It may look like a Parking Lot Attendants’ booth; in reality, it’s a rest stop for the procession of dogs whose owners walk them on Lake George’s Beach Road.
For more than a quarter century, attendants have been offering treats and fresh water at the entrance of the Lake George Steamboat Company’s Steel Pier. Which, of course, is conveniently located near Dog Beach.
Lake George resident Mike Zilm, who walks his dog Sadie along Beach Road nearly every day, said the brief stop is less a habit than a ritual.
“If we pass by before the booth opens at 8 am, I might take a treat from a cubbie which the Steamboat Company never locks; but the truth is, she’d rather get her treat from the attendants,” he said.
A couple from New Jersey, vacationing in Lake George for the first time, were happy to introduce their cockapoos to this local custom.
“We thought we’d start our first day on Lake George by walking the dogs and then see what comes next,” they said.
A dog named Gracie all but scampered up to attendant Joel Delaire to receive a treat.
“Save something for the other guys, Gracie,” her owner admonished her.
Among those were two dogs who Gracie greeted with obvious affection.
“Gracie is like our dog Boone’s older sister,” said the owners.
According to Joel Delaire, it was Bill Perkins, a retired iron worker from New York and a Vietnam Vet, who began keeping a larder stocked with dog treats and a bowl filled with fresh water for pets,
“He just loved animals. And when our owner, the late Bill Dow, saw what Bill Perkins was doing, he supported him one hundred percent,” said Delaire.
The program is supported not only by the Lake George Steamboat Company but by local residents who contribute funds or donate boxes of dog treats.
“We try to take pretty good care of our dogs because they, too, are part of our community,” said Joel Delaire.
