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Mostly Cloudy Dog park in Valley Stream’s future?
Project is getting serious consideration
Valley Stream dog owners could soon have a place where their dogs can run free — beyond their own backyards.
Envision Valley Stream has organized a petition in support of creating a dog park, and Mayor-elect Ed Fare said that he is looking to make this dream a reality. David Sabatino, president of Envision Valley Stream, says about 300 people have already signed the petition.
“It would be very nice to have a space for dogs and the people who own them,” said Sabatino, a dog owner himself. “It’s a place to build community. It’s a place to meet people and enjoy the outdoor space.”
Sabatino said that the idea has been in the works for several months. He noted that dog owners cannot walk their dogs in any village park, on or off a leash.
Valley Stream resident Richard Infield, who is actively involved with the Long Island Dog Owners Group, is hopeful that a dog park in the village can become a reality. Infield, who grew up in England, said he was surprised by the restrictions on dogs when he came to the United States. “In England,” he said, “there isn’t such a thing as a park where you can’t take a dog.”
When Infield and his family got their first dog, Dakota, he had difficulty finding places in Nassau County to take his dog for exercise. There are about a half-dozen dog runs scattered throughout Nassau in county parks, he said, but local towns and villages don’t offer anything. Many, like Valley Stream, don’t allow dogs at all in parks, Infield noted. “Where do these dogs go?” he asked. “It’s not like we have massive backyards over here.”
Infield said in researching dog parks on the Internet, he came across Envision Valley Stream’s campaign for one in the village. He attended an Envision meeting, met Sabatino and expressed his interest in having a dog run built locally.
Sabatino said that a dog park would need to be fenced in, offer dogs room to run and play, have a mix of sunny and shady areas, and have a water source. There would also need to be separate areas for smaller and larger dogs. He said Envision Valley Stream, which has its own insurance, would be interested in helping run the dog park, however it could also be managed by its users.
