by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Hamptons Bound with your Hound?

Now that summer is in full swing and day trips and long weekends are in our near future – for many of us this means taking our pet along for the trip.  If you’re heading to the Hamptons for a day or weekend trip – and you want to know the best places to get pet supplies, a new outfit for your teacup poodle or need to board your pet for the weekend – here are our picks.

Are you renting a house that is not pet friendly and you need a place to board your dog that is not far from where you are staying? You will want to check out the East End Boarding Kennel.  The kennel is situated on four quiet, country acres in Westhampton, New York, south of Sunrise Highway. Open 365 days a year and can accommodate up to fifty dogs in an environment that is clean, safe, and secure. All dogs are housed in large individual (heated in cooler weathe) indoor- outdoor runs and enjoy time outside in one of our grassed exercise yard several times a day.

One Stop

Or if you are bringingyour pet with you where you’re staying and need some pet food, supplies and maybe even a pet bed – stop in  Southampton and go to One Stop Pet Shop (20 Hampton Rd).  The friendly staff of Janet, John or Sue will be there to help you with whatever you need and even though this store is in the heart of Southampton – their prices are very reasonable (better than some stores located ‘up island’).  If you can’t find what you are looking for – they can usually order it for you – but they are usually fully stocked with every pet need.  Open 7 days a week too.

If you are looking for some luxury for your dog, or a funny and unique t-shirt head down to Jobs Lane in Southampton and go to Little Lucy’s.  Named after the store owner’s dog, Lucy – the store is little too – but offers some gorgeous, interesting and not seen very often items for your pet.  Pat Hurley, the owner, provides her customers with new and unique pet items every season – you don’t want to miss it.  And just a few stores away – there is the Southampton Animal Foundation’s thrift shop – so every purchase made in the thrift shop goes towards helping their shelter animals.  You will be surprised what you can find in there! (There is also an additional store to the back of the shop – so two places to find a bargain and do some good at the same time.)

Little Lucy's

If you want your pet to have specialty food contact the Hampton Pet Chef.  Their vet approved home made, wholesome, fresh, and
natural pet made to order food, can also cater to your pets special needs.

If you are looking for a great place to bring the kids to see farm animals up close and personal and hear their amazing rescue stories be sure to stop at Amaryllis  Farm Equine Rescue in Sagaponack for a tour.  You will be touched by the stories of each animal at the farm and meet Christine and her daughter Rachel who work tirelessly day after day to care for each animal.  They also have all kinds of activities for kids, Pony Tail Little Kids Camp for one, the Amaryllis Saddle Club and more.

If you are looking to adopt a new pet into your family, Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton (on your way if you’re taking the LIE) has plenty of dogs, cats and kittens to choose from.  There is also the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation in Hampton Bays and also the Animal Rescue fund of the Hamptons in Wainscott.  You are bound to find you new furry love at one of these wonderful locations.

Planning on moving to the Hamptons full time, adopting a dog and need a way to keep your pet safe at home? Stop in Water Mill to   the Canine Control Company (720 Montauk Highway) and speak to Patty Veit about the Invisible Fence Brand.

And if you need a dog trainer or pet sitter – contact Waggin’ Tails Dog Walking service at (631) 283-1610.

Our next pet picks for day or weekend trippers you can’t miss will be of the North Fork, then Port Jefferson!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Recently we hiked a trail in Manorville, Manorville Hills County Park, which is dog friendly and also has horse trails and mountain bike trails.  This path system is a relatively new addition to the Greenbelt Trail for hikers on LI.  I know what you’re thinking if you are reading this living in Nassau County – Manorville, you’re either saying, “where is that?” or “I am not driving all the way out there!”  First I would say, when you’re on this trail, you really can’t believe you’re still on Long Island – this has to be one of the hilliest trails around – boasting a 150-foot high elevation, (that’s 15 stories high folks), throughout the majority of this 6.5-mile hike we were climbing up some serious hills.  It is well worth the drive whether your 20 minutes away or and hour and 20 minutes away.  When you are at the top of the highest elevation – it’s just beautiful.

The hike will take you approximately 2 hours 15 minutes.  If you do bring your dog be sure you dog is up to a hiking a trail like this.  My dog, who is used to being walked 3 or 4 miles and going on hikes, was pretty tired ¾ of the way through, and was wiped the rest of the day! (But he was all ready for another walk the next day – damn good for an almost 10 year old dog!).

