LI-DOG’s “Outstanding Accomplishments” Highlighted in AKC Family Dog
Magazine Charts LI-DOG’s Work to Lift Anti-Dog Laws in Long Island Parks
LI-DOG is excited to announce that the November/December 2022 issue of AKC Family Dog magazine features an article on LI-DOG and the groundbreaking work it has done to lift anti-dog laws and open public parks on Long Island to dog owners and their dogs!
The article notes that when LI-DOG was founded as a nonprofit in 2004, there was only one small dog run on Suffolk County’s 40,000 acres of public parkland and almost all 5,000 acres of Nassau County parks were off limits to dogs, even on-leash. Today, Long Island dog owners have more than three dozen dog parks for off-leash play and thousands of acres of parkland where they can walk their leashed dogs—”thanks to the efforts of a dedicated nonprofit called LI-DOG,” according to the magazine.
Titled “Who Let the Dogs In?”, the article is a case study in how to change public policy through grass roots organizing, partnerships with elected officials, diligent research, and an unwavering determination to lift restrictions on dogs in public parks. The article highlights the important role public education efforts played in the group’s successful outcomes and how LI-DOG Pack Walks™, its popular group on-leash walks, promote responsible dog ownership and build good will for dog owners.
In the article, Sheila Goffe, the American Kennel Club’s Vice President for Government Relations, sums up LI-DOG’s work this way:
“LI-DOG’s outstanding accomplishments are a testament to what local dog owners can achieve when they work together. An important part of [LI-DOG’s] success was their ability to combat negative stereotypes and show that responsible dog owners are an important constituency. Also, their tenacity really paid off. Changing laws can take years and a lot of commitment, but LI-DOG showed it’s worth it.”
To read the full article, go to AKC Family Dog, “Who Let the Dogs In?”
We want to thank AKC Family Dog for the opportunity to tell our story and for their extraordinary endorsement of our work!
