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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, January 17, 2018
The Dogs of Newburgh
Newburgh Palatine Dog Society features local canines in calendar
By LAUREN BERG
Ken Foster, author of “I’m a Good Dog”, and creator of
the inaugural “Dogs of Newburgh” 2018 calendar, signed
copies of his most recent book at Newburgh Mercantile
this past Saturday, January 13. Foster, previously a
long-time New Orleans resident, moved into Newburgh
over two years ago when he got a job with Animal Care
Centers of NYC. When not writing books on dogs, Foster
works with the city’s animal shelters to offer community
support programs and resources to struggling locals,
who may otherwise have to give up their pets. On the
advice of friends who relocated upstate from Brooklyn,
Foster decided to move into Newburgh.
“Don’t look anywhere other than Newburgh, because
we just did the whole search and this is the place,” Foster
recalls them telling him.
Foster soon realized that the city of Newburgh lacked
an animal shelter, and could use a group of locals
promoting animal welfare. This lead Foster to founding
the Newburgh Palatine Dog Society in late 2016. The non-
profit works to bring together like-minded dog-lovers to
promote responsible dog ownership and support the well-
being of the city’s dogs. The non-profit is named after
the former Palatine Hotel’s mascot “Gypsy,” an iconic
dog who is now featured in the Society’s logo. Part of
the non-profit’s goal is to host fundraisers that raise
money for a spay/neuter fund, a free
microchipping program –
which allows lost pets to be
returned to their owners—
and educational events.
“The philosophy that we
are following is...instead
of waiting, having to treat
an animal that is in trouble
or a stray, and then having
to shelter it, you provide the
information and resources so
people can take proper care of
the animals that are already in
our community,” Foster said.
The non-profit has also hosted
a petition advocating for a dog
park in Newburgh.
“It’s something that builds community in general.
In New York City, there are a million dog parks, but
that wasn’t always the case. They started slowly, and in
Ken Foster, author of “I’m a Good Dog,” and creator of the
inaugural “Dogs of Newburgh” 2018 calendar, signs copies
of his most recent book.
neighborhoods that had crime issues. They put in a dog
park and found that foot traffic lowered the crime rate.
That’s one of the benefits for even non-dog owners,” said
Foster.
As part of the non-profit’s fundraiser initiative, Foster
put
together Newburgh’s inaugural “Dogs of
Newburgh” 2018 calendar, featuring
local canines (and one pig) while
showcasing the city of Newburgh
itself as a great place for dogs. The
calendar even includes Newburgh-
specific dates, such as Newburgh
Illuminated Festival, Liberty
Street Movie Series, and the
birthdates of historic Newburgh-
born artists, actors, and authors.
“I hope we can do it again
next year,” said Foster.
The calendar, photographed
by Todd Cerveris and designed
by Aaron Lown of VUFF, is
available in area stores such as Newburgh
Mercantile, Café Macchiato, and Shapiro’s Furniture
Store, or online at newburghpalatinedogsociety.org/
shop. Proceeds from the calendars go towards funding
Newburgh Palatine Dog Society’s microchipping and
spay/neuter programs.
City water mains break during deep freeze
Continued from page 1
Jason Morris said. “The exercising of the valves on the
water mains under the streets is critical to enable the
shutdown of water mains during breaks, to minimize
impacts to water-supply customers,” he stated Tuesday.
This technology will allow the city to determine which
valves need replacement, he said.
The city was recently awarded $544,745 in funding
from the New York State Department of Health for the
replacement of lead water-service lines. Details of the
lead service-line replacement program will be announced
by the city in the coming months, Morris said.
In April last year, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed
the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, allocating $1.5
billion in grants for local governments to improve water
infrastructure. The city will be “looking at aggressively”
obtaining some of this funding, Vradenburgh said.
I n B rief
City receives funding to
rebuild Civil War monument
A Civil War monument at Downing Park will
be rebuilt thanks to a state grant through the
office of Assemblyman Frank Skartados. The