From left, Timo, Chypp and Flynn attended the Clinton Township supervisors meeting Wednesday, March 8, to serve as an example of the show dogs that would be trained in a facility planned for the Victory Road Business Park. Timo is a German Shepard who is retired from dog shows; Chypp is a golden retriever who is currently performing; and Flynn, also a golden retriever, is in training. Logan Carney/Special to the Eagle

CLINTON TWP — Dogs will soon come strutting into the Victory Road Business Park.

The canines aren’t coming to fill any possible gaps in the workforce, but instead the pups will visit a proposed dog training center, which was approved by township supervisors Wednesday, March 8, following a public hearing.

The Pan-Drew DTC LLC, a not-for-profit private dog club, will use the center on Victory Road for training show and service dogs. The company has been training dogs for several years without a permanent facility.

The group will primarily focus on the show dogs for events, such as the iconic Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

“We show throughout the United States, several of our dogs have been to Westminster, as well as national championships in obedience,” said Pamela Vartanian, a club spokesperson.

Since the dog training facility will be located in the industrial park, the board needed to approve it, as it is zoned for industrial and not commercial use. The location is the former offices and warehouse of Winfield Resources LLC.

The applicant addressed concerns about several nuisance behaviors, such as jumping and barking, by saying that training will be inside and the teams have passed several tests. Some dogs are being certified for pet therapy and make regular visits to schools and hospitals.

At the meeting, the applicants brought three dogs to demonstrate what type of tricks they were teaching the dogs at the facility. The facility is not described as a doggy day care or boarding kennel, but as a practice, enrichment and preparation center for members of the club.

“It was kind of cute,” said chairperson Kathy Allen of the dogs that performed in front of the board.

Club members are from Butler County, including Wexford, Mars and Cranberry Township. Vartanian mentioned that there’s probably 150 years combined of dog training experience in the club.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to be in Clinton Township and getting our dogs to where we can really be known for an exceptional dog showing coming out of this area,” Vartanian said.

Supervisor William Duncan, left, holds a sign while speaking Wednesday, March 8, at a Clinton Township meeting, while supervisor Kathy Allen, right, listens. Logan Carney/Special to the Eagle

In an effort to encourage more farmland preservation in the area, supervisors also approved eliminating the $25 fee required to put a sign on a preserved piece of farmland.

Vice-chairperson William Duncan mentioned that there are 73 different farms preserved in Butler County and over 70,000 acres of farmland.

“We’re promoting keeping the township as rural as possible,” Duncan said. “A sign that we are preserving farms in Clinton Township shows that we’re keeping it as rural as possible.”

There are currently 11 farms and over 1,000 acres of farmland preserved in Clinton Township. There’s an additional 12th farm likely to be deemed “preserved” this year, according to the supervisors.