Brookhaven shelter woos pit bull adopters

The Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center will give free collars, tags and micro-chipping to any town resident who adopts a pit bull or pit bull-mix Sunday.

The event, which the town has dubbed the first “Pit-A-Palooza,” is an effort to reduce the number of pit bulls at the shelter in Brookhaven hamlet. Town officials have said that pit bulls and pit bull-mixes constitute about 90 percent of the 175 dogs at the shelter.

The event will also promote spaying and neutering of pit bulls, animal shelter director Dori Scofield said in a statement.

“We are trying to get to the root of the problem of homeless pit bulls, which is spaying and neutering and identification. There’s no excuse not to spay/neuter or micro chip if it is provided free,” she said.

Professional dog trainers will attend the event to offer free advice to dog owners, town officials said.

The event will be from noon to 4 p.m. at the animal shelter, at 300 Horseblock Rd.

Pit bull owners who want to have their dogs spayed or neutered must have an appointment and are asked to call 631-286-4953, town officials said.