Dogs on Essex beaches: closed June through August, no leash law

Where there is no leash law, the beach asks for the recall that a leash would otherwise replace. An Essex beach dog needs to come back the first time past a clam digger, a kayak being launched or another loose dog, and to hold a wait while a family walks by. If that is not yet true, use a long line; nothing in the town's rule stops you from leashing a dog that needs it. Our trainers see the gap between a dog that is off leash and a dog that is under control every week, and that gap is the whole of what Essex asks.

The Essex shore is estuary, not surf, so the hazards shift. Marsh mud is deep, cold and hard to wash out, tidal channels fill quickly, and the low-tide flats carry shell and the odd hook. Salt water is still salt water: a dog that drinks from the channel is sick later, so carry fresh water. Rinse legs, belly and between the toes before the car, and expect the coat to need a real bath after a marsh day rather than a towel.

Crane Beach in Ipswich, a few minutes up Route 133, takes leashed dogs from October 1 to March 31 under the Trustees. Gloucester's Wingaersheek, across the Essex line, runs odd dates from October 1 to April 30, and Good Harbor even dates to March 31. Essex County Greenbelt has trail land in and around Essex; its policies page has the dog rule for each property.

For the license itself, our Essex dog license page covers the town office and what it asks; the beach rule and the license come from the same town page. The Cape Ann dog beach calendar lays Essex's three closed months against every other town's dates so you can see where an Essex dog goes in May and September when its neighbors cannot.