On Thursday, May 8^th, the Parks Committee of the Suffolk County Legislature will consider a bill to establish the first two dogs runs in Suffolk County. The vote is critical to the 650,000 dog owners in the county who need a safe and legal place to exercise their dogs.  The Suffolk County Code currently bans dogs from all Suffolk Parkland except for campgrounds and at the waters’ edge at beaches. In those areas where dogs are permitted, they must be on a 6-foot leash at all times. That means dogs legally never have an opportunity to run!

      Dog owners in Suffolk County who are tired of being treated like second class citizens are urged to contact the five members of the Parks Committee who will be voting on the bill sponsored by Legislator Jon Cooper this week. The bill (IR 1217-2003) would create two legal dog runs at Coindre Hall and West Hills Park in western Suffolk County.  If anti-dog owner legislators succeed in sending Leg. Cooper’s bill down to defeat, these legislators will be emboldened to shut down the few areas we’re now allowed to use, if not ban dogs from Suffolk County’s 43,000 acres of Parkland altogether! By contrast, if we succeed in passing Leg. Cooper’s bill,  these two parks will be the first of many legal dog runs throughout Suffolk County!

What you can do:

• Call the following legislators and tell them: that dogs need exercise; that our dogs are our family members; that county parks are for all the people; that dog owners pay taxes, too; and that you support dog parks on Suffolk County Parkland!

Click here to find out who your Suffolk County legislator is.

• Copy our flyer—No Dogs Allowed: Tired of This Sign?--and share it with your friends and family! Click here for the flyer.

• Sign our petition so we can add your name to the 1,000s of dog owners who support increased access to Suffolk County Parkland. Click here for our petition.

• Come to the Parks Committee Meeting on Thursday, May 8th at 12 Noon, William Rogers Building, 725 Veterans Memorial Hwy. (off Old Willets Path) in Hauppauge.

Visit our website for updates. In a few days, we’ll have information on when the final vote on dog parks is scheduled before the full legislature. We’ll need a big turnout from dog owners across the county!