First Selectman Fred Camillo wants to restart the push to let dogs onto Greenwich Point earlier in the fall, roughly a year after the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) voted down a similar proposal 140-34.

Camillo said at a Board of Selectmen meeting in mid-October that residents have been calling him about expanding dog access at the park, citing good weather and empty beaches, Patch reported.

Greenwich allows leashed dogs at Greenwich Point for four months, from Dec. 1 through March 31. Camillo noted other Connecticut towns permit dogs on their beaches for six months and floated moving the start date up.

"Even if we got a couple of weeks or one month at the beginning and maybe go to Nov. 1," Camillo said. "We know it can be done, because other towns do two extra months."

Any change would have to clear the Conservation Commission, Shellfish Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Health Department and ultimately the RTM. Camillo acknowledged the path would not be easy, saying he expects some commissions may oppose the idea.

He framed the effort as a promise kept to the residents who called him. He said he told callers he would bring the issue up again and that even a few extra days of access would make people happy.

What happened last time

The RTM rejected a dog-season expansion on Oct. 27, 2025. Greenwich High School student Violet Webby had proposed allowing leashed dogs from Oct. 1 through March 31, backed by a petition with 33 resident signatures.

An amended version of the proposal, introduced by Health and Human Services Committee Chair Alison F. Soler, would have shortened the ban on dogs so it ended the Wednesday before Thanksgiving rather than Nov. 30. That amendment failed 41-135-1, according to RTM meeting minutes. The original proposal to start the dog season Nov. 15 then failed 34-140-1.

Resident concerns during that debate ranged from impacts on wildlife and water quality to staffing needs, Patch reported.

No formal proposal has been filed this time, and no timeline has been set. The Board of Selectmen is expected to explore the idea further.

"I suspect this will be a lengthy discussion," Camillo said. "I don't think everyone will agree."