Lower Township's Council has voted to allow dogs on beaches early in the morning and late afternoon.

A dog wades in the water of a dog-friendly beach
A dog wades in the water of a dog-friendly beach (Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
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The vote puts an end, for the moment, to an ongoing controversy about enforcing an existing ordinance requiring dogs to be leashed on the beach. The Council vote will ban dogs from the beach between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.It’s five hours out of the day. It’s more than an adequate compromise. I hope everybody realizes we can co-exist,” Councilman Dave Perry told the Press of Atlantic City.

The Delaware Bay beaches have become a popular place for vacationers to walk their dogs. Perry says that many of his constituents consider the topic of having dogs on a beach as "quality of life" issue. "The beach is for everyone and I am behind this ordinance," Perry told the Cape May Herald.

The Council had passed a similar compromise measure in June but it was struck down by a judge who ruled there were too many changes made to the ordinance that had originally been introduced and voted upon.

Others at the council meeting on Monday night did not see the need for a special ordinance but instead think that police should be enforcing existing laws. Some believe the problem is not in the Villas but instead in neighboring North Cape May according to the Cape May Herald.

The new ordinance will go into effect on August 24.

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