowed
Graham Creek Nature Preserve
Gulf Shores Dog Park
Orange Beach Dog Park
No comments:
Post a Comment