A renowned dog-friendly beach in Hudson has banned dogs altogether after a man was bitten earlier this week.

Greg Baumeister was walking along a stretch of Sandy Beach when a pit bull-type dog on a leash escaped from its owner, and ran towards him.

“It all happened within a split second,” Baumeister recounted. “The dog was on my arm quite aggressively.”

The result: four puncture wounds on his left arm, deep enough into the muscle to require antibiotics, he says.

“Statistically, it was going to happen,” he said. “I’m glad it happened to me, and not somebody’s child.”

A ban on dogs went into effect almost immediately.

Before it, beachgoers say there was an increasingly high number of dogs on the beach.

The day Baumeister was mailed, there were reportedly 32 dogs wandering the beach – almost one for every person.

For the town’s mayor, this was the tipping point for the decision to ban dogs altogether.

“It was to send a message that until we get this under control, we prefer dogs and dog walkers not to be there until we’ve worked out which hours they will be allowed in the future,” said Hudson Mayor Jamie Nicholls.

City Council formally voted on the ban Friday night, with three councilors for it – and two against.

Residents will be granted the chance to give their input before a permanent decision is made.

For now, however, there are large signs at each of the beach’s entrances, along with increased patrol.

Since the ban came into effect, there’s also noticeably fewer people walking the sandy stretch.

For young families on the beach, it’s a welcome change.

“We were here last week with the girls, and it was kinda crazy,” said mother Julie Poirier. “We love dogs, but some were not well-behaved and they scared the girls.”

“We were thinking ‘maybe it’s not a good idea to come back,’” she said.

Others disagree, however, saying the ban was a knee-jerk reaction by the town – with restricted beach access comes restricted access to popular walking trails, they say.

Valerie Caissie, owner of two dogs, believes that as a taxpayer she should still be granted access to the trails.

Her dogs, she says, are always leashed when they walk together.

“We all need to share this beach or should share this beach,” she said. “They should give us specific times or say ‘okay, you can walk your dog before 10 in the morning – or prohibit dogs on the beach during the summer.”

But the trails, Caissie says, should remain open to dog owners at all times.

“I realize that for some people, the status quo was what they wanted to keep, which would be to be able to walk their dogs at all times during the day – but we’re trying to find something that’s more balanced,” Nicholls countered.

The ban will remain in effect until the animal control bylaw is amended. Even then, dogs likely won’t be allowed at the beach on weekends.

Council is expected to vote on the changes August 6th.