Dog's Excellent Beach Adventure!

This week's big adventure was a trip to dog friendly Gardiner County Park and Beach in Bay Shore, Long Island.  Bay Shore is also the town where you can take the ferry boats to Fire Island.  We love Gardiner's, it's a beautiful neighborhood park that allows dogs.  It's a real hidden gem for dog lovers on Long Island!

We're Off on an Adventure!

The park itself is lovely, with an open grassy field and several short trails to walk along, but the real draw of Gardiner Park for dogs and their people is the fabulous dog friendly beach at the end of it! 

DOG FRIENDLY BELMONT LAKE STATE PARK, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK

There are so many fun activities to do with dogs!  We love taking the dogs to dog friendly parks and beaches on Long Island, New York.  There aren't many dog friendly parks and beaches on Long Island, I could never figure out why. There are some, but there are more dog friendly beaches and parks in Suffolk County, the Eastern half of Long Island, than there are in Nassau County.  

Icy exploring the rocks and a little waterfall around the lake at Belmont Lake State Park

DOG FRIENDLY BELMONT LAKE STATE PARK IN LONG ISLAND, NY

A really nice Long Island state park that allows dogs is 463-acre Belmont Lake State Park.  Like so many of NY's state parks, it was once a mansion and estate owned by a wealthy family, the Belmont's, in the later 1800's - early 1900's.  This park was formerly part of the family owned thoroughbred horse farm. The farm was owned by August Belmont, the namesake of the Belmont Stakes!

It's such a beautiful park, I'm so happy to have it available for public use. I'm even happier that Belmont Lake State Park allows well behaved, leashed dogs in the park!  The lake and walking/hiking paths are so lovely, we really enjoy it. It's open all year round, too.

A PIECE OF HISTORY AT BELMONT STATE PARK

CANNON BAAALL!!  OK, SO THAT'S REALLY FOR THE POOL, BUT THIS IS AN ACTUAL CANNON.  The Belmont Lake State Park Cannons have been there since the park was a privately owned mansion, owned by the Belmont family.

"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY, AND THEY ARE OURS....." - OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, COMMANDER OF THE AMERICAN FLEET,  September,1813

The quote captioned above is excerpted from one of the most famous quotes in military history.  I know what you're thinking, Hey!!  That quote is wrong, it's supposed to be We Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us.... but that was actually the original quote paraphrased  by a 1970 Cartoonist, for an Earth Day poster.  Actually, I think many people would agree that his version of the quote probably belongs on a photo of a globe, since it was Earth Day.

BEAUTIFUL NATURAL SURROUNDINGS & HIKING TRAILS

CHECK OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL TREE, DON'T YOU THINK IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT HALLOWEEN TREE?  OR PERHAPS THE KEEBLER ELVES LIVE IN IT??  OR MAYBE A HOBBIT?!

I shall guard the tree in case the elves or some hobbit try to escape and wreak havoc throughout the park!

Phoebe and I stop along the bridge to watch the ducks play in the stream

The ducks were so cute!  There's 4 of them, it's funny but the two in front almost look like alligators, don't they?  But it's the back tail end of two of the ducks, LOL!  No gators on Long Island!

A GOOD SOCIALIZATION OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR DOG!

Parks make for great socialization opportunities for dogs, as long as both are leashed and they both want to meet.  Phoebe met this cute little boy, I think she was kinda smitten!

When you take your pets out for a fun adventure, make sure to Hydrate and Keep Your Pet Safe!

Summer and Fall are prime times for flea and tick activity, be sure to protect your dog against flea and tickborne diseases like Anaplasmosis (Tick Fever)!

Have you been to any great dog friendly parks?  Leave us a comment and tell us about it!