Some minor things to know.

Hello Richard,

Most beaches on St. Thomas are resort beaches. Although all beaches are public so you can use them, the surrounding property can be privated owned. Because resorts have investments in the surrounding property they often maintain the beach at their expense by gromming the sand and shoreline and having the palms and so forth maintained as well as chairs, bars.... To access the beach you have to go through their property... so in many cases no dogs are not welcomed on their property or on the beach - I suppose for liability reasons mostly.

Other beaches like Magens Bay also do not allow dogs. This is a busy public beach for locals and visitors.

You can take your dog to quieter local beaches. Some folks take their dogs to Mandahl Bay or Hull Bay or Dorothea - these are quiet beaches. Figure out what times are quieter and more convient for you and for beach goers. Brewers Bay is another you could try, but not on weekends - there are often many many people there. Weekdays are fine.

TIP: Take note however that many locals fear large dogs and don't appreciate when they run up on them - you might get rude commentary if you should let this happen, particulary if they jump up on women or run accross peoples towels or personal effects that might be laying on the beach. 🙂

Onika - you know I would call on you - where do you take your doggy to play???? Nelteberg???

--Islander

My favorite subject---my dog's playtime!
First off, welcome to the neighborhood Richard.
Islander is very correct, most locals are petrified of dogs. Even my ultra-fluffy golden retriever/aussie shepard-looking dog inspired a bike cop to cross the street last week. Unfortunately, it is a by-product of many people having ferocious, untrained, unloved dogs who are taught only to attack. But I digress.
Hull Bay is a favorite for us. Many dogs are there at various times, and most are well-behaved. Most dogs are under voice command and/or are pretty mellow. Neltjeberg is another fave.
If you seriously move down here, drop a line again. On Sunday mornings we occasionally meet with other dog-owners at another beach, whose location I shan't reveal at this time. Shh, it's a secret.
I've also heard that there are a few dog-friendly playas out on the East End. Will have to defer to East Ender for further info..
Lastly, the Humane Society is constructing their new facility. I heard rumor that it will include a sizeable space for a dog park and be accessible to the public. So keep your eyes and ears open, and your nose to the ground for that one!
Woof! Rover and Out!

A secret beach Onika - WOW.... gotta figure that one out - a Dog meeting place -hummmmm. (Make sure I don't go there, reason to follow)

Onika 🙂 Thanks for your reply.

Not being a dog person myself. 🙁 Sorry guys!! It has to do with what Onika said. Many dogs kept in the VI are not family members that live in the house and have a little door where they go out and in, grew up with the family and so forth, that do tricks for treats. They are kept as guard dogs to keep people away and they are taught to bark at everyone they are kept outside and sometimes in problamatic conditions. And there are quite a few people even when the dog is well taken care of that get attacked. I can think of quite a few myself being one of them.... two friends with teeth mark scars around their ankles.... another friend with a scar on their face .... thus the general feeling among locals is a bit of apprehension when dogs approach often regardless of how friendly they may look.

But as Onika indicated there are dog owners with Island dogs and there are folks who are making dog friendly areas for them to play.

--Islander

You have two choices for broadband in the Virgin Islands either Choice Communication or VIpowernet. They are both good compared to dial up access. Choice is more geared for business while VIpowernet is aimed more towards the general public. I would get the one that is available in your area. I also heard that a satellite service is going to be available very soon.

My girlfiend and I are planning to move to STX in the fall with my dog. Do any of you have tips for STX locations for lab/golden beach fun?

This is my first post but I have been checking the message board here for some weeks now and I would like to thank all of you locals for your help and insight. It really is nice that you all provide such a resourse.

Welcome to the active posting participation on the board 🙂 Glad to hear you have enjoyed reading the post.

St. Croix - there is a good bit of resorts on beaches on St. Croix as well - so my same comments would apply about those beaches (ie. Buccaneer, Divi Carina Bay, Protestant Cay, Tamarind Reef.... there all resort beach front..... I recall taking an island drive with a friend that had a dog - and Buccaneer gate security said no way to letting us in even when we said the dog would stay in the car and we were only taking a quick drive through. Beaches that are not hotel related like Coakley Bay is a good choice. We stopped there with the dog and he played in the water and played fetch with a ball and a stick. So that is a good choice. It was not labeled, many of St. Croix's beaches aren't - so you will have to ask where its at. There is also a local beach down on the East End - Cramer Park I think its called, a bit far out there if you aren't living on the East End however its another spot, locals camp there -so learn when the beach is busier so that you don't go then. Those are two spots, Coakley Bay would be the first one. When you get on island ask around to see if there are any other dog friendly play areas.

Once you have made your move I invite you to come back and post how your move is going so others can learn from your experience!!

--Islander

Thank you for the information Onika. If and when we do move we will certainly come to a Sunday meeting. Our dog Ridley is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She is about 90 lbs. and don't worry Islander she is the friendliest dog. She loves absolutely everyone she meets and wouldn't hurt a fly (literally, she is scared of them).

I understand how Islander could feel. I have been an animal person my whole life.
Working in a pet store, obviously not for the money. Well, I adopted to cats down here.
They are beautiful mischievious orange tabby siamese kittens. Well, one night my girlfriend and I were walking down our driveway and this dog approached us and seemed harmless enough. I mean the dog was licking my hand. Anyhow, I kind of disregarded the dog as a neighbors dog. While i wasin the process of opening mydoor in the dark and fumbling to turn on the lights, the PITBULL charged into the houseandquickly death lockedone ofmy cats in his jaws. I will spare the GORY details but I had to use a hammer to get the dog to let my kitten go. My 9month old cat had a broken leg, torn mouth, scratched eye, and open wounds.This happened on STJ and we are supposedto have less pitbullsthanSTT. If you walk your dog, I would advise you to bring aweapon of some sort to defend you and your pet if you happen upon a nasty pitbull. Trust me, it may save your pet and you from the stress and hundreds of dollars in vetbills. I have heard of more than one dog owner who has had their pet attacked. Small dogs shouldnt be left outside alone. I dont want to scare you but at least you have heard of this before you are takenby surprise. Those pitbull fighters dont care about those dogs when they are done with them.