When Sue Nielsen bought her “getaway” condo on Siesta Key in 2004, it was intended to be a refuge from the cold Minnesota winters. As a practicing physician with all of the attendant responsibilities of patients, paperwork and managing people, Sue had an extremely busy lifestyle. Siesta Key became her place to regroup and recharge.
Her traveling companion came to appreciate Sarasota’s welcoming climate and easy-going lifestyle. At 3.8 lbs, Sue’s long-haired Chihuahua, Rico, accompanied her on numerous vacations to Florida.
Together, Rico and Sue checked out all there is to offer on the Suncoast from dog-friendly dining to our local paw parks. After 8 years, the draw to Sarasota became undeniable and in 2012, Sue gave up her demanding job as a doctor and moved to Siesta Key.
“It was a tough decision in many ways but I knew it was the right move for Rico and me,” Nielsen told SarasotaDog.com. Rico’s tiny size presents some unique challenges for his owner. “We have to be careful about everything because he is so small, but also bear in mind that he is still a dog, with all of the typical canine needs to play, explore and socialize. I don’t want to be a helicopter mom” Sue said genially “but we really have to be cognizant of the environment – all of the time!”
In October 2012, Sue joined the Sarasota Dog Meetup group to engage with other dog lovers. She met people who were like-minded and enjoyed spending time with their dogs beyond life on the couch or backyard. By May 2013, in conjunction with Sarasota Dog, Sue launched the “Petite Pups Playgroup” specifically for dogs 12 lbs. and under. 
They meet a couple of times a month to socialize their very small dogs. “The idea is not to be exclusionary” Sue told us “But to provide a worry-free experience for parents of tiny dogs and a fun socialization activity for the pups.” It has been well received by the dog community and Sue has made some important friendships and connections as a result of this endeavor
While the Petite Pups Playgroup is a fun social activity, Sue wanted also to give back to her newly adopted community of Sarasota and the vibrant dog-loving faction of our town. After meeting with officials of the Friends of the Sarasota County Parks, Inc. a new chapter was formed with Sue at the helm, Friends of the Paw Parks. Terry Redman, President of Friends of the Sarasota County Parks told us “FOSCP’s goal is always to raise awareness of our beautiful park system and to get more participants into the park – dogs and volunteers of course! It makes complete sense to have a chapter representing the paw parks – they are an important subset of our park system that enjoys the parks on a regular basis.”
An important goal of the new Friends of the Paw Parks chapter is to ensure that the parks are as safe as possible. Over time, Nielsen will work with FOSCP and County officials to add amenities to the parks like additional water stations, cleaning facilities to wash off dirty dogs and even agility equipment in some parks. “By enhancing our parks and their facilities local Sarasota dog lovers will be excited to visit more often. We’d like for Sarasota to be a national leader in the realm of publically owned dog-friendly parks and draw even more dog loving tourists because of our park system.”
While Sue has been busy with Rico and her efforts to help the community, something else happened to reinforce her positive decision to move to Florida. Just last month her significant other, Ryan Miller proposed and a wedding in the planning stages but will definitely be on Siesta Key Beach, Sue told us. 
She added “Meeting Ryan and sharing our love of the outdoors in this beautiful part of the county has made my transition to Sarasota feel like a fait accompli. Clearly it was meant to be!” Sue is now working online as a physician which allows more time to pursue her passions of volunteering for the benefit animals and the environment.
If you’d like to learn more about the Friends of the Paw Park chapter of FOSCP, please visit this link. Looking for more information about the Paw Parks in general, check the main page of SarasotaDog.com for maps, reviews and the basic amenities at each Paw Park location.
Have an idea that you’d like to share with Sue? Email her [email protected].