Vannie’s Canine Court marks a milestone

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What is considered America’s first pet playground turned 20 on April 14 — or 140 in dog years, as founder Bash Dibra pointed out.

The dog trainer and pet behaviorist launched the 14,000-square-foot Canine Court in Van Cortlandt Park so people and dogs could have a place of their own in the neighborhood.

 “People always have problems with dogs, so my solution with dogs is walk around the track, exercise your dog, do agility exercises, do constructive things. And if you do that, they get exhausted and relax all day, then you come back and have another time to play with them. And that becomes another positive experience. They need to function and people need a place to do it,” Mr. Dibra said.

The area includes various jumps, hurdles, hoops, tunnels and crawl places for large dogs, plus a set just for smaller canines.

