We the residents of the Town of Brookhaven wish to petition the Town Board to change Town Park Ordinance 10-15 for ALL Town of Brookhaven public parks and facilities to allow for people to bring their dogs/pets into any public Town Park/Facility within reason. The current Ordinance states that "No person owning or being custodian of any animal shall cause or permit such animal to enter the parks designated as beaches, pools and marinas unless authorized by permit by the Town Board, Trustees or their designated representatives. In all parks, if dogs are permitted by regulation, they shall be kept on a leash." Despite the specified exemptions the overwhelming majority of Town Parks currently Do Not allow any Dogs/Pets even if the park does NOT have a beach, marina or pool. We understand that even a professionally well-trained dog/pet may still have unpredictable behavior at times. Which is why we are requesting that people be allowed to bring their dog/pet into any town park as long as the dog is leashed at all times (except in designated and enclosed dog parks or if it is a certified service/working dog), does not display any violent behavior towards other dogs/pets or people, and that the dogs/pets owner, guardian, custodian or walker shall be responsible for cleaning up after their dog/pet and/or may be held financially or legally responsible for any property damage or personal injuries their dog/pet may have caused intentional or not. So many people already violate the existing Park Ordinance by bringing their dogs/pets into every Town park on a daily basis all year round, often without realizing due to poor signage or lack of signage and is rarely ever enforced and rarely ever causes any significant issues. For many people and families their dogs/pets are considered to be or treated as an actual member of the family and with very few public dog parks scattered throughout the Town why are we denying people the right to enjoy the Town Parks with EVERY member of their family?

MUST BE A RESIDENT OF TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, NEW YORK TO SIGN. Sincerely: The residents of the Town of Brookhaven.