No. 98: Dog Friendliness

A stroll around town any time of day will illustrate how much dog lovers love Northport. It's a regular daily dog party with owners greeting each other as "Fifi's mom" or "Fido's dad."

The downtown dog party isn't just a boon for dog owners. The village encourages dog owners to walk their dogs in because the canine presence keeps the geese from taking over and leaving their "presents" behind on the manicured lawns.

To keep canine "gifts" off the ground, Northport Village has installed dog-waste bag dispensers in several spots around the waterfront parks. If left on the ground, the doggie doo doo could end up on the bottom of someone's shoe or, worse, in Northport Harbor.

Dogs can be seen in several store windows downtown, although not for sale. Lucy can usually be seen in window whenever owner Lynn Usher is at work. The Bearnese Mountain dog owned by Matt Spirn of the can often be seen in that front window as well. Spirn said that "dogs are not only welcomed but encouraged" in the retail portion of his establishment.

Several businesses including and leave bowls of water and biscuits outside of their store's for four-legged visitors.

Although many feel dogs need to be able to run off their leashes, that is not allowed according to both the village code and the Town of Huntington code, except in designated areas. Violators can be ticketed and fined. No dogs are allowed on the Northport Village Dock, either.

The Town of Huntington opened a 24,000 square foot fenced-in dog run in 2003 at its East Northport Animal Shelter. For more information, call 754-8722.

In addition to Petport, Northport, East Northport and Elwood are also home to almost more than a dozen dog-related retail stores or professionals including supplies, grooming and veterinary care. Search Patch listings here.