Never had a problem.

Cathy, thanks for passing on this great information!

Based on what I have personally experienced, I would never let a critter into the Gulf either. Between gators, crocodiles, parasites, sharks, and stingrays, dangers abound.

They just splash around in the surf, chase birds and play around, it's not like they're doing any long distance swimming. We walked the beach almost every day-never had a problem.

thanks everyone for the great suggestions. My dog has swam in oceans all over both coasts, like Patty55 says, mine just play in the surf, not too worried about sharks. I love the idea of a dog park with a pool. But, unfortunately my dog and I got attacked by two dogs a few years ago, and since then my dog has a really hard time letting other dogs come towards me. So, as you can figure the dog parks are not a fun time for us these days:-) Again thanks for all the help. I guess I will just have to take regular trips to the shore:-)