Riverhead's Second Dog Park Opens At Stotzky Park

It was a dog day afternoon in Riverhead Saturday as elected officials and residents turned out to celebrate the opening of the second new dog park, located at Stotzky Park.

For Denise Lucas, who formed the Riverhead Move the Animal Shelter organization just under two years ago to help raise funds for a new town shelter and the new dog parks, the day was a joyful culmination of months of hard work.

"It's amazing," she said. "I'm just so excited."

Lucas said construction is expected to start on the town's new shelter facility, to be located at the Henry Pfeifer Community Center at Enterprise Park at Calverton, by September, with an opening date in December the goal.

"Hopefully, by Christmas we'll have something else to celebrate," Lucas said.

Riverhead Town Councilman George Gabrielsen said the new dog park was one of many positive things happening around town. 

"It's a great day for Riverhead," Gabrielsen, nothing that events such as  Long Island Adventure race at EPCAL and a basketball tournament were also happening Saturday morning.

"You can feel the excitement," Gabrielsen said. 

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said she was thrilled to have a place to bring her pooch, Tilly, while her kids had games at Stotzky Park.

Supervisor Sean Walter thanked Lucas for all of her hard work.

Councilman Jim Wooten said it was important to have a dog park in Riverhead that was centrally located, especially with a large segment of the population in mobile home communities needing a place to exercise their dogs.

Wooten said efforts would be ongoing at the park, and thanked town staffers who'd worked to create the facility.

Also at the event, Lucas' brother, dressed in his dog costume, Neil MacDonald, popped the question to his purrfect love, Camela Dwyer, who was decked out as a cat. 

The kitty accepted the sparkling ring and the happy couple sealed the deal with a kiss. 

Dwyer said they planned to be married soon and said while the ring was magnificent, it wasn't the first MacDonald had given her. "We had bread ties first," she said.

The couple met on a cruise and cemented their love while volunteering with Lucas' Riverhead MTAS organization, always dressed in their dog and cat attire. "We're happy to share our special day with Denise's special day," Dwyer said.

The first dog park opened last year at EPCAL.