On Sunday, Feb. 5 just before noon a Suffolk County Parks Policeman pulled up beside where LI-DOG had a table set up to promote responsible dog ownership and use of the park, as well as to attract new members. We were also getting ready to start the second day of our Clean up the Park campaign, which was very successful on Saturday with several people pitching in to pick up litter as well as any poop that dog owners may have missed. LI-DOG would like to thank all who participated in the clean up effort!

    The officer said that someone had complained that a dog ran up to her and scared her. He did not say that the dog jumped on her or otherwise harassed her in any way. The officer said that he was giving us a warning that from now on the Parks police would be coming to Coindre Hall every day and issuing tickets until dog owners stopped coming with dogs off-leash. Raven's owner Mike talked to him for about fifteen minutes and was able to let him know why people need a place where they can exercise and socialize their dogs, and that the dog run at West Hills was too small and heavily overused already, and simply could not accommodate anymore dogs. Mike also said that it was unfair that responsible dog owners who are only trying to do right by their dogs are given almost no place where they can legally let them get the exercise and socialization that they need to be normal well adjusted dogs. He also told him that there is a group of nearby residents that have occasionally come to the park for the purpose of stirring up trouble. He let him know that they have told people at the park that they are working to get rid of the dogs there and that complaints filed could be suspect. Other dog owners including Rich Robbins, who is coordinator of LI-DOG's Coindre Hall stewards program and Avrum Rosen, also a parks steward and an attorney who has helped LI-DOG create its non-profit organization also spoke with the officer. Rosen has volunteered to defend any dog owner given a summons. The officer simply reiterated that "Dogs must be on leash" and that the Park police would continue to give out tickets until dog owners stopped coming there with dogs off leash.

    The officer then proceeded to drive to the foot of the property where there was formerly a legal off-leash area and found people with their dogs off leash. According to two dog owners, the officer pulled out his night stick at dog owners. He then drove back up to the parking lot and at the top of the hill and told one of the organizers of LI-DOG that he couldn't believe people were off-leash at the foot of the property and that, "This means war."

    Clearly, the officers actions and statements could mean real problems for dog owners at Coindre Hall.

    In order to have any chance of continuing to use Coindre Hall to exercise and socialize our dogs, we are going to need a massive e-mail campaign. It is not going to do any good for ten or twenty people to write letters. We are going to need hundreds of letters in order to convince officials that we are a large and active group that needs to be listened to.

    The letters should be polite but strongly stress the reasons why the use of Coindre Hall is so important to us. We are going to outline some important points that can be included in your letters but they should be written in your own personal style.

Important Points:

• Animal behaviorists and dog trainers universally recognize and recommend that it is vitally important for dogs to be given adequate exercise and socialization in order for them to become well adjusted members of society.
• Responsible dog owners who really care about their dogs are discovering across the country that the best way to do this is to bring them to a park where they can meet, socialize, and play with other dogs.
• Dog owners who do this end up with dogs that are well behaved, and a pleasure to be with. Dog owners who don't, often end up surrendering their dogs to a shelter system in which 4 to 5 millions dogs are euthanized every year.
• It is not possible for dogs to run and play with each other while attached to a leash. It would only result in a tangled mess of dogs and people.
• People have been bringing their dogs to Coindre Hall for twenty-eight years, which makes it a well-established practice.
• On June 27th of 2003 a bill was signed into law creating a dog run at Coindre Hall with County Executive Robert Gaffney and Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper attending. It is not our fault that no facility has been built for us by 2006.
• Coindre Hall has been a wonderful place for dog owners to meet. People from all walks of life have formed meaningful friendships that would never have occurred if it were not for such a place. It is hard to imagine a better use of the Suffolk County Park System than to provide a place where such a sense of community can be formed.
• The dog owners who go to Coindre are responsible citizens who watch over and pick up after their dogs. We also have clean-up parties where we pick up litter and any dog waste that may have been missed by other dog owners.
• The rest of the country is far ahead of Long Island on this issue. Most cities' now have multiple dog parks for their taxpaying citizens to go to.
• It is not fair that only one tiny parcel of land is provided for all of Suffolk County's dog owning residents to exercise their dogs. We are in a Catch-22. We know that our dogs need adequate exercise and socialization but almost no land is provided for us in which to legally do so.

    As the Marin County Dog Owners Group said: Bad laws make good people criminals. Dog owners who use Coindre Hall are responsible, tax-paying citizens of Suffolk County. It is inexcusable that we are treated as criminals when we take our dogs to Coindre Hall for exercise and fun. We need an adequate dog park system within Suffolk County NOW!

The parties you should write to are:

• Ronald F. Foley: Suffolk County Parks Commissioner.
  E-mail: scparks@suffolkcountyny.gov
  Phone: 631-854-4984
• Jon Cooper: The legislator for the 18th district in which Coindre Hall is located. Keep in mind that Jon Cooper has been a big LI-Dog supporter and that the main reason to write him is so that he can show that there are a lot of people in his district who are passionate about this issue.
  E-mail jon.cooper@suffolkcountyny.gov
  Phone: 631-854-4500
• Steve Levy: It's time to let Mr. Levy know how we feel about Coindre Hall and the lack of an adequate Dog Park System on Long Island. Long Island needs to catch up to the rest of the country and recognize the value of dog parks to its taxpaying citizens.
  E-mail: county.executive@suffolkcountyny.gov
  Phone: 631-853-4235
• Chief David Brewer: Chief of Suffolk County Park Police.
  Phone: 631-854-1473
  He was very nice when one of our park stewards called him. The main reason to call him is to ask that his officers act in a courteous manner when dealing with dog owners who are stuck in a difficult situation and are only trying to do right by their dogs, and also if they could go easy on us while we are working to resolve this situation. After all we were promised a legal dog run back in 2003.

    As always, keep in touch by e-mailing us at lidog_news@yahoo.com.