Bios

Gina and Lexi celebrating in style!

Gina (President), and her pup, Lexi, are inaugural members of the park since the founder, Jeff McHugh, and his dog Max, set up a donation jar at Pet N Play (Lexi has a brick dedicated to her that helped make the park a reality)! Gina joined the Board in 2015 to ensure that all owners and their dogs enjoy their visit to the park. It’s your dog’s happy place, and she hopes that it’s your happy place too! 

Audrey and Dally!

Audry (Director/Registrar) and Dally joined the park shortly after moving to NY. We love coming and you’ll see us most afternoons with my daughter Owen. 

Lauren and Bee contemplating important dog park business!

Lauren (Treasurer) joined Friends of Beacon Dog Park during the summer of 2018. Since then, she has visited the park every day with her dog, Bee. She joined the Board in hopes that she could help all dogs and their owners have a fun and safe visit to the park. 

A view from the top!

Christine (Director/Registrar) and Dale joined the dog park in April 2021 after adopting their first dog Miles from Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary (HVARS). As new parents, they appreciate this community of dog lovers who generously share best practices for raising a happy and healthy pup! Christine and Dale enjoy taking Miles on hikes throughout Hudson Valley and spending quality time with Luna – a tuxedo cat – also adopted by HVARS.

Sherry (Vice President) and her husband, Rich, became members of Beacon Dog Park in the spring of 2019, soon after meeting a Treeing Walker Coonhound named Squirrel while volunteering at ARF Beacon. Squirrel was very quickly adopted by Sherry and Rich and renamed Phoebus…like the sun god! Phoebus had a tough couple of years before arriving in Beacon but has now discovered that life can be good after all, that people can be kind, and that the best friends on the planet can be found at Beacon Dog Park!

Mousse’s first attempt at a selfie.

Mike (Facility Director) joined the Beacon Dog Park in 2021 a few months after adopting his first puppy, Mousse. Pretty soon, walks would become Mousse’s second favorite activity unless it included a stop at the dog park. While being active members of the park, Mousse has made many friends and in 2022 Mike joined the Board to help maintain the quality of the park, not only for Mousse, but for all his new furry friends as well.

Chris (Director) – I’ve lived in Southern Dutchess County for over 35 years and have had many dogs as members of my family. I’ve been a volunteer for Puppies Behind Bars for almost 10 years and have fostered dogs for Labs4 Rescue. I currently have a chocolate Lab/ Weimaraner mix named Kali.

Kris and Trixie

Kris (Secretary) and her pup Trixie have been coming to the dog park since 2022. Trixie has made so many friends and has basically come out of her shell since we’ve been taking her to the dog park . When we adopted her she was very skittish and scared of everything. Today she has so many friends that she’s made at the dog park and it is her favorite and my favorite time of the day. My husband and I take her every chance we can get.  

Lauren & Crosby

Lauren (Director), Fiance John and her soul dog Crosby joined the park in the summer of 2022 when they moved to the Hudson Valley area. Crosby first grew up as a city dog in NYC, frequenting dog parks and learning dog part etiquette in Brooklyn and Manhattan before moving to Newport, RI. After sun and sand in Newport, they laid down roots in the Hudson Valley and joined the park eager to make new friends and become more involved in the community. Crosby will be the first one to welcome you into the park with his big golden smile and a very happy tail wag.