Nassau County lets the dogs out at Eisenhower Park

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The sound of barks and yelps echoed through Field 2 at East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park on Aug. 13 when the splash park was closed off and Nassau County let the dogs out at its first Water Bark.

Although the county’s splash parks officially closed after Labor Day, three were open again last Sunday. Guests brought their dogs to Eisenhower Park, in East Meadow, Cow Meadow Park, in Freeport, and North Woodmere Park, in Valley Stream, for a free day of splashing and playing with their dogs and puppies.

Helen Wu, 37, of Manhasset, brought her two French bulldogs Caeser, 2, and Frenchy, 6, who each donned swim shirts and were not afraid to make a splash. Wu recently moved from Oahu, Hawaii where Frenchy garnered an Instagram presence, at the profile Fancy_le_frenchy, as a surfer dog on the beaches of Waikiki.

“We go to the beach and she hops right on the board and into the waves,” Wu said. Last Sunday, Frenchy cooled off in a fountain of water, while Caeser raced around the park with his new friends.

There was a session for small dogs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a session for medium-sized dogs from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and a session for large dogs from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The county hosted the event in partnership with the North Shore Animal League America, which offered onsite adoptions from its mobile adoption unit. Throughout the day, guests were lined up at the unit to meet the animals up for adoption.

According to Curran, dog adoptions and sales have spike across the county since the pandemic hit. Similar to the housing market, she explained, there has been an increase in demand to take in pets and no shortage of supply. “As an increasing number of residents are turning to new furry friends for entertainment as the pandemic continues, we want to urge everyone to adopt — don’t shop,” she said.

The adoption agency is also hosting its fourth Walk & Wag event, one of its biggest fundraisers, which will take place virtually through Oct. 31. To learn more about participating, visit https://bit.ly/3h1rJvy.