Dan's Papers - April 18, 2008 - Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

On April 19 at 3 p.m. there will be a clean up of the unofficial East Hampton Town dog walking park located on Three Mile Harbor Road in Springs. A large green sign that reads Springs Park marks the road that will lead participants into the fenced location that contains the dog park - a unique area that should be copied in more East End communities.

In 2000 the Town of East Hampton Community Preservation Fund purchased a tract of land known as Springs Nursery, previously owned by Dick Branna. Betsy Ruth, a dog owner and an employee of East Hampton Library, believes it may have been the first tract of land purchased by the fund. The park consists of 42 acres with 20 acres surrounded by fence. Inside the fenced-in area is a mile-long walking oval where on any given day up to 100 people could be exercising their dogs. The park is rectangular shaped and within the perimeters are rows of trees and some shrubs from the nursery, but most of the park is open space.

At first, the park was intended for riding horses but now is a place where owners can let their dogs off the leashes and let them run and exercise without fear of getting lost. Watching dogs run great distances unimpeded is not an unusual sight at the park. One particular chocolate lab named Buddy looked like Secretariat, the great triple-crown horse, when he was in full stride. The beauty of watching the dogs play without fear of being hit by a car or running away is a real treat to the owners. Located every 20 yards are pooper-scoopers, so the owners can easily clean up after the dogs. At the entrance of the park are doggy bags provided by the Town, although most owners bring their own.

This is park is a special ground for dog lovers. Ruth has an unofficial email list that includes about 100 dog owners and serves as a newsletter to the Springs Park dog community. She is one of the major voices in organizing the upcoming cleanup, which is the second one this year. Last time a spirited group of about 40 participated in scouring the park. But the cleanup goes beyond that function, as dog owner and neighbors bond.

A huge tree trunk mounted on a stand donated by Terry Kemper is about six feet long and called the "Dog Log." It was once located at Wiborg Beach in East Hampton where many people use to walk their dogs before the park was established. When a storm moved the log into a precarious spot at the beach, the Town planned to remove it, but Kemper saved the log and moved it to the Springs Park. Over the years, many owners have carved their dogs' names into the log.

Jim Zajac often circles the fenced-in area to check for holes in need of repair, and then fixes them at his own expense. It is just that kind of community.

One dilemma those who frequent the park encounter is the huge potholes on the dirt road leading to the fenced-in area. Betsy Ruth said that Julia Prince, a member of the Town of East Hampton Board, believes this situation will be dealt with in the near future.

During a recent visit to the park, I watched Ruth's lab Belle play with Sarabelle Prince's chocolate labs Molly and Buddy. A chocolate lab named Sergeant and a black lab named Lance soon joined them. In no time the five labs were rambling about like children during school recess.