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Eastern Point
Eastern Point and the Dog Bar Breakwater with your dog
The far end of Eastern Point is where Gloucester goes to watch the harbor and the weather, often with a dog on the leash. This page sticks to what we can say for certain: how the city's rules apply, what the granite asks of a dog, and what to do with the wet, salty animal afterwards.
The place
A harbor-side walk under Gloucester's dog ordinance, with a granite breakwater at the end
Eastern Point is the Gloucester headland where the Dog Bar Breakwater begins, and the breakwater runs out from it as a long line of granite blocks. Most dog owners treat the two as one outing: the walk to the point, the look along the breakwater, the walk back. We are not going to tell you who owns which stretch, where to park or what hours apply, because we would be guessing and the answer can change. Ask the city.
Dogs on Eastern Point are governed by the same Gloucester ordinance that covers every street and park in the city. At the time of writing, that means the leash and control rules on the city's dog regulations page, a current license from the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave, and picking up after your dog. Read the page once and you will know the rule better than most people on the point that day.
- Gloucester's dog ordinance sets the leash and control rules on the point
- A current Gloucester license from the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave
- A walk under the city ordinance, not a beach under the calendar
- Ownership, hours and parking: ask the city, we will not guess
The granite
The breakwater's blocks are a footing hazard, and the safe choice is to keep your dog off them
The Dog Bar Breakwater is built from granite blocks, and the gaps between them are the problem. A paw drops into a gap at walking speed and a leg follows, and a dog that panics on a slick block can go into the water. Spray keeps the surface wet, wind pushes a dog off balance, and the blocks are cold enough in winter to numb pads fast. None of that is a reason to skip Eastern Point. It is a reason to enjoy the breakwater from the shore end with the dog beside you.
If you walk out anyway, do it in calm weather with a sure-footed dog on a short leash and a harness you can lift by, and turn back at the first sign of hesitation. Never let a dog off leash on the blocks, and never take one out in a swell. The Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is a 24-hour emergency hospital, and Woburn is a long drive from the end of a breakwater.
The point asks for the same three skills as any busy Gloucester walk: a loose leash past other dogs, a settle while you stop to look at the harbor, and a leave-it for whatever the tide has left on the rocks. Fishing line, hooks and seaweed wash up along any harbor shoreline, and a dog that has learned leave-it on a quiet sidewalk will use it here.
- Gaps between the blocks catch paws and legs
- Spray and weed make the granite slick; wind adds the push
- Short leash, harness, calm weather, or stay on shore
- Leave-it for whatever the tide has left on the rocks
How Dogtown fits
Salt, seaweed and wind: the rinse afterwards and the walk on the days you cannot go
Salt water dries a coat stiff and itchy, and seaweed smell does not fade on its own. A bath at Dogtown starts at $55 for a small dog and runs to $95 for an extra-large dog with long hair, with a warm wash, blow-dry and brush-out, and it needs no evaluation, so you can book it online for the same afternoon if a slot is open. Nail clipping is $16 alongside it. Between April and November our groomers check for ticks as they work.
Winter on the point is short days and hard wind. When the light is gone before you get home from work, our team can take your dog out from your door: 20 minutes for $25, 30 for $35 or 60 for $55, always solo, with a photo and a note afterwards. Ask whether we cover your address; it depends on where you live and the season. Every walking dog does the free evaluation first, on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM.
On a day the wind makes the point miserable, a daycare day at 210 Eastern Ave covers the exercise instead: $42 for a full day or $33 for a half, in a playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs, with the Pup Van at $10 each way across Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. The FIRST15 code takes 15 percent off a new customer's first daycare visit.
- 01
Rinse paws and belly with fresh water at the car or the door
- 02
Towel the coat before the salt dries stiff
- 03
Check between the toes for cuts from barnacles and shell
- 04
Look for ticks from April to November, ears to tail
- 05
Book a bath from $55 if the seaweed smell has set in
Nearby
Stage Fort Park, the Gloucester Dog Park and the off-season beaches are the next stops
For a run off leash after a leashed walk on the point, the Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park, 65 Hough Ave, is a fenced two-acre park with separate small-dog and large-dog areas. Stage Fort's lawns are covered on their own page, as are the alternating-day beach rules at Good Harbor and Wingaersheek from October 1 to April 30 and the small-beach rules at Plum Cove and Cressy.
Goose Cove Reservation is the quieter Gloucester walk on the other side of the city, and Ravenswood Park in West Gloucester is the Trustees property that welcomes dogs on its trails. Use the Cape Ann dog beach calendar when you want sand instead of granite, and the beach hazards page for the hooks, jellyfish and seaweed that turn up on every shoreline here.
At Dogtown
After the point
A bath to get the salt out, and a walker at your door on the days the wind or the dark wins.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Are dogs allowed on Eastern Point in Gloucester?
Can my dog walk on the Dog Bar Breakwater?
Is Eastern Point a good winter walk for dogs?
What if my dog swallows salt water or seaweed on the point?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Gloucester dog regulations
- Gloucester dog licensing
- AVMA cold weather safety
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control
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
Salt off, tail up.
Book a bath from $55 online with no evaluation, or set up at-home walks for the dark months by booking the free weekday-morning evaluation.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
