by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Doggie Day Trip – the NoFo! (That’s North Fork of Long Island!)

If you have yet to visit the North Fork (NoFo) of Long Island with your pup – you are missing out!  The NoFo is the perfect day-trip destination if you are looking to do wine tasting, pumpkin or apple picking, a walk on the beach or to enjoy lunch or dinner in one of the quaint towns with your dog!

Recently I took my dog Max, who is 12 years old on a doggie day trip to the NoFo for all of the above.  My cousin came with me and we had such a relaxing day, and Max had a great time exploring some old haunts and new ones too – pretty dog-gone good for a senior pup!

We first went to Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead – and it is pet friendly, leashed of course, and offers some of the most spectacular grounds to walk along.  You can bring a picnic lunch and hang outside at one of the many tables or picnic benches provided, and sip some MCV wine as your dog chills out.  I prefer to walk Max around the grounds, being respectful of all the beautiful farm animals they have there (goats, sheep, turtles, cows, horses and more), and then back to picnic area to enjoy wine and cheese.  This way you get some of that puppy (or senior dog) energy out first.

Meet n greet!

After an hour or so, we headed to Love Lane in Mattituck – to go where else, but Love Lane Kitchen for lunch.  They have a lovely little outdoor patio next to the restaurant where we could sit with Max and enjoy a delicious lunch.  After lunch we walked around Love Lane visited some of the shops (please note: I didn’t bring Max into the stores, but there is a pet boutique on Love Lane you can visit with your pup).

Our next stop, the bay beach of course, so Max could dip his toes in the water!  There is a dog friendly beach called Bailey’s Beach in Mattituck, but we actually just drove to a bay beach in Jamesport and just stopped there for a little while, there were no ‘no dog’ signs and since it was off season no one was there – perfect.

Love it!  Max stayed on his leash – a good recomendation to do so with your dog, and be respectful of the surrounding neighborhood and beaches, and obey any signs posted.  We then headed to one of the many local pumpkin farms to get pumpkins, mums, sunflowers and a few farm stand veggies that are in season.

There are so many things to do, see and enjoy with your dog on the NoFo and people are very friendly.  It is doable for a day trip, for sure.  I am baffled when I hear of people that have been born and raised on LI – but have never been to the NoFo – it’s crazy! 🙂  Dogs like to get out and explore new areas and see new things – the NoFo is the perfect fall getaway, for a daycation, that is not too far away.  You and your pup will be so relaxed by the time you get back home and the sceenary is beautiful no matter where you go on the North Fork.

But if you want to spend a weekend there – lucky for us there are now two hotels that I know of that are also pet friendly close to the NoFo!  The first is the Hyatt East End in Riverhead – they are pet friendly for dogs up to 50lbs and have beautiful accomodations.  Located right next to the Long Island Aquarium, in Riverhead village, you can walk your dog along the beautiful river front steps from the hotel.

The second hotel is the Hotel Indigo East End also in Riverhead, but closer to Calverton and also offer pet friendly accomodations.

And if you are looking for a dog trainer or pet sitter while on the NoFo, contact Dawn Bennett of North Fork School of Dog Training – she might even give you some info on places to go with your dog that I haven’t mentioned above.

And some tips if you do take a Doggie Day Trip:

• Go during the week if you can, it is less crowded and that means less traffic.
• Bring supplies for your dog: water, food, pet first aid kit (just in case), poop bags to pick up.
• Be sure to stop and walk your dog and let him or her do his business along the way (and of course clean up after your dog).
• Ask if you can bring your dog onto the property of a vineyard (although most are dog friendly), and the same for any of the pumpkin/apple farms.  Be courteous and know your dog!  If your pup is going to freak out if he sees a cow – be sure to have something with your to distract him (think high value treats, toys, ball, etc.)
• If your dog is not used to long car rides, start taking him for some rides each day longer and longer that lead up to a daycation trip, so he gets used to it.
• Bring an extra leash and collar with you – and be sure to have up-to-date ID tags on him, just in case.
• And most of all have fun, take lots of pictures and enjoy!

Another favorite spot is Greenport, a photo of Max there from a few years ago!  To see More Pictures of our NoFo Doggie Day trip, CLICK HERE!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

The Basset Hound Olympics took place on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at Wantagh Park in Wantagh, NY.  Hosted by Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue who has been rescuing Bassets for the past 28 years, throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  The fundraiser brought Bassets of all ages, sizes and droopy adorableness as they took to the high jump, the obstacle course, 10 meter sprint and 16 inch hurdle.

