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North Atlantic swims
Cold water and dogs: swimming in the North Atlantic
Cape Ann's dog beach season and its coldest water arrive together: Gloucester opens the sand to dogs on October 1, just as the sea starts its slide toward winter. A retriever will swim in February without a second thought. This page puts numbers on the water, explains what cold does to a wet dog and gives you the drying routine for afterward.
The numbers
The sea is coldest in exactly the months dogs are allowed in it
NOAA's Coastal Water Temperature Guide lists monthly averages for a buoy 16 nautical miles east of Boston, the nearest offshore station to Cape Ann in its table. Shallow water over a sunny sandbar can run a little warmer and a river mouth colder, but the shape of the year holds: the sea is warmest in August and coldest in February and March. The table sets those averages beside Gloucester's dog calendar at the time of writing.
The Weather Service office in Gray, Maine, which forecasts for the Gulf of Maine coast, defines cold water as anything at 70°F or below. By that measure no month in NOAA's table counts as warm. The months a dog can legally swim off most Gloucester public beaches, October through April, are the months the sea falls from about 58°F to 39°F and climbs back only to 43°F.
| Month | Average sea temperature (NOAA) | Dogs on Gloucester public beaches |
|---|---|---|
| October | 57.5°F | Yes, from October 1 |
| November | 51.5°F | Yes |
| December | 46.5°F | Yes |
| January | 42.0°F | Yes |
| February | 39.2°F | Yes |
| March | 39.2°F | Yes; Good Harbor's last month |
| April | 43.0°F | Yes, except Good Harbor |
| May to September | 50.8°F to 66.7°F | No, except Crab Beach; closed May 1 to September 30 |
Before the swim
Cold water drains a dog fast, and the walk back in a wet coat is part of the exposure
The swim is only half the story. A dog comes out of the sea soaked to the skin and walks back to the car into a wind off the water, and the AKC notes that wet or damp parts of a dog are more vulnerable to frostbite, and that small dogs, seniors, puppies and short-coated dogs lose body heat fastest. On an exposed Cape Ann beach in January a dog can leave the water bouncing and be shivering by the parking lot.
Some dogs should keep to the sand from November to April: puppies, small and thin-coated dogs, seniors and any dog your vet has concerns about. Even a Labrador or a Newfoundland with a dense double coat needs a limit. Decide the number of retrieves before the first throw, throw along the beach rather than out past the waves, and call the dog out while it still wants more. A dog that will not come out of the water stays on a long line next time.
- A few retrieves, counted before the first throw
- Throws along the shore, never out past the break
- Puppies, small, thin-coated and senior dogs stay on the sand
- Towels and a coat in the car before you walk down
Afterward
After a winter swim, towel on the beach, warm the car and dry to the skin at home
The ASPCA's cold-weather advice is to towel dry a pet as soon as it comes inside, and on Cape Ann that starts at the waterline. Carry two towels, one for a rough dry on the sand and a dry one for the car, and run the heater before the dog jumps in. Rinse the salt off the legs and belly at home with lukewarm water rather than at a cold outdoor tap in February.
A thick double coat can feel dry on top and stay wet at the skin for hours, and a damp undercoat in a cool house keeps chilling a dog long after the walk. Towel down to the skin, use a dryer on a low setting the dog accepts, held well back from the skin, and keep the dog in a warm room until the coat is dry right through. Then watch it for an hour.
- 01
Before you go: two towels, the dog's coat if it wears one, and the car ready to heat
- 02
Count the retrieves and call the dog out while it is still keen
- 03
Rough-dry on the sand, ears and belly first, then walk briskly to the car
- 04
Second towel in the car, heater on, windows up for the drive
- 05
At home, rinse salt from the legs and belly with lukewarm water
- 06
Dry to the skin in a warm room and watch the dog for an hour
Emergency
Shivering that will not stop, sluggishness or paleness after a swim means a call to the vet
The AKC describes hypothermia in stages. Mild, with a body temperature of 90 to 99°F, shows as shivering and curling up for warmth. Moderate, from 82 to 90°F, brings sluggishness, slowed reflexes, a heart rate and breathing that speed up and then slow, and paleness. Below 82°F it is severe, with dilated pupils and loss of consciousness. For any stage its advice is the same: get the dog somewhere warm and contact a vet immediately.
Then there is the rescue that becomes two emergencies. The Weather Service office in Gray warns that within 10 minutes in cold water a person can lose the muscle control needed to keep their head above water. If your dog is struggling in the surf or being carried along, stay on the sand, call 911 and call the dog toward an easy landing. Your vet or the nearest emergency hospital comes next; Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open 24 hours.
- Shivering and curling up: the mild stage
- Dull, slow to react or pale: the moderate stage
- Dilated pupils or collapse: severe, so call ahead and drive
- A dog in trouble in the surf: you stay out and call 911
Where we fit
On the coldest days, a walk from home or a day on the indoor floors covers the exercise
Our at-home walkers take one dog at a time, 20 minutes for $25, 30 for $35 or 60 for $55, with a photo and a note after each walk; a 10-pack of 30-minute walks is $315. Tell us at the evaluation if your dog heads for every pond and wave, so the walker knows what to expect near water. Coverage depends on the address and the season, so ask us whether we cover your address.
A daycare day at 210 Eastern Ave, $42 full or $33 half, gives a winter dog its running on the turf and the indoor play floors with no sea involved. After a beach week, a bath in our grooming studio, from $55 by size with a warm wash, blow-dry and brush-out, gets the salt and sand out of a heavy coat. Grooming needs no evaluation; daycare and walks begin with the free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM.
At Dogtown
Exercise and drying without the winter sea
Solo walks from your door, daycare on turf and indoor floors, and a warm bath and blow-dry after the beach.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How cold is the ocean off Cape Ann in winter?
Is it safe for my dog to swim in the ocean in winter?
Should I go in after my dog if it gets into trouble in cold water?
How do I warm up my dog after a cold swim?
When can my dog swim at Gloucester's beaches?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- NOAA Coastal Water Temperature Guide: monthly averages
- National Weather Service Gray: hazards of cold water
- AKC: hypothermia in dogs
- ASPCA: cold weather safety tips
- Gloucester beaches
- Gloucester dog regulations
- Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital (24-hour emergency)
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Winter exercise that ends dry
Book the free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM for walks and daycare, or book a bath online with no evaluation.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