Also since this trail is right smack dab in the middle of the beautiful Pine Barren Region – make sure you wear long pants (covering your hiking boots or sneakers) and spray your pants with bug spray.  This is tick season (all over LI) and I did have to stop a few times to knock ticks of the dog – yuck, (the natural bug spray from Fetch Doggies Boutique I used on him worked pretty well), but the trails are wide enough for the most part that your not walking through brush.  Unfortunately, ticks are par for the course on any and most hikes, parks and even your own well landscaped back yard here on LI.  Be sure to check your dog thoroughly a few times during and after any hike – or even after he comes in from your own yard.

So if you are taking part of the 250-Challenge this will be a great hike to add into your challenge, knock out 6.5-miles, and have a great workout climbing those Long Island mountains! The pictures below don’t do justice to how steep some parts were.

We followed the yellow marked trail from the parking area (square yellow marks on sprayed onto trees) to the orange marked trees all the way through, (turned yellow again about ¾ way through, then back to orange) and this is a loop that will bring you back to the parking area.  We did this without a map of the trail!  However you can purchase a map from the LI Greenbelt and get directions to the park which is off of Country Road 111 (on the north bound side).

We didn’t see too much wildlife during the hike, to my surprise, some birds and a nuclear green colored bug, small lavender colored moths fluttering about, and on our way out a family of deer.

Max taking a rest during hike!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Hiking with your dog, Blydenburgh

The next park in our series of dog friendly parks throughout LI, as part of the 250 Challenge, we bring you Blydenburgh County Park in Hauppauge.  While many people may have heard of this park or past by it on their way to Suffolk County office buildings – most have yet to venture into the park itself.  This is one of my favorite places to take my dog for a good 6 – 7-mile hike through the woods.  The full hike around Stump Pond takes about 2 or 2.5 hours depending on which path you take and where you entered the park.  There are skinny, very hilly trails right along side the “pond” for a large part of the hike or a wider less hilly trail that is quite sandy due to the horses that frequent the park on a daily basis. Long Island is still horse country, if you didn’t know!   Recently we hiked there on a busy Saturday and I think we passed maybe 3 or 4 other people with dogs, on leashes, at most.  The reason the trails are not over run with dogs, like some of the other Suffolk County Parks is because of the large enclosed dog run that is there.

A few years ago the Long Island Dog Owners Group (LI-Dog) lobbied to get more dog runs built on Suffolk County land, and one of those great dog runs is located right inside of Blydenburgh Park.  In my opinion this has made a huge difference of a lot less off leash dogs running in the trails (and safer for horses, hikers and dog walkers alike).  Now the vast majority of people that want their dogs to run off leash go into the dog run.  It is a nice size too and there is a large dog and small dog area separated by fences.  There is also a water pump near by and open bathrooms too.  (The bathrooms by the row boats are not open until Memorial Day weekend I believe).  I was pleasantly surprised to learn from many dog owners at the dog run that they have had really nice experiences, and come back often to it.  When I stopped by there must have been like 50+ dogs in there, but it’s large enough that there is plenty of room for the dogs to run around and it didn’t look crowded.  (As a quick tip, you should always watch your dog’s body language and make sure he is having fun and not feeling overwhelmed by other dogs in the dog run.)

So if you are looking for a gem of a place to hike with your dog or to meet other dog owners Blydenburgh is the spot – centrally located on Long Island and very easy to get to. Why not try a different park to walk your dog, he will thank you!  You should bring with you water for you and your dog while hiking and be sure to check for ticks afterwards.  For directions and more information about Blydenburgh click here.  See below for pictures.

Max is a veteran hiker at Blydenburgh - on one of the many little bridges on the trail.

Horses walking by the Grist Mill.

Dog run

Coco enjoying her first hike at Blydenburgh

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Top of the mornin’ to you – St. Patrick’s Day is upon on us – that means lots of wearin’ of the green, parades all across the Island and fun dog costumes. Wait, what? That’s right many dogs, cats and horses will be sporting the green in honor of the festive Irish season. This looks adorable and fun, but might not be so much fun for the pet. Make sure if you are heading out to Montauk on the 20th for the big St. Patty’s Day parade that: 1.) your pet doesn’t mind wearing clothing, bandana, sunglasses, etc. (some pets are not happy with clothing, don’t force it); 2.) that your pet has proper ID with both your home and mobile number on it and is attached to their collar; and 3.) that your pet is well behaved, and has been around large, very noisy crowds before; 4) and use a proper 6-foot leash (leather or cotton is best) to bring you dog with to the parade.

