For Canine Fitness Month, you might not want to let sleeping dogs lie. Instead, get them off the couch and into play mode. April’s designation is a yearly reminder that regular exercise is important for a pooch’s physical and mental health, just as it is for their humans. Here are three ways to let them roam off leash:
Fido Fitness Club
The Fido Fitness Club offers a pay-by-the-hour 8,000-square-foot indoor park for dogs of all breeds, ages, sizes and temperaments. “We offer a climate-controlled facility,” said co-owner Ellen Adler. “So, if it’s too cold or too hot outside, if it’s raining or there’s inclement weather, your dog is now in a safe, clean environment.”
Dogs are first assessed to make sure they can be placed with other dogs and then individually matched with one of five fenced-in, gated areas, Adler said.
“We do have toys,” usually balls, she said. “We’ll play with them depending on if we have dogs that have any aggression toward toys. You don’t want one dog to be possessive . . . safety first.”
7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, $20 for 90 minutes; $35 for four hours; $55 for full day, 910 Railroad Ave., Suite B, Woodmere; 516-569-3647, fidofitnessclub.com.
West Hills County Park
The dog runs at Melville’s West Hills County Park are so popular that there’s a Facebook group devoted to them with more than 700 members. “They’re always posting in there how much fun the dogs are having,” said Bill Gardner, supervisor of the park, which is more than 800 acres.
There are two enclosed runs with packed-dirt ground, he said.
One is for dogs weighing less than 25 pounds and is about a half-acre, he said. It’s closest to the parking lot on High Hold Drive, east of Round Swamp Road, he said. The other is about an acre and caters to larger dogs, he said. That facility is closest to the Sweet Hollow Road parking lot just north of Old Country Road, he added.
Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, free, Sweet Hollow Road, Melville, 631-854-4423.
East Hampton Town beaches
East Hampton Town’s more than two dozen beaches are among the rare ones on Long Island where dogs can frolic off tether in the water and sand. But the privilege comes with rules.
In season from May 15 to Sept. 15, dogs are allowed to wander with their owners freely before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m., said Heather Miller, a town supervising animal control officer. Owners must clean up after their dogs and keep them under control, she added.
For beach-specific restrictions during other hours, Miller suggested calling her office at the number listed below.
Call ahead for hours; daily beach parking is available for nonresidents at Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett ($50 on weekdays only, excluding holidays) and Kirk Park Beach in Montauk ($35 seven days a week). Nonresident access to most other town beaches is through a $600 annual beach parking permit, 631-324-0085.
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