We did it! We have amended the Suffolk County Code to allow for dog parks that may be fenced or segregated by either natural boundaries, times or seasons. The previous law allowed only fenced-in dog parks in Suffolk County.

This momentous change completes the two-stage process by which the County will create at least five new dog parks in coming years. This latest effort was far more difficult than the initial 5 new dog parks bill, but ultimately it will allow us to create off-leash areas on beaches, on large, isolated tracts of land, and on a landmark property like Coindre Hall. These new laws bring Suffolk County into the same league as forward-thinking communities like New York City, San Francisco, Calif., and hundreds of communities throughout the Sun Belt!

County Executive Steve Levy signed the natural borders dog park bill into law on Friday, July 27th. LI-DOG organizers were informed of the County Executive's signature in separate calls from both the County Executive's office and the office of lead sponsor Leg. Steve Stern.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: You can thank Leg. Steve Stern by emailing him at steven.stern@suffolkcountyny.gov or calling his office at 631-854-5100. Even better, publicly thank him by writing a Letter to the Editor of The Long Islander at info@longislandernews.com, The Babylon Beacon at ACJnews@rcn.com, or Suffolk Life at http://www.suffolklife.com. For Suffolk Life, click on Contact Us in the left hand column of the home page and select Send a Letter to the Editor.

Also, thank Leg. Jon Cooper, the Majority Leader in the Suffolk County Legislature and co-sponsor of this bill, for his steadfast support and leadership on this issue. Email Leg. Cooper at jon.cooper@suffolkcountyny.gov or call him at 631-854-4500.

Despite the County Executive's signature on the bill, dog owners still have a lot of work to do to convince the County Executive and the Parks Dept. that unfenced/natural border dog parks are not a threat to public safety. In a signing letter that accompanies his signature on the bill, the County Executive writes that non-fenced-in sites may have to be limited to County owned lands that are not used by the public for any other purpose.

It is important that the County Executive know we are extremely grateful for his signature on the Natural Borders Dog Park bill. At the same time, we need to convince him that unfenced and natural border dog parks will make unofficial off-leash areas even safer.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Email the County Executive at county.executive@suffolkcountyny.gov or call him at 631-853-4000 and:

• Thank him for his critical and enthusiastic support for the 5 New Dog Parks law
• Thank him for completing the work he and the legislature started to modernize the County's policy towards its 600,000 dog owners by signing the Natural Borders bill into law
• Share with the County Executive your experience with unfenced and natural border dog parks on Long Island such as at Coindre Hall and beaches at Gardiner's Park, Smithtown, and East Hampton, as well as other areas of the country
• Assure him that this law will make unofficial off-leash areas even safer by requiring dog owners to have their dogs licensed and vaccinated and under control at all times
• Assure him that New York City has 20 years of successful experience with such areas and that dogs and dog owners do not behave differently on Long Island from New York City
• Tell the County Executive that LI-DOG's Share the Park program at Coindre Hall was a big success. Dog owners proved throughout the Spring and Summer 2006 that they can keep their dogs in a designated area of the park and that they can Share the Park without interfering with other park users.

If you want to create a dog park at Coindre Hall or on any other unfenced or natural border dog park, email or write the county executive now!

Don't forget to cc: the Suffolk County Parks Dept. at scparks@suffolkcountyny.gov as well as LI-DOG at lidog_news@yahoo.com so we can see how we're doing and make sure the Parks Dept. knows how important this issue is to dog owners.

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