Here are some pet friendly beaches that you can drive to:

Fenwick Island State Park (Fenwick, Delaware)

Duck, North Carolina

Downs Park Dog Beach (Pasadena, MD)

Quiet Waters Dog Beach (Annapolis, MD)

Dog Beach at Matapeake (Matapeake, MD)

Kiptopeke State Park (Cape Charles, VA)

First Landing State Park Beach (Virginia Beach, VA)

Goodbye to the sand and salt of winter and the irritable paws that came with it. With the start of spring comes other perils: allergies from pollen, flowers in bloom that are poisonous, heat, ticks and bugs, and other hazards.

Some may remember back in 2004, several greyhounds at a Florida racetrack became infected with what was known as the equine flu virus, or H3N8. That flu spread to 42 states, including Virginia, and a vaccine was subsequently developed for that flu. Eleven years later, in 2015, another dog flu emerged — this time in Chicago. There have been no reported cases of canine influenza, also known as H3N2, in the state. But Virginia is surrounded by states where dog flu is present. A recent map of the dog flu outbreak in the country paints a picture that Virginia can feel both good and bad about.