01/15/2025
If you were not able to view the recent article in the Star Gazette, here it is without the pics.
Elmira Star-Gazette
Published 5:07 a.m. ET Jan. 14, 2025 Updated 8:03 a.m. ET Jan. 14, 2025. Jeff Murray.
Sarah Schlueter-Eisman has a big hound dog named Reno that loves to play, and she was always looking for opportunities for him to get some exercise and recreation. But Schlueter-Eisman, who works as a receptionist in a Montour Falls veterinary office, was wary of taking Reno to public dog parks because she wasn't sure how he would react around other dogs. Then she met Susan Neal, who runs a private dog park that's open by reservation only, and only to one dog or group of dogs known to each other at a time.
Neal brings her own dogs to the veterinary office and one day brought in some flyers about Finger Lakes Dog Park, Schlueter-Eisman said, and she realized it was exactly what Reno needed. Now they are regular visitors.
"It sounded incredible, because we really didn't have anything like that around here," she said. "I loved the idea of dog parks, but I always had an underlying fear of a fight breaking out. And our hound Reno can be unpredictable around other dogs, so we'd never taken him," Schlueter-Eisman said. "But a big, private, fenced-in space where he could run and play to his heart's content? It was a dream come true for him and us both."
Neal has a background in working with dogs and other animals. When she and her husband Gary lived in New Hampshire, she raised and showed bullmastiffs, and also operated a boarding, grooming and pet sitting business. One of Neal's bullmastiffs was an amputee and she even wrote a book several years ago, Without Regret: A Handbook for Owners of Canine Amputees."
Neal and her husband eventually got tired of New Hampshire's harsh winters, and were looking for a somewhat more moderate climate. They had friends in Watkins Glen and were familiar with the area, and eventually purchased a small farm on Demunn Road in Beaver Dams. The couple initially raised cattle and hogs but as they got older, they transitioned away from large livestock, leaving some pastureland available for other uses. Neal said she got the idea of a private dog park that required reservations from an app known as Sniffspot (that her sister informed her about).
"The majority of people who find us are looking for a private facility, someone who would like a stress-free or danger-free experience in the park," said Neal, who works as finance manager for Schuyler County Cooperative Extension when she's not overseeing the farm and dog park. "Being dog owners ourselves, we know that a public dog park is not suitable for every dog," Neal said. "Not all dogs — or their owners — care for public parks. Dogs that are shy, elderly, handicapped, reactive, or of a 'prohibited' breed require someplace special."
Finger Lakes Dog Park is fully fenced, and offers amenities such as towels for muddy paws, water and drinking bowls, toys and balls, a large dirt pile with a tunnel, several wood chip piles, large round bales, a doggie fort with a slide, ball pit, and hide-away, and almost a half-acre of lush lawn.
For a $10 fee, dog owners can reserve the park for a half hour, or $15 gets them a full hour. Longer visits are also available. The park is open year-round, with winter hours 8 a.m. until dark.
"The money allows us to upkeep the park area — mow, plow, replace fences. We also added a small restroom," Neal said. "We're always trying to add new features."
Neal is looking to do more than provide safe recreation and exercise for dogs. Her husband works for a Trumansburg landscaping company and does snow plowing during the winter months in Trumansburg and Ithaca. He told his wife he has often seen homeless people in Ithaca with dogs that looked cold, and wondered out loud if there was something that could be done for them. In response, Neal decided to organize a canine winter coat and sweater donation drive during the month of January.
"January is often the coldest month of the year. And no one suffers the freezing temperatures more than the homeless and their beloved dogs," Neal said. "All shapes and sizes of canine coats and sweaters are appreciated, as well as blankets."
All donations will be distributed to homeless dog owners in Ithaca, Watkins Glen, and Elmira, she said.
Anyone who would like to donate coats, sweaters or blankets can drop them off in person or mail them to: Finger Lakes Dog Park, 1312 Demunn Road, Beaver Dams, N.Y. 14812.
Neal has operated the private dog park since 2021, and calls it "the best kept secret in Schuyler County." Neal said she gets customers from all over the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes region, including Corning, Watkins Glen, Elmira and Ithaca, but she would like more people to be aware of the resource. "It really is a labor of love for us, seeing all different dogs enjoying it," Neal said.
Of course, she can count on plenty of repeat business from Schlueter-Eisman and Reno.
"Reno cannot contain his excitement when we're driving there," Schueter-Eisman said. "As soon as we turn onto the road that he knows only leads one place, the frenzied barks resound as he has to announce to the world out the car window where he's going."
For more information about Finger Lakes Dog Park, including how to reserve time and how to support the dog coat donation drive, go to fingerlakesdogpark.com, or look up Finger Lakes Dog Park on Facebook.
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Finger Lakes Dog Park is the first private, by reservation only, recreation area for dogs in the Finger Lakes. Reserve your spot on our website.
