Dog owners warned about shark sightings near popular beach

IPSWICH - More great white shark sightings will keep a popular North Shore beach in Massachusetts closed to swimming for the entire month of October. And the closure doesn't just apply to people - officials are saying that dogs should stay out of the water along Crane Beach as well.

The beach in Ipswich first closed for swimming temporarily on Sept. 17 after police and WBZ-TV's helicopter spotted sharks in the water. The closure was extended after several days "due to the continued presence of sharks."

The Ipswich harbormaster patrolled the waters again Monday and found that sharks are still nearby.

"Visitor safety remains our top priority, so we decided to close the beach to swimming through October," said the Trustees of Reservations in a statement.

Warning for dog owners on Crane Beach

Dog walking is allowed on the beach after Oct. 1 because shorebird nesting season is over. But with sharks in the water , dog owners should be extra careful.

"Out of an abundance of caution and after consulting with local public safety officials, we are urging dog owners to keep their pets out of the water at this time," the Trustees said.

Great white shark sightings in October

Summer may be over, but shark activity continues off the coast of Massachusetts. The latest reports on the Sharktivity app say sharks were just spotted off Orleans and Wellfleet.

It's not uncommon to see sharks on the North Shore, either. Sharktivity showed that a dead seal, apparently attacked by a shark, was documented on Tuesday morning on Plum Island.

"Anywhere on the coast you can run into a white shark," Massachusetts shark biologist John Chisholm told WBZ-TV last month.