Group Wants to Use Playland Property for Dog Beach

March 31 was the last day of the season that dog owners could let their furry friends run free at Playland Beach. But a group of dedicated dog owners is working to solicit another piece of the Playland property for a "Westchester Dog Beach" that could be used for that same purpose throughout the year.

Naomi Oppman, a Harrison resident who owns two miniature Collies, is spearheading the group, which wants the dog beach to be on a parcel of land at Playland that is across from the parking lot nearest to the Edith Read Sanctuary.

"There are two beaches at Playland that are filled with debris and we want one of those beaches for the dogs to run and play," she said. "It would help the community come together to help clean it up."

Last weekend, Oppman said 15 volunteers collected about 750 signatures in favor of the dog beach. The group is aiming to collect a total of 10,000 signatures through the summer.

Oppman noted that anywhere from 50 to 200 people bring their dogs to run on Playland Beach in the winter, so there is high appeal for a year-round dog beach. She said the group plans to raise money to install fences, trash cans, and benches at the dog beach so there are no costs incurred by the county.

"It made sense to go to the county since we've been using Playland in the winter. If we can get a beach, we'll take whatever Westchester County will give to us," she said. "But we're open to anything."

She said that Westchester does have dog parks in places like Ardsley, Tarrytown, Bedford, Harrison and New Rochelle, but most of those parks are usually open only to residents of those respective municipalities.

With the help of County Legislators Judy Meyers and Marty Rigowski, dog owners have been able to use Playland Beach from mid-October through March 31 for the past five or six years, Oppman said.

Oppman said that the group does not want to impede on Rye residents' use of Rye Town Park, which is open to dog owners to allow their dogs to run without a leash in the mornings year-round from 7 - 9 a.m.

Suki Van Dijk, a Rye resident who manages the Dog Friends of Rye Town Park Facebook page, said that she didn't sign the dog beach petition.

"We've come to a really nice agreement with the city if we're out of the park by 9," she said. "As it is now, it works really well, so I'd hate to mess with that."

Though park officials have established this compromise with dog owners, Bishop Nowotnik, Rye Town Confidential Secretary to the Supervisor, said: "We are one of the most densely people-populated areas in the country. It's extremely difficult to maintain a safe and effective environment for people if you have dogs running around unleashed."

Last fall, an unleashed pitbull , an incident that Van Dijk said forced the Dog Friends of Rye Town Park to disband.

"It just got sort of impossible because we were being asked to take responsibility for every dog in the park," she said. "There's no way for us to police every dog that's there."

Van Dijk said she didn't sign the Westchester Dog Beach petition because it could give the county "an excuse to not let us use the big beach next winter." She also cited concerns about the proposed dog beach's proximity to Edith Read and how a relatively small fenced in space could cause unleashed dogs to exhibit aggression.

"Years ago, I brought my dogs to Washington Square Park's dog park and the dogs were very territorial," she said. "Unless the fenced in area is very large, it leads to fights. The dogs get territorial."

Oppman said, though, that the idea for a Westchester Dog Beach has the support of various veterinarians and animal rescue organizations throughout Westchester.

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