The truth is “yes” pets are allowed on Sanibel and Captiva public beaches (Sanibel and Captiva tout being super “pet friendly”) - please see UPDATE below -, but there are some pretty strict rules for your pooch if he or she wants to start digging and God forbid, do there “business” without you noticing and cleaning it up immediately!

Animals are great, everyone has pets on Sanibel, we love animals.  We are, after all, surrounded by them everywhere on the island.  But most of us realize that our domesticated animals don’t mix very well with the ecosystems of the fragile natural surroundings of the wild animals and therefore, we choose to keep our pets indoors or safely within the confines of our own backyard.

It’s tough not to let Rex go romping all over the beach, but with turtle nesting season in full swing and tourism continuing to be a reckoning force, it is imperative that island dwellers be particularly conscious of where their little darling pets are and exactly what they are doing.

This isn’t a lecture on why pets shouldn’t be allowed out of the house, but rather a reminder that Sanibel Island, and especially the beaches themselves, needs to be foremost in our thoughts when it comes to potential threats and dangers to their cleanliness and survival.

Here are a couple of link resources to help you:

• Florida Pets
• Bring Fido
• Dog Friendly

Hope to see you and Spot soon!

Have a great week…

Sandy and Robert

p.s.  Don’t forget to make your way over to our main website for all of your Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate needs.  See you soon!

UPDATE: Ok, we were just seeing if you were on your toes and if any locals were actually reading!  As a very kind reader named “KB” has pointed out in his/her comment, “Captiva Beaches DO NOT allow pets!” and this is absolutely true, we apologize for the oversight… The reason being is that unlike Sanibel Island, which is its own incorporated municipality with its own set of rules, Captiva Island is not and therefore, must follow the Lee County beach rules, which means no pets allowed!  The good news is that Sanibel is just a hop and a jump from Captiva and welcomes your pets with open arms… So, thanks for keepin’ us honest KB and thanks especially for reading along!