Videos to promote Riverhead Town shelter adoptions

Riverhead's animal shelter -- which already brings a dog to town board meetings once a month in an effort to get some publicity and help encourage adoptions -- has started making videos of each dog there, with the goal of getting them out on YouTube, the town website and other online destinations.

“This is a work in progress,” said Riverhead Police Chief David Hagermiller, who has jurisdiction over animal control. “We have a producer and a person who talks about the dogs.”

Robert Johnson, who will do the video production, had to be hired by the town board this past week to get access to town property to do the work. But, because he will not be paid, he was not hired as an employee but as a consultant “at no cost to the town,” according to the resolution, approved 4-0, by the town board.

Johnson’s first video, “Adopt Chester,” shows a pit bull mixed-breed dog drinking, playing in his run and digging a hole in the dirt. “He’s gonna roll in it and get nice and dirty,” explains dog trainer Gina Rizzo on the video.

Chester is about 2 years old, and has been living at the shelter since April 2010, Rizzo said.

Photo: Riverhead Town Hall