By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

In the past few weeks two new dog parks have opened on Long Island for dog owners and their pups to enjoy.

The first opening on Sunday, June 8, 2014 was held in the village of Southampton with a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Mark Elpey with his wife Marianne and their dog along with the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, (ARF) and the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation who also hosted Hampton’s Dog Walk immediately following.

Zoe Kamitses of ARF and Mayor Mark Epley of Southampton Village

This much needed new addition boasts 1-full acre of fenced in doggie bliss.  At the opening approximately 100 dogs were running, playing, rolling in the grass as their owners looked on with joy.  100 dogs, not one incident doggie growls – almost as if they all knew this was their place to just be and have fun.

The park is adorned with benches, poop pick up bag stations, an adorable sculpture of a dog – but of course.  There is also a founders rock, which the dogs were, well marking as you can imagine.   This park is a wonderful addition to the already dog friendly village of Southampton in which a lot of the beaches you can bring your dogs to and also have area hiking trails.  And now residents do not have to drive up to Springs in East Hampton where the only other dog park on the South Fork is located.  The Lola Prentice Dog park is located right in the heart of Southampton Village on Windmill lane next to the police station.  There is free parking right in front of the park and is open from dawn to dusk.

The organizers of the park are looking into to bringing in a water line into the park to install a pump or watering station.  While the park is one open acre – their may be plans to make a section of the park for little dogs.

To see more pictures from the opening day of the park, click here!

The 2nd dog park that opened was this past Saturday, June 21, 2014 in Dix Hills – however it is not a fenced in park but beautiful woodland trails nearly 2-miles at the Dix Hills Park.  Techinically it always had dogs being walked in there, but it is now officially a dog friendly place to walk with your dog.  LI-Dog was on hand for the ribbon cutting as well as officials from the Town of Huntington, and many excited dog owners.  LI-Dog lead a Pack Walk through the trails, gave out maps to anyone who was there to follow along, and information about the park.  To see more pictures from the park opening click here! Contact LI-Dog for more information about the park.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

As sad as I am to write this post, I want to first thank everyone who has reached out to me in the last few days to send their sympathies, tell me how much they loved seeing Max’s smiling face, or how he could play hard to get with them, and how he had a great life.  Over the past 6-months, Max had mast cell tumors that had spread and, while he was going to the vet about every two weeks for months for re-checks and was on all kinds of supplements, herbs, medications – about a week ago his health rapidly started to decline.  On Sunday evening I had to make the decision no pet owner wants to make, but if you have ever owned a pet you just know when the time is to make that decision.  Max was in a lot of distress, could hardly walk, was very lethargic and without getting into too many gross details would not have lived much longer on his own.  I did not think I was going to have to make the descision that soon – but I did not want him to suffer any more for my selfishness of keeping him around longer.  He passed peacefully Sunday evening at the vets office around 9:20ish pm, knew I was there and was actually already sleeping.

I know many of you have gone through this, recently even – and its not easy whether your pet was 3 or nearly 13 (Max would have been 13 on July 1, 2014).  But here’s what I will ask, celebrate your pets life, Max’s life by thinking of all the joy a pet brings to you. Make a donation to a local animal shelter, whether it is monetary, or call and ask what supplies they need.  Volunteer if you can, foster if you can, adopt if you can.

I could literally write a book with all of Max’s antics, (move over Marley!), his personality, crazy silly goofy things he would do.  And while he had his very own personality traits or behaviors if you will, that weren’t always perfect, (I am not a dog owner in denial!), he was however a smiling breed ambassador for American Pit Bull Terriers everywhere.  And he was a good dog, yea he had his quircks, but he was a really good dog. Max loved the water, beach, woods and just loved to run and have fun!  I adopted him from Out of the Pits in October 2001, Halloween weekend – and he brought a ton of joy to my life and many others that knew him.  And as someone just posted on my Facebook wall – we have to thank them because our pets have brought so many friends and amazing people into our lives just by meeting through out pets.

Many of our readers have loved the ‘Where in the World is Max‘ contest over the years – and Max and I had a lot of fun showing up at different places around LI to take his photo.  While you may not know it, he wasn’t that fond of the camera and there were many shots taken to get that shot just right. (Seriously he was a pain in the neck with the camera, would look away a LOT as soon as I pulled the camera or my phone out.  Most of the time I had to trick him to get him to look at me, stinker!)  In our crazy busy world of I will do it tomorrow – stop and take a moment and look at your dog and whatever you were thinking you do tomorrow try to do it today. Take your dog on that adventure, even if it is just a walk through the woods – you will be glad you did.

And if you never owned a Pit Bull, are one of those people who still believe the BS about the breed, in Max’s memory do yourself a favor and get to know the breed – you won’t be disappointed, and you will probably feel just a bit foolish believing all the hype and realizing they are after all, just dogs.  One of the most loyal, fun loving, goofy, athletic and sweetest breeds of dogs you will ever meet.

RIP bud, miss you terribly. Maximus, Max, Stinky Pants, Moo Moo, Stinker, Buddy – July 1, 2001 – June 8, 2014.

See below for a few of probably of hundreds if not thousands of pics of Mr. Max!