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!!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

The puptials of Titus & Hailey took place on Sunday, July 14, 2013 at their home in Islip Terrace, NY.  Hundreds of guests from all around LI and even as far away as Texas were in attendance to watch this dynamic duo tie the knot!

Titus sporting a tux and top hat and Hailey a beautiful wedding gown, they had bwides maids too, their 3, four legged sisters, and even a human Best Man and Maid of Honor!

All the lovely wedding decor, gifts and donations wasn’t just for pomp and circumstance, but was a fundraiser for Tuff Tails Animal Rescue group.
There were raffles, vendors, tons of human food (and treats for the pups of course) and evening a wedding cake adorned with, well a Titus & Hailey cake topper.

Titus & Hailey have a big following on faciebutts at Titus likes to say, from all over the country and world and because so many of their fans could not travel to Long Island for the ceremony – it was lived streamed on UStream and they had nearly 1,000 people watching it live!  Here is video that I shot of the ceremony:

After the ceremony, there was a reception of course, and the DJ also announced each bridal party member and of course the bwide and groom too. (It was pretty darn adorabull!)  Hearing roomers this morning that the newly married couple spent the honeymoon suite together, it is a good thing they are both fixed! BOL!! (that’s Bark Out Loud!)  For a lot more PICTURES click here.  Woof!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

This past Sunday, the friends of Sagamore Hill hosted their first ‘Dog Day’ as part of the celebration of National Park Week – it was hosted at the beautiful grounds of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. From 11am until 4pm dog owners romped the grounds, posed for pictures. watched the performances of Jilli Dog, learned about LI Dog and participated inthe ‘dog fur’ contest.  There was also a comfort station for the pups and even yummy dog treats being made on site.

Beautiful grounds to walk with your dog

Sagamore Hill Historic Site was former home of President Teddy Roosevelt and his family willed it to the National Park Service with the condition of always having it be accessible to dog owners too. The Roosevelt’s had many dogs and other animals on the historic site in the sixty years there. It is a treasure, in beautiful Oyster Bay. You may have read that the historic home is under renovation – but the rest of the grounds are open to walk your dog. Also, the museum is open, visitor center as well. If you are looking for somewhere to go with your dog that is different, and a step out of history – head to Sagamore Hill you and your dog will absolutely love it! Scroll down for link to tons of pictures – maybe your dog is in them!

Dogs big and small loving dog days, hanging out in the barn.

Sagamore Hill is located at:
12 Sagamore Hill Road
Oyster Bay, NY 11771

For MORE Pictures click here!

Would love to know your favorite place to walk your dog, leave a comment below!

Gus posing in the flowers at Sagamore Hill!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

UPDATE – see bottom of this post!

Last Friday I went with my friend and fellow LIPP member Ellen Ganci of SnapDog Designs for a walk with our dogs at Belmont Lake State park, and before we even got out of our cars there was a loose, American Eskimo dog speeding across the empty parking lot towards us.  I called the dog over to see if it would come to me, with no apparent owner nearby or person with the dog – but the dog barked and frantically bolted back to the direction where it came from.  We got our dogs out from our cars (Max & Dobby!), and walked away from the direction of where the dog was, equipped with an extra leash just in case she did come over to us.  I kept looking back and the dog was coming in and out of the wooded trail from where she originally came out of and was circling back in that direction.  I said to Ellen, “I hope there isn’t a dead body back there or that it’s owner collapsed in the woods or something.”  As the dog’s behavior was odd – almost Lassie like in the way she kept popping out from the same spot and going back in.  So I called the Town of Babylon Animal Shelter and spoke with their super nice volunteer coordinator Sheryl.  I told her the situation and she said she would send over and Animal Control officer.  Sheryl took my name and number so they could call me back if they couldn’t spot her in the trails.

We proceeded on our walk and before we even finished the first lap around the park, I saw the animal control van going through the parking lot, then wooded trails looking for her.  Ellen said, “That was fast – upstate I wouldn’t even know who to call about a lost dog in the woods – or if anyone would even come to help given the size of the town and personnel to handle it.”  I said, “The town animal control officers down here are usually very good, respond quickly.  I actually some of the Animal Shelter #’s programed into my cell phone – in a just in case emergency.”

When we got over to the parking lot I waved down the van and the Animal Control officer said, she is very skittish and wouldn’t come near me, bolted when she saw me get close.”  I agreed.  He then said, “I will come back with a trap to see if I can get her.” Ellen left, the office left and I took Max for another lap – and didn’t see the dog anywhere. After I left I thought I hope they find her, with Southern State parkway being so close, I was worried she would run out into traffic.