Parades are a lot of fun for us, but our four legged friends may not enjoy the experience at all. If you have never brought your dog before, maybe for safety’s sake, yours, your pets, and the crowd’s – leave that pup home. Dogs that are well adjusted, trained, and socialized may and can do just fine, but people tend to bring their dogs that aren’t or have never been exposed to what a parade can bring. Dogs can easily get frightened from bag pipes, fire truck sirens, drum core, people petting the dog without asking and could snap someone or some child, slip away and could get lost.  (I have personally seen dogs completely freaking out and squirming in their owner’s arms at parades.)

With a parade almost every weekend for St. Patty’s Day across Long Island, if you insist on bringing your pet, pay attention to them. If you dog seems terrified or is pulling away, stay back from the crowd, or better yet, bring him home. Dog’s ears are more sensitive than human ears, so a blaring fire truck could send him running for the hills, or make the dog just plain uncomfortable. So enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day and think about leaving Buddy at home.

I had a Doberman that I brought with me almost everywhere, and she was well behaved and didn’t mind, crowds or noise, kids petting her, etc. at a parade (and happened to love, love, love horses!). But I always watched her body language and paid attention to her behavior while there. If she seemed off or uneasy (which was very rare for her being a well adjusted dog and not to mention Doberman), we left. The dog I have now is way too much of a scardy cat, and I would never subject him to the noise, crowds and other people’s unruly dogs.  So I can enjoy the parade and festivities and he stays home and sleeps!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Don’t forget the Pets!

With barely a day left to shop for Christmas, don’t forget gifts for the pets or pet lovers in your life.  Going to a Holiday party to someone’s house that has a cat, dog or bird?  Instead of the dreaded fruitcake or another needless dessert, bring the hostess a gift that is for their pet.  Giving a pet owner a fabulous pet product for their beloved pet will go a long way, they will remember that probably more than another sweater!  So with that said, here are some suggestions for you to go out and get today for that pet owner you have absolutely no idea what to get.

If you know what their favorite local pet store is or who their groomer is – why not get them a gift certificate.  Or if you know they will appreciate a donation made in their name to a local non-for-profit animal rescue, you will be giving more than one present that way.  Some great pet non-for-profits here on Long Island are:

Amaryllis Horse Farm; Kent Animal Shelter; Long Island Parrot Society; Long Island Dog Owners Group; Pet Safe Coalition; Shelter Link; The Shelter Connection and one close to my heart is, Special Needs Dobermans, not based on LI, but have helped many Dobermans on our Island over the years.

Did a loved one adopt a new dog or puppy recently?  Maybe that pup needs some training, or in most cases the owners need the training – get them a gift certificate for a dog trainer or dog training school to help them with their new dog. Long Island is lucky to have some fantastic trainers, so really there is no excuse for a bad dog owner!  You can also let them know about a free dog training and education class the Town of Islip offers once a month to all residents on LI.

Some fail safe pet products that any pet owner will love are: Organic or holistic treats for their dog, cat or bird.  A new pet bed – try to find a bed that will match or compliment the owner’s house.  Set up a photo session with a professional pet photographer to capture precious moments of one’s pets.  Or frame a picture you have taken of their pet in a beautiful frame that they will be proud to display.  Quality products that are a must have for any dog owner are:

The Furminator is a great product for de-shedding your pet, keeping his coat healthy and tangle free – especially in between a grooming appointment.  Furminator also has a new short hair deshedder which is designed for dogs with hair length of 2-inches or shorter.  Works great on my Pit Bull, and he loves, loves, loves to be “furminated.”  The Kong toy is a classic for any dog owner.  The Kong comes in different sizes and toughness based on the chew power of your dog or puppy.  It is a wonderful product to keep your dog active, mentally stimulated and busy.  Both products can be easily found at local pet shops.  Or if you have a dog walker or trainer you are looking to get a great gift for, check out this reflective cap made by WalkMeWear™ for anyone out walking their dog in low or no light.

Don’t forget to shop at smaller pet mom & pop type pet stores you will get much better customer service, better prices and have knowledgeable staff and/or owners at the store to help guide you.  Pets are our family members, and while they may not “know” it’s the Holiday’s, they do know when they are getting something just for them!  So don’t forget the pet owners in your life and get them a nice gift for their beloved pet.  Happy Holidays!