By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

If your heading out to the North Fork during this summer and fall season, as you drive on Sound Avenue in Baiting Hollow you will pass a few bucolic horse farms along the way.  While you admire the beautiful scenery and think how you’re amazed your still on Long Island – you might be surprised to know that many of the horses you pass are actually horses rescued from slaughter or horrible situations.  Truth be told, the average person doesn’t want to know about this, that horses get slaughtered for meat consumption in other countries and not nessecarily humanely euthanized when they are no longer wanted or needed.  So I dare you to read on and look at the beautiful horses in the pictures I took below at North Shore Horse Rescue farm and stop by to visit these majestic and comical horses.  (I was laughing so much at these horses, who were, well horsing around – I can’t wait to go back!)

It’s not an easy topic to write about, let alone be one of the wonderful people who rescue, rehabilitate, re-home and save these horses lives.  It’s hard work, dedication, and lots of love to say the least.

The North Shore Horse Rescue, which is a 501 c 3 non-profit, is run by Laurel Palerno and Tom Renzetti and in the past 13 years they have rescued approximately 30 horses, re-homed 10, and currently have 17 rescue horses in their care along their own 14 horses.  Laurel said, “We get horses from everywhere, with many of the horses coming from the local area, especially in the last few years due to the recession.  We try to help out our neighbors a lot.”  Their very first rescue was a pregnant mare that just happened to be a Wild mustang who is now part of their sanctuary of horses that will stay with them.

This is Tate who popped his head out to see who was visiting – love that blonde coloring!

When I asked Laurel, how did you get into rescue, she responded, “I wanted to get my own horses and we moved from the south shore of Long Island to this location.  It wasn’t tooo long after I got my own horses that I started to find out more and more how many horses needed rescuing.”

This handsome boy above is Winston who is a 1/2 Arabian and 1/2 Thoroughbred who has an adoption pending.  Absolutely stunning to see in person.

Lakota is a privately owned horse, but was rescue who was adopted from another local horse rescue, Amaryllis – and the mini is Sam who is also rescue.

To find out more about them and see many of their upcoming events go to www.northshorehorserescue.com.  To see many, more pictures for our visit, click here!

To read about another horse rescue here on Long Island, click here.

And oh yea, this horse does bite!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

What a perfect way to spend one of the last summer evenings of August at the beach watching the ponies swim in Southold, NY.  What has become a lovely way for horses and their owners to cool off this summer has attracted a lot of onlookers and photographers – including myself.

Organized by local horse owners on the North Fork – this pony swim is such a treat to witness as the summer winds down.
What is better than horses, donkeys, and dogs all on the beach to enjoy the beauty of the east end and cool, crisp water?  Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, dogs were all leashed and well behaved and the horses were absolutely having a blast.

Some of the horses were dunking their noses in the water, rolling in the water on the shore, and even curious about the dogs there!

CHEESE! This horse was rolling around in the water a lot – it was just too cute!

Love this meet and greet with this dog and donkey.  The dogs were so good saying hello.

For a lot more PICTURES click here to view them on our Facebook Page!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

On Monday, April 9th, after a busy morning of client meetings and errands, I was driving to my office on Sunrise Highway near Islip heading East and I saw a lot of smoke in the distance.  I said to myself, “Wow, something is seriously on fire!”   And within the hour I learned that there was a big and growing brush fire in Manorville, NY.  Didn’t think that much of it at first other than it reminded me of the Pine Barrens fire in the 90’s.  A few minutes after learning of the fire, I saw a post on Facebook by a Long Island Equine Disaster Preparedness, (which was originally created during hurricane Irene by a horse owner on LI), that there were over 200 horses needed to be evacuated and the call for help was very urgent.  Being someone who has been riding horses my entire life, I was immediately sick to my stomach at the thought of spooked horses near a fire.

Horses being lead out of Fire zone. Photo Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas

So I re-posted the original post on both my personal and business Facebook pages to see if any of my horsey set connections could help.  I also called a few of the phone #’s  on that were posted to see if I could get updates and spoke with Christine Distefano from Amaryllis Horse Equine Rescue to get any updates.  The response from both dog/cat and horse people was amazing of everyone wanting to help and people that were already on their way to help.

On the ground reports of it being chaos and people having to walk in and walk horses out were coming in from a few different places.  But an army of people were there to help with horse trailers and had places to bring the horses – posts were coming in from all over LI of people offering up stalls and stables.  It is a wonderful and amazing thing that all the horses and their owners made it out safely.  We also had a group of Long Island Pet Professional members from all over LI ready to help as reports that Kent Animal Shelter may have to evacuate their 110 animals were being posted, but thankfully they ended up not having to evacuate.  (Big thanks to everyone who offered help!)

But the question remains in my mind, are you ready in case of an emergency with your pet?  Whether it is a dog, cat, horse, bird, or reptile, do you have a plan of action, back up plan?  Unfortunately in disasters like this is when we realize just how important a plan is.  Just something as simple as having your dog’s or cat’s ID tags up to date, extra set of collars and leashes readily available, and of course pet medical records and proof of vaccinations – seriously you can scan onto your Smart Phone or ipad these days.  But I would suggest having a hard set of copies in your car glove compartment.

Other important things you should consider when having an evacuation plan are to have a contact near your home – that if you can’t get there in time they can.

• Contact information for your pet’s veterinarian
• Recent Photo of your pet
• Water, food and containers
• Leash/muzzle/harness
• Any Medications for your pet and/or list of them
• Pet carrier or cage
• Kitty Litter & container for cats
• Also put your veterinarian phone # into your phone
• Sign or decal on your windows alerting firemen how many pets and what type may be in your home
• First Aid Kit for pets in your car at all times – in case your pet gets injured and you can’t get him or her to the vet right away

Remember too, that your pet may act differently during an emergency, so make sure their collar and/or harness is on correctly so the don’t slip out of the collar and run away.  Have a family meeting to discuss a plan of action for any emergency and be sure to include all pets in that plan so everyone knows what to do, where to meet during emergency etc.  Suffolk County residents please know that emergency shelters are often pet friendly – they work with animal organizations to ensure you leave your home With your pet and will help keep your pet safe.  More information on this can be found here.

Thank you to all our volunteer firefighters, police and rescue for doing what you do! Crossing fingers and paws that this fire will be out in a day or so.  A big thanks to Fetch Doggies, SuperPaws, Sit, Stay and Play (sitstayplaydogs@yahoo.com),  Iguana Party,  East End Boarding Kennel, Pre-K-Nine Training (PreKnineTraining@aol.com), Pet Peeves Dog Training, ArtCasso for contacting me to offer help if anyone needed it, I was just one of many messengers getting the word out.  And if I forgot anyone thank you too.

Horse being lead to safety. Newsday Photo Credit: Photo Credit: John Roca

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!