Shelter trains pit bulls, finds them homes

The rehabilitation of pets at the Brookhaven Town Animal Shelter marked a milestone recently with the first All American Shelter Dog Obedience Graduation Ceremony.

Volunteer trainers worked with shelter volunteers to train 20 pit bulls in the shelter and make them suitable for adoption.

The hard work paid off: Just before the June 11 graduation, 12 of the graduating dogs had been adopted already. One more was adopted at the graduation ceremony.

Town Supervisor Mark Lesko said pit bulls and pit bull mixes account for 95 percent of the approximately 200 dogs at the shelter.

“This program proves how easily they can be trained and how adoptable they are,” he said, thanking the staff and volunteers who made the program possible.

The town shelter has launched programs to enhance the reputation of pit bulls and pit bull mixes, including the Brookhaven Bully Alliance, which encourages other animal rescue groups to help the shelter pit bulls find good homes.

Above: Trigga, a pit bull mix, was up for adoption at the Brookhaven Town Animal Shelter in February.