About 45 minutes later in my office, my cell phone rang and it was Sheryl, “Hi, is this Nancy?” Yes I said.  “Nancy we got the dog!”  I think I said, “Holy s**t that was fast, amazing! Thank you for letting me know!” Or something along those lines – so happy they were able to get her – this news made my day.  Sheryl proceeded to tell me that they set a trap by where she was, and she must have been really hungry because she went right in.  Then she told me, she was lactating – and must have recently had puppies.  My heart stopped.  I said, “Maybe that is why she was circling back so much – maybe her puppies are in the woods.  Can you send the AC back to check?”

They went back and a few people along with Sheryl and scoured the woods and didn’t find any puppies. We went back the next day too, and didn’t see anything.  I did go to the shelter to visit the beautiful American Eskimo – and she was very skinny, so she was either loose for a while or had owners and they dumped her there – maybe after her pups were old enough.  I don’t know.

So a simple thing you can do is program all the Town municipal Animal Shelter phone numbers into your cell phone so if this ever happens when you are out and about or on a walk you can call them very quickly.   It’s also helpful if you have a few extra leashes in your car, some extra treats too.  But be very careful approaching a stray or loose dog as they could get scared and run away, bite you or go after your own dog.  It’s best to leave it to the experts – and program the numbers into your phone!  And for your own dogs, be sure you have their dog tags up to date with you cell phone # on it, microchipped and a current picture of your dog just in case he gets loose.

For more information on the American Eskimo call the Town of Babylon Animal Shelter at (631) 643-9270 and her case # ID  13-150.

Here is a list of the town animal shelters & phone #’s now start adding those numbers to your contact lists!

Long Island Town Municipal Shelters:

Town of Babylon Animal Shelter
51 Lamar Street
West Babylon – 11702
631-643-9270

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

My heart broke when I saw Queenie’s picture on Facebook.  I quickly read the caption, and thought she was actually dead from the horrific picture posted – her body being skin and bones.  I couldn’t look more than a few seconds at it, thinking who would ever do something like that to a dog?  Then I thought back to Joey, the 3 month old pit bull puppy who was thrown from a moving car last year, or the little puppy I met a couple years ago who had mangled back legs from being a bait dog for a dog fighting here on Long Island.  Or some of you might even remember Maximus the pit bull who was set on fire and chained up in Brentwood, who later succumb to his unimaginable injuries – his owner went to jail – he could be out by now.  The really sad truth is that these stories come up way to often in our culture, here on Long Island and throughout our country.  I always try to shine a light on those amazing people doing good in the world for pets – who make a difference locally in pet’s and human’s lives.  But seeing Queenie’s picture, made me so sad, sick to my stomach and incredibly mad – there is no longer a reason to remain silent on this issue.

Why does our society continue to let this happen?  We have laws in place against animal abuse – but obviously they are not scary enough consequences for people who are the scum of the earth to not do these things.  We have all read how studies of animal abusers often and most times lead to human abusers – so why isn’t more done to stop these people?

When will our society rise up and demand better solutions for animal abusers?  I am not talking about people who don’t know the best or proper care for their pets that need education on the matter, (that is a whole different topic).  I am talking about demanding more serious consquences for people who do things like they did to Queenie, Joey, Maximus and countless other pets who are killed, tormented and tortured.  Will her owner, once he is caught, get a year or two in jail then released?  Will he get fined, a slap on the wrist?  How will they track this guy from ever owning a pet again?

The fact that Queenie survived and is eating, and walking is a miracle and shows the sheer determination and depth of a dogs will to live and persevere.  Joey too, after months of rehabilitation, he now is doing amazingly well considering his injuries.  That is, as animal lovers what we gravitate towards – how resilient our pets are.

We know there are more good people in the world than bad, especially when it comes to our pets and animals, and many people want to help.  If you can’t directly help Queenie or Guardians of Rescue who stepped in to help save her, there are many great organizations on Long Island that can use additional volunteers, donations.  But the one thing I would ask you to do, is not to look away, not to turn your head – our society often ‘doesn’t want to know’ when it comes to animal abuse or horrible situations like this.  I get it, my first reaction was to not look, but mainly because I am in the pet industry and sadly see things like this more often then not via social media and the press.  But looking away or not wanting to know will not help solve the epidemic of animal abuse.  Think about how you can help make a difference so we start to see less of this.

Show this to your kids and show them how wrong it is and ask them what they think can be done to help turn around lack of respect for our pets, animals and world we share with them.  Call you local politician and demand better punishment for people who abuse animals.  Take a stand and work with local organizations to help protect our animals that depend on us.

Queenie. Photo Credit: Guardians of Rescue

Joey. Photo Credit: Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island (VMCLI)