On Saturday, May 18, the Long Island Dog Owners’ Association (LI-DOG) held their first “Pack Walk” at San Souci Park in Sayville.

LI-DOG schedules nine Pack Walks a year with approximately half in Nassau and half in Suffolk from March through November, while the weather is conducive to canine enjoyment.

“We focus on dog-friendly parks, obviously. We try to keep a balance between parks in Nassau County and Suffolk; however, because there are many more parks in Suffolk County that are dog-friendly, we have an easier time finding good places for our group on-leash walks here,” said president of LI-DOG, Ginny Munger Kahn.

The parks chosen range from historical and sprawling, dog-friendly former estates like Sands Point Preserve in Nassau County, to the ocean beach at Fire Island National Seashore, which allows on-leash dogs from Labor Day until mid-March.

“Our most recent Pack Walk was at Sans Souci County Park, which is a beautiful, natural park in Sayville. The people and dogs who came seemed to really enjoy the park. We did about 2 miles, which took us about an hour. Our Pack Walks are always on-leash and people must clean up after their dogs. They’re a great fit for our organization, which works to increase access to public parks for people with dogs, as their popularity—they regularly attract 25 to 30 people, and sometimes more—underscores how much people enjoy access to parks with their canine family members,” said Munger Kahn.

Pack Walks do not have a cover charge and all well-behaved and socialized dogs are welcome to join.

Check www.lidog.org for times or their Facebook page. Email lidog_news@yahoo.com to be on the mailing list.