May calendar
Cape Ann dog calendar: May (beaches close May 1, Pride weekend, ticks peak)
May shrinks the Cape Ann beach map to Rockport and Essex, peaks the ticks, and brings the first crowds with Pride weekend and Memorial Day. Here is how to keep a dog exercised and safe as the sand closes.
Beaches this month
Beaches this month: Rockport and Essex are the last beaches standing
On May 1 Gloucester ends its dog season on Good Harbor, Wingaersheek, Plum Cove and Cressy; Singing Beach closed in mid-April. What is left, at the time of writing, is Rockport, under leash or direct voice control until June 1, and Essex, which closes its beaches and Centennial Grove from June through August.
Treat May as a Rockport month. Cape Hedge and Pebble are quieter than Front and Back, the lots have not yet gone to summer parking, and the leash-or-voice-control rule means a dog needs a real recall, not a hopeful one. The town's regulations PDF is the current version.
- Gloucester and Singing Beach: closed from May 1
- Rockport and Essex beaches: open until June 1
- Rockport: leash or direct voice control, always
Rules and deadlines
Rules and deadlines: the license penalty is live, the leash law matters more
Gloucester's April 30 deadline has passed, so an unlicensed Gloucester dog now owes the $20 penalty on top of the $20 fee, at the time of writing; the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave still issues the tag. If your dog is due for its free evaluation this month, bring the new license with the Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records.
With the Gloucester beaches shut, dogs move to Stage Fort Park, Ravenswood and Dogtown Common, and the leash rules there matter more than on an empty January beach. Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort is the fenced two acres where a dog can run free, with separate small-dog and large-dog areas.
Weather and hazards
Weather and hazards: tick peak, the first warm days, the first hot cars
May is the spring tick peak on Cape Ann. Nymphal deer ticks are the size of a poppy seed and easy to miss, so the CDC's after-every-walk check matters most now: ears, collar line, armpits, groin and between the toes.
The first 70-degree days arrive with cars that were cold in April, and a parked car in the Stage Fort lot is an oven by Memorial Day; leave the dog at home or at daycare. Start conditioning coats and paws for summer now, and book a de-shedding groom before the humidity.
- A tick check after every walk, fingers not just eyes
- Never leave a dog in a parked car from May onward
- Bring water to Stage Fort and the dog park
At Dogtown this month
Events and at Dogtown this month: Pride weekend, Memorial Day and walks
Cape Ann Pride falls in late May, and the parade and festival in Gloucester bring crowds, music and heat that suit few dogs. Memorial Day weekend brings the first summer visitors. A daycare day at $42 or a $33 half day on the busiest afternoon beats a dog on a hot sidewalk in a crowd.
May is walking season. Our staff walk your dog at home for 20, 30 or 60 minutes at $25, $35 or $55, with a photo and a note after each walk; ask whether we cover your address. The Pup Van covers Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way.
- 01
Pay any Gloucester license penalty and bring the tag to the evaluation
- 02
Move the beach habit to Rockport or Essex before June 1
- 03
Book a daycare day for Pride weekend
- 04
Set up a walking schedule and ask us about your address
At Dogtown
When the Gloucester beaches close
At-home walks with a photo after each one, and daycare on the turf yard for the crowded weekends.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Are Gloucester beaches closed to dogs in May?
Can my dog come to Cape Ann Pride?
How do I check my dog for ticks after a Cape Ann walk?
Where can my dog run off leash once the beaches close?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
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
Beaches closed? Book the free evaluation.
Daycare and at-home walks both start with a free weekday-morning evaluation. Tell us your address and we will say whether our walkers cover it.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
