For months now, Scarborough leaders have been dealing with how to address the delicate balance between dog owners’ rights to walk their dog in public and those who wish to walk in public places without the nuisance of an unruly dog.

With no dog park, many dog owners take to the town’s beaches to let their pup run free. The town has had long-established guidelines when dogs can run off-leash, but lack of enforcement and some dog owners’ inability to control their eager animals have led to issues.

The long-simmering issue is now on the front burner, prompted by a $12,000 fine levied last summer by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the wake of a plover killing by a dog on Pine Point Beach. As a result, town leaders have no choice but to address it. However, the process so far has been fraught with missteps.

Confronted by the federal fine, the Town Council reacted by requiring dogs to be leashed on all public property at all times of the year. That approach was seen by dog lovers as an opportunistic, heavy-handed overreach. It prompted a citizen-led petition that resulted in a Dec. 3 public vote on the matter. Residents overwhelmingly voted to restore the previous rules allowing unleashed dogs on beaches at certain times of the day in the summer and all winter long.

Still needing to address the federal government’s looming fine, the council set up a committee to study and make recommendations on the issue. That committee, which includes people representing both sides of the issue, began meeting Jan. 6 and has until Jan. 21 to make its recommendation.

The committee, reflecting the divisiveness of the hot-button issue, is having a hard time forging ahead with those recommendations, trying to balance the desires of dog owners wishing to walk their dogs off-leash, and those who want to make sure people are allowed to walk uninhibited in public places.

It’s no surprise the committee is having trouble, since both sides have merit. Scarborough’s beaches are probably the best in the state and people come from all around to walk and recreate there at all times of the year. Those visitors deserve to walk or sit, unafraid that an unleashed dog might attack them. Similarly, dog lovers wanting to let their dogs enjoy some wide-open freedom rightly covet those beaches, as well.

The two viewpoints are hard to reconcile. However, what seems to be missing in the community’s conversation is a pinpoint focus on the endangered piping plovers. Yes, dogs should be allowed to run free and people should be able to walk free. But, most importantly, the fragile plover population needs to be protected. The discussion so far has seemed to be hijacked by those concerned only with dogs or with beachgoers. Instead, the discussion needs to revolve around plover protection. The committee is making strides to get the focus back on the plovers, and for that they should be commended.

We can’t forget that last summer’s plover killing was a tragedy. It’s understandable when wild animals or Mother Nature impacts plover nesting sites, but a killing by a domestic dog, during a time of day when dogs were allowed on the beach, should have been prevented.

The committee, and people on both sides of the issue, can come together by focusing on ways to prevent any future killings. Changing the focus of the discussion from the desires of people and dogs to the needs of plovers can probably help clarify and order the competing interests of all those affected.

While it’s easy to understand why Scarborough residents are having trouble with the polarizing issue, it is hard to understand why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not taking a more active role in the discussion, on behalf of the endangered species. You would think the government would be interested in helping the town figure out ways to address the plover’s plight. The federal department, which is tasked with enforcing laws regarding endangered species, should be attending these committee meetings and council meetings. However, they are nowhere to be seen. If the feds’ role is to protect the shorebird, why aren’t they involved with the ongoing discussion? Do they exist only to swoop in with heavy fines?

While there are common-sense solutions to the problem – ranging from designating areas for dogs where plovers don’t nest or banning dogs during plover feeding times, to better enforcement of existing rules – the issue won’t be resolved fairly until attention turns to what’s best for the plovers.

–John Balentine, managing editor