Pit bull program a doggone success

Of all the dogs Walter Robertson looked at, all it took was a funny face and he was hooked, said Debbie Eaglebarger of Second Chance Pet Rescue and the caretaker of the Corning Animal Shelter.

"Walter wanted a dog for himself, his wife, and his kids," explained Eaglebarger.

There were three things Robertson knew he wanted to do to find that dog - he wanted a dog from a shelter,  a dog that would be great with kids, and he wanted a Pit bull.

"I like the looks of the pit bull but I was very leery about getting one from a shelter, especially with my kids," Robertson said.

After hearing about the Pit Bull Promenade Showcase at the Corning Animal Shelter, a program that works with temperament correct Pit bulls to find them homes, Walter paid us a visit.

"He looked at several dogs, but it was Orson who stole his heart.," Eaglebarger said.

When Robertson arrived at the shelter, Orson was in his favorite postion lying down at the gate in his pen with his face in the gate, make his head go limp, and his lips crinkled around his nose, giving him a goofy smile.

When Walter saw that goofy grin, he clapped his hands, and said, "This is the one"

Eaglebarger explained, "Adopting one of the Pit bulls at the Corning Animal Shelter is not quite as easy as just signing on the dotted line. Walter had to complete a pre-screening application and a home visit was performed."

Following that process the adoption of a Pit bull from the shelter is not final until the dog and new guardian pass the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen test.

"I thought the adoption process was very good," said Robertson. "I was so impressed with the training that had already been done with Orson and the other Pit bulls at the shelter. This was what I was looking for and it was well worth the time I put in to adopt this great dog."

During the home visit, Orson was introduced to the entire family. Time was spent with Robsertson, his wife, and kids on walking Orson on a leash, reinforcing the obedience commands he learned at the shelter, and preparing them for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test.

"It was a good match and Orson was left on a ‘foster to adopt' basis," Eaglebarger said. "In two weeks Orson and his new family would take the test."

Two weeks later, Robertson and Orson took the AKC Canine Good Citizen test and passed with flying colors.

Crush's tale

Steve and Shawna Gullotto had a beautiful blue Pit Bull named Crush (like Orange Crush only Blue Crush). They had heard about the Corning Animal Shelter's free obedience training and AKC Canine Good Citizen testing for Pit bulls in the community.

"They wanted people to know they had a wonderful dog," said Eaglebarger, "and wanted to curtail any discrimination they would receive for having a pit bull. Being good, responsible owners they also wanted to be sure their dog was in control and obedient in public."

Crush's "pet portfolio" was started with his obedience training. For two months the Gullotto's and Crush came to the shelter each week for free training.

"They were sincere in their commitment to their dog, even though some days none of them wanted to come," stated Eaglebarger.

The time came when the Gullotto's and Crush were ready to take the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Both took turns handling Crush and in the end they all three passed.

Having earned a Canine Good Citizen certificate, one will be placed on the Gulloto's wall and the other into Crush's portfolio.

Eaglebarger advises that other items that can be placed in a pet's portfolio are letters from your vet, letters from past landlords, and letters from neighbors. Many insurance companies will insure homes with large dogs or dogs that are discriminated against simply because of their breed if they have an AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate.

Second Chance Pet Rescue offers free obedience and AKC Canine Good Citizen testing to any Pit bull and guardian team.

The AKC Canine Good Citizen Incentive program is made possible through a grant from Animal Farm Foundation www.animalfarmfoundation.org who provides cash incentive to Second Chance Pet Rescue for each pit bull/guardian team that passes the Canine Good Citizen testing and receives and certificate.

The money earned through the CGC Incentive program is used to continue the training of Pit Bull ambassador dogs at the Corning Animal Shelter.

This year, Because of her work at the Corning Animal Shelter, Eaglebarger was named the Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year.

Because of her expertise with training Pit bulls and the Canine Good Citizen testing program, Eaglebarger goes to different areas of the county to train other shelter personnel about the successful program.

Call Eaglebarger at 824-1985, "We'd like to see every pit bull in the  community well trained."

From Pit Bull to Pibble  

Pibbles go through the three ‘R's:
• Rough edges smoothed off
• Rounds of training
• Ready to please

And proceed to the three ‘S's:
• Shaped by obedience training
• Shine by being an ambassador
• Show their temperament as the All-American family pet  

Julie Johnson may be contacted at 824-5474 or jjohnson@tcnpress.com.