Free training available for pit bulls, owners
Published: Friday, October 30, 2009
By ARIEL ZANGLA
Freeman staff
KINGSTON — Starting Monday, young people in the city who own pit bulls can take part in a free training program geared at teaching the dogs basic manners and the owners responsibility.
Called “Train-A-Bull,” the program was put together by Merle Borenstein, the owner of the Armadillo Bar & Grill on Abeel Street. She said she wanted to offer the training as a way to keep the dogs in their homes instead of in a shelter where they might not get adopted. Borenstein said many young people are attracted to these dogs but, for many reasons, do not train them.
“The goal is to train these dogs and develop a relationship between the owners and these dogs that will last a lifetime,” Borenstein said. She said the training would teach the dogs basic commands, such as “sit” and “stay,” and show the owners how to handle their canine companions.
Borenstein, who has two Mastiff mix-breed dogs named Tank and Sunny, said she is providing the financial backing for the training program and that Kate Fraser of Kingston is volunteering her time as trainer. Fraser has worked with pit bull-type dogs for 11 years and trains shelter and rescue dogs, Borenstein said.
Additionally, the Clinton Avenue United Methodist Church has agreed to allow the training to take place in its building, Borenstein said. She said she would pay the utility costs for the church and is working under the auspices of the Paws Unlimited Shelter to provide insurance.
Participants in the program will undergo different levels of training and graduation, Borenstein said. She said the training will include opportunities for the dogs and their owners to compete in friendly sports.
Free rabies vaccinations, which will be administered by a volunteer veterinarian, and free spaying and neutering also will be available for owners who desire those services, Borenstein said. She said she also will provide proper collars and leashes and any other materials needed for the training.
Borenstein said all participants who finish the course will receive gift cards or gift certificates.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” Kingston Police Chief Gerald Keller said of the training. He said his department supports the program and believes it is important for both the dogs and their owners, no matter what breed the dog is.
City Dog Warden Shaun MacCreery also supports the program. He said he owns two pit bulls and has four such dogs in the city kennel waiting for adoption. MacCreery said there is an overpopulation of pit bulls in the city, many of which are unlicensed, but that he gets no more complaints about that breed than any other type of dog.
Borenstein said pit bulls have gone from being a family dog to having an undeserved bad reputation.
Keller said his department has not gotten many pit bull complaints, though there was a recent incident in which two boys were bitten by two pit bulls after they entered their relative’s home while she was away. The woman was charged with not having the dogs licensed.
The chief noted there was a movement many years ago by some local officials to ban pit bulls in the city but that an outcry from the public quashed the plan.
Train-A-Bull will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. the next six Mondays at the Clinton Avenue United Methodist Church, which is at 122 Clinton Ave. in Midtown Kingston.
The training is free. To sign up, call (845) 399-6136.
Free training available for pit bulls, owners - The Daily Freeman News: Serving the Hudson Valley since 1871(DailyFreeman.com)
NY-Kingston: Free training available for pit bulls, owners
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