Dog days of summer yield new friendships Sayreville park became the place to be on Wed. nights BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent PHOTOS BY ANDREW MILLER staff Sammy (l), a golden retriever, and Kooper, a yellow Lab, begrudgingly share a stick in the dog park at the Julian L. Capik Nature Preserve Sept. 26. SAYREVILLE - Dogs aren't the only ones socializing at the dog park in the Julian L. Capik Nature Preserve. Over the past few months, dozens of strangers have gotten to know one another and turned ordinary Wednesday evenings into special occasions that involve budding friendships, good food and happy pets. It started out with pizza and a popular radio show, thanks to Dennis Pinto and his wife, Kathy, who live in a condominium in Sayreville that does not allow much room for their energetic boxer, Ziggy, to run around. "We were here one Wednesday night and one of the guys had Sirius radio. So we started listening to the 'Wiseguy Show,' " Pinto said. The show bills itself as "a celebration of life, arts and meatballs," and stars Vincent Pastore from "The Sopranos." Pinto has a personal connection to the show - his friendship with John "ChaCha" Ciarcia, known on the air as the unofficial mayor of Little Italy. Above: Dog owners congregate for one last Wednesday evening barbecue at the Nature Preserve. What originated as a small weekly get-together at the dog park turned into a big hit among area residents this summer. Bottom left: Dogs made friends as quickly as their owners. Bottom right: Hershey the chocolate Lab quenches his thirst. "We grew up together. He's from Little Italy and I'm from Greenwich Village. We have known each other for 40 years," Pinto said. The Wednesday night gatherings had been born at the Bordentown Avenue park. "We ordered a couple of pizzas, and the next week more people showed up and started bringing food. It just grew and grew," Pinto said. "At times we have had 60 people here with 40 dogs running around in the park." Soon, an e-mail list had developed, so everyone could know what kind of food to bring. One week had an Italian theme, another was Mexican. Skip Ward, of South Amboy, built a picnic table with two benches to help accommodate the expanding group. "My daughter Tyra used to take horseback riding lessons here. So I would bring Stanley [his Labrador retriever] to the park while I waited for her," Skip said. Tyra, a fifth-grader, marveled over the table her father made during last week's gettogether. "I wrote all the dogs' names on it," she said. Bob Opitz, of BK Handyman Service, said he never knows what to make, so he started bringing the grill and related equipment in his truck. He does all the barbecuing while his two adopted dogs, Max and Stitch, romp around with their four-legged friends. Members of the group have also started to socialize outside the park. Sari Goldberg, of Marlboro, has made play dates for her husky mix, Chloe. She doesn't mind the drive to Sayreville. "I come after work. Everyone is so nice, and she loves it. It's more relaxing than a glass of wine," Goldberg said. About 10 members of the group have even gone to the Poconos together, renting a house and, of course, bringing the dogs. "They all get along," said Shari Evan, of Old Bridge, who owns the biggest dog in the pack, a 2-year-old bloodhound named Jackson. The others who went along laughed as they recalled Jackson howling around 4 a.m., awakening everyone in the house. Last week, on Sept. 26, the group celebrated its last night in the park for the year. "We don't have lighting and it's getting dark, so we can't keep doing this," Kathy Pinto noted. "Because it's the last night, tonight it's the best of the best," said Dennis Pinto, speaking of the food everyone had brought to the table. The group celebrated by having a potluck feast that included calamari, shrimp, mussels, sausage and peppers, kielbasa, ribs, ravioli, chicken parmesan, steak sandwiches, salads and desserts. They all agreed that "the wiseguys," who talk a lot about food on their show, would approve of the meal. "If they don't, then they don't have good taste," Opitz said with a laugh. "We really appreciate Councilman Stanley Drwal of Sayreville for putting in this park," Pinto noted. "We want to give him a lot of thanks." "If he could get us some lights, we'd really appreciate that, too," Kathy added. "It would be great." Though they may not reunite until the spring, each of the new friends has a special memento of their time together. Barry Waldman, who brings his beagle, Joe, to the park, created a DVD with photos of the dogs and owners. As the slide show runs, the theme from "The Sopranos" plays, along with "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog."