Pit Bull Adoption Fee Waived For Awareness Month

There won't be an adoption fee for pit bulls, like 2-year-old Holly, at Huntington Animal Shelter during the month of October as part of National Pit Bull Awareness Month. Long Islander News photo/Janee Law

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

Holly, a 2-year-old pit bull up for adoption at the Huntington Animal Shelter, is a playful, friendly and loving dog, and is one of several pit bulls and pit bull mixes whose adoption fee will be waived throughout October as part of the town’s participation in National Pit Bull Awareness Month.

Starting this Sunday, the typical $95 adoption fee, which includes a rabies vaccination, will be waived for seized pit bulls and pit bull mixes adopted from the Town of Huntington Animal Shelter at 106 Deposit Road, East Northport.

In addition, the Huntington Town Board has agreed to have the North Shore Veterinary Hospital conduct a free spaying and neutering program for pit bulls and pit bull mixes owned by town residents. In order to get a voucher for the spay or neuter service, owners must have an up to date rabies shot and a license for their dog.

Mike Costa, supervising animal control officer, said for those looking to adopt a pit bull or pit bull mix, the only fee associated with the adoption is the licensing fee for $8.50. Services included with a typical adoption process, such as spaying, neutering, rabies vaccination, blood work and micro-chipping, will still be provided to dogs when adopted.

The purpose of the adoption waiver is to prevent overcrowding at the shelter and to spread awareness of the breed; meanwhile the free spay and neuter services to pit bulls and pit bull mixes owned by town residents is to promote health, safety and welfare of the community.

There were a total of 16 dogs at the shelter on Wednesday, and 11 of them were pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Eight of them are currently available for adoption, including Wilber, a four-year-old pit bull mix; Trooper, a 3.5-year-old pit bull; Tango, a 1-year-old pit bull-Labrador mix; Noah, a 7-year-old pit bull-Labrador mix; and Carmella, a 3-year-old pit bull.

The other three are currently on stray hold, and could become available for adoption if they aren’t soon claimed by their owner.

Costa said all dogs at the shelter are part of a socialization program, through which they’re assessed medically and evaluated for personality.

“We know if the dogs will be well suited for homes with children, for elderly owners, or if they’d be good for active people,” Costa said. “We assess our dogs quite intensively, such as blood work, behavior modification, dog socialization, and basic obedience training, so we have a really good idea of where these dogs will be placed best.”

Last year, six dogs, including five pit bulls and a shepherd-Akita mix, were put up for adoption for National Pit Bull Awareness Month. Costa said four of those six dogs found a forever home through the program.

“They’re a very loyal breed, they tend to do very well on their assessments as a breed and they really deserve some focus for advocacy because there is a stigma against them and when they’re in the shelter they do get overlooked,” Costa said.

The shelter began participating in National Pit Bull Awareness Month in 2010 as a means to raise awareness about the pit bull breed.

“The town promoting pit bull awareness month is to speak out for a breed that is largely stereotyped,” Costa said. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there including websites that just propagates false information about them. “If [the program] gets somebody in the door and gets them educated on the breed then it’s successful.”

For more information, call the shelter at 631-754-8722.