About Paws Unite People (open by appointment only) aka PUP

Paws Unite People – PUP – is a New York not-for-profit corporation and 501(c)(3) founded in April 2013, listed at 6A S Jersey Avenue in East Setauket and open by appointment only. Its stated mission is broad: 'We support animals and the people who love them when they need it the most. We assist shelter, abused, and neglected animals in finding their purpose in life through rehabilitation and training.'

Why it is listed as a trainer

Most of PUP's work is rescue and rehabilitation, and an owner should know that before calling. But its Dog Training Help page offers a real service to the public: 'We offer training sessions at a discounted rate for basic obedience as well as more complex cases, for families in need of help.' The behavior problems its volunteers name are the serious ones – bite aggression, fear-based aggression, dominance aggression, separation anxiety and animal-to-animal aggression. For a household on a tight budget facing one of those, an organization that works those cases every day at a discounted rate is a genuinely different option from a commercial behavior consultant.

The center

The rehabilitation center is described as 2,500 sq ft and located in East Patchogue, holding on any given day around 45 adult cats at various stages of rehabilitation, uncrated and 'in their own rooms with tvs and couches'. The same space is used to train therapy animals and to host visits from special-needs adults who work with the cats.

Programs

Three named programs sit behind the training. The 2nd Chance Program fosters, rehabilitates and trains shelter cats and dogs, putting them 'through a rehabilitation and training program' before rehoming, with candidates 'selected by our trainers through evaluation'. The Patriot Program 'trains Veterans to assist shelter dogs in their training as they achieve therapy dog status', with an additional track for veterans coping with PTSD. A humane-education arm runs lectures in schools and youth groups, and a keep-families-together program 'provides assistance to pet families in their time of need so they can stay together'. The organization's stated preference is always to keep a pet in its original home and work with the owner rather than take ownership. Contact is info@pawsunitepeople.com.