NYC's First Annual 'Pet Bull Palooza' Celebrates Pit Bulls and Their People

NEW YORK—Best Friends Animal Society today announced that it has teamed up with the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®)  and the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals to host the first-ever “Pet Bull Palooza” festival to celebrate pit bulls, as well as other large-breed, short-haired, muscular mutts and the people who love them. The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Crotona Park, located at Crotona Avenue and Claremont Parkway in the Bronx. 

“Pet Bull Palooza” seeks to promote the positive aspects of pit bull guardianship and to dispel some of the stereotypes about the breed. The event encourages “pit parents” to keep their dogs healthy, safe and out of city shelters through spay/neuter, socialization and training.

“The South Bronx has a large concentration of pit bull terrier-type breeds,” says Jamie Lyn Rubin, Best Friends Animal Society’s program manager for New York City. “While our main goal is to offer free resources and educate pit bull guardians about how they can work with their dogs to become role models for responsible ownership, it’s also about enjoying the festivities and celebrating all the reasons we love our pet “bulls.’”

FREE services for pit bull and pit bull mixes will be available, including:
• Vaccinations.
• Microchips.
• Spay/neuter surgeries.
• Collars, leashes, toys, and treats.
• Training tips.

All participants can enter a free raffle to win a baseball autographed by New York Yankees pitcher and five-time World Series champion Mariano Rivera. More information about the event is available at www.petbullny.com.  

“The ASPCA is very cognizant of the difficulties facing pit bulls in the community, so we’re glad to be able to provide our services to these wonderful dogs for free,” said Kim Harris, special events manager of ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics. “Spay/neuter is so important, which is why our Mobile Clinics always offer free spays and neuters to all pit bulls and pit bull mixes who visit one of our locations. We can be found seven days a week in New York’s five boroughs.”

While pit bulls and pit bull mixes have increased in popularity, so has their presence in local animal shelters. These dogs and their puppies often account for as many as 30 to 50 percent of homeless canines in many communities across the country. Sadly, pit bulls often suffer from misconceptions about their breed, which makes it challenging difficult to place them in loving homes

“As with any dog, pit bull terrier-type dogs who are spayed or neutered, trained, socialized, and treated with love and kindness can be friendly, loyal and affectionate members of the family,” added Rubin. “It’s the person on the other end of the leash who determines how a dog interacts with others.”

Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, emphasizes the importance of spaying or neutering every companion animal. “It’s the responsible thing to do, not only for the health and behavioral benefits for the animal, but also because it reduces the number of unwanted animals entering the shelters,” she said.

Best Friends Animal Society works to help pit bulls through its national campaign, Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dog, which helps dogs who are battling everything from a sensationalized reputation to legislation designed to bring about their extinction. The campaign’s goal is to end discrimination against all dogs–because they are individuals and should be treated as such.

About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a nonprofit, membership organization building no-kill programs and partnerships that will bring about a day when there are No More Homeless Pets.  The society's leading initiatives in animal care and community programs are coordinated from its Kanab, Utah, headquarters, the country's largest no-kill sanctuary.  This work is made possible by the support of a grassroots network of members and community partners across the nation. 

About the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals®
The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, Inc., founded in 2002 and powered by Maddie’s Fund®, The Pet Rescue Foundation, with support from the ASPCA, is a coalition of more than 150 animal rescue groups and shelters working with Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C) to end the killing of healthy and treatable cats and dogs at AC&C shelters. To achieve that goal, the Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, helps its Alliance Participating Organizations (APOs) work to their highest potential to increase pet adoptions and spay/neuter rates, with the goal of transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015. www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org.