There were around 40 Basset Hounds at the event partaking in the Oympics and also Basset that were available for adoption through the rescue group.

A arrrooohhinng good time was had by all like this guy!  For more pictures from the event, Click Here!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Two different events in New York City on Saturday, September 28, 2013 brought in pet lovers from all over the tri-state area.  The first was Best Friends Animal Society’s Strutt your Mutt fundraising dog walk – held at Pier 84 on Hudson River Park – hundreds of people and their pets strutted 2 miles to help raise funds for homeless pets. It was a beautiful day – you could not have asked for more goregous weather over looking the Hudson River.

The event is held all over the country all to help Best Friends continue to do the great work they do.

If you missed the event you can still send in a donation here, and put a save the date on your calendar for next year.  A fantastic event and breathtaking NYC location!
For more pictures on Strutt your Mutt, click here!

Just a few blocks away at the Jacob Javits Center, the American Kennel Club (AKC) held their annual ‘Meet the breeds‘ event where dogs and cats (and their owners or breeders) from around the country were their educating the public about their breeds. More than 200 different kinds of dogs and cats were at the show.

During the event there were many vendors to visit and a lot of different shows on the show floor – from agility demos, cart pulling dogs, police K9 units, obedience, a cat fashion show…yes I said cat fashion show, and much more!

One thing that you may not realize is, many of the breeders at the event are also associated with breed specific rescue groups whether it is a dog or cat.  I saw different booths with information on rescue groups for their breed, and listened to couple of passionate dog breeders who are also heavily involved with rescue.

It is a great event to see breeds you might not have ever heard of, like the hound above which is a Hamiltonstovare, or if you just love seeing cats and dogs hamming it up in one place.  One thing I will say is, if next year you plan on going to the event and bringing your human kids with you – please remind them of their manners in petting the animals, to always ask before they pet, and to not be overly pushy, etc.  I witnessed a few incidents of parents have zero control over their kids and some of the pet owners having to instruct them ‘not to hit the cat over the head with a cat toy,’ I kid you not! (This pet pro got hit in the face with a cat toy by one unruly child, ugh!)

I think it is a great place to bring your children to see, learn and enjoy pets – but some guidence ahead of time will make for a  better experience overall!

To see many more pictures from Meet the Breeds, click here!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Do you have a puppy soul mate? For most dog owners you know exactly what I am talking about that, the dog that you have or had in your life that was destined to be with you. Many dog owners refer to this dog as their ‘heart’ dog.  It’s not like loving one dog more than another, it’s more like the bond with your heart dog or soul mate dog is just different than other dogs you own (or have owned.)

There is just something about that dog that is different that you connect with more.  It can’t be explained rationally – but many dog owners know what I mean.  If you know me, you know I love my dog Max, and do everything I can to keep him healthy and happy at his senior age of 12 (although the puppiness still comes out daily with him!).  But if you really knowme, my dog Shanna was, so far, my heart dog.  Hopefully I will be lucky enough to have many different heart dogs throughout my lifetime, and it’s nothing against my Max – he has my heart – it’s just a different bond that’s all.(Little stinkerpants that he is!! BOL!)

Max used to sit on top of Shanna as a puppy once he got to big to lay next her! Stinker!

A story I read recently caught my attention not just because of the ‘soul puppy’ status, but because of the three legged dog in the picture.  My Shanna was a 3 legged girl the last 4 years of life due to cancer – and while she was a show off on her 3 legs – she was also looked upon sadly by people that didn’t know her.  It didn’t slow her down and I think we shouldn’t look upon dogs or humans if they are missing a limb any differently. Dogs are resilient and so are many people like Kate and her puppy soul mate, here is her story:

“I really am an animal lover and always have been since I was little.  With that said, I still wouldn’t have expected to be 21 years old, working and attending school full time while learning a new lifestyle as an above knee amputee, and then have the most perfect little dog fall into my life unexpectedly. It was so coincidental that I didn’t think twice before I deemed her mine forever and my puppy soul mate.

Fifteen months into my recovery I was successfully wearing a C-Leg daily, and for the last two of those months I had been walking on my own.  I was assistance free, no crutches or canes, and I was finally feeling like myself again. Well, a new me, but much better than I had felt in a year (a really long and hard year) of physical therapy and loads of determination…READ more of Kate’s story by clicking here.

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Welcome to our new series of articles, “Doggie Day Trips” on Long Island and beyond!

It might be August, but there is still plenty of time left to take a Doggie Day Trip with you pooch to Fire Island, NY.  If you have never been to Ocean Beach and are looking for that mini daycation getaway with your pup – this is the perfect getaway!

Recently we took the Ferry from the Bay Shore ferry terminal over to Ocean Beach with two local dog celebrities, Titus & Hailey!  Getting there, when you drive down Maple Avenue towards the ferry terminals, you want to drive to the first parking lot on your right or west side – they have the cheapest parking.  The parking there is only $8 bucks for the day Monday – Friday.  You will then head across the street (through a parking lot) to the Ocean Beach ferry terminal.

It’s cash only for ferry tickets, but there are ATM machines at the terminal. An adult round trip ticket is $17 and for your pups, yes you have to pay for them to go to, they go aboard for a child rate of $7.50 for a round trip ticket.  (I used to make my dobie sit on the bench – hey her ticket was paid for! BOL!).  It seems silly to have to pay a child rate for your dog, but let me tell you it is well worth it to be on a slice of paradise that is pet friendly.  I mean wouldn’t it be nice if we could bring any size dog on the LIRR to NYC for the day? And pay a fare for them?

As you can see it was a crowded ferry for a Monday! But Hailey was loving the boat ride and all the attention she was getting, which takes about 25 minutes.

Titus & Hailey were excited to arrive at the dock at Ocean Beach!

When we arrived and met a friend there, we decided to walk around town and the all the walkways for a while to let the dogs get some energy out and explore! Fire Island doesn’t allow cars, so all the streets are actually ‘walks’ and labeled as such.

So refreshing to be somewhere where cars are not around.  The dogs seemed to be loving that too!  And yes there are deer there, that are pretty tame, so remember that when bringing your dog!  Titus and Hailey didn’t seem too interested as this young male buck who walked across the walk and then was eating grass.

So what to do with the pups while there?  The beach of course!  Now the beach at Ocean Beach is actually not dog friendly, but don’t fret because you can walk over (east) a couple of walk ways to the town of Seaview and that beach is dog friendly – you just have to keep them on a leash.

After some time at the beach in Seaview, we walked around the walks and enjoyed the most spectacular day – the weather was just perfect.  And if you didn’t know Titus and Hailey recently got married and they wanted to pose at a few church steps along the way. (BOL!! )

On our way back through the Village of Ocean Beach, we made sure to check out what the town had to offer.  There are plenty of places to shop to buy beautiful jewelry, home items, clothes, doggie items and much more.  And if you are looking to head inside, you can even park your puppy right outside some of the stores (of course if your pup is friendly and you can see him from inside the store!) Come on this is just too cute!

We also met some cute resident dogs along the way.

If you are hungry after all the exploring, hitting the beach, shopping, you have to head to the Mermaid (The Island Mermaid).  Not only do they have a beautiful outdoor deck over looking the water, but we had lunch with the pups hanging out under our table.  The waitress even brought over a bowl of water for the dogs.  The food was great and so were the drink specials. 🙂 There are a lot of other great places to eat, looking for amazing pizza, go to Michaels get a couple slices of their tomato basil and sit on their benches outside to eat them if you have your dog with you.  Delicious!

There are many things about Fire Island that are iconic, such as their wagons used by renters and home owners to bring their belongings with them from the ferry and bikes that you see everywhere. If you are not hoofing it around town, taking a water taxi from town to town – your best mode of transportation is a bike.  There were a few rental places dotted along Ocean Beach where you could get a regular bike or the new cool beach crusiers with the fat wheels.

There is so much to do at Fire Island, that if you are so inclined renting a house for the summer, a month or week – start looking in January for the following summer to find a dog friendly rental. There are plenty of real estate agents there that can help you find your favorite spot.  Years ago my friends had houses every summer in either Ocean Beach or Ocean Bay Park, and the rented houses were always pet friendly.  My doberman Shanna was a regular Fire Island doggie visitor!

Fire Island was hit pretty hard by superstorm Sandy – as many of us know all too well.  It was wonderful to see how well Ocean Beach has recovered, it really looks fantastic considering it was under how much water?  There are still signs of the destruction (see below), houses being raised and a lot of workers there, but for the most part it really looked great.  So head to FI with your pups for a daycation, (show FI some love), and enjoy what it has to offer, you will want to come back, I guarantee it!

For more pictures of our doggie day trip adventure CLICK HERE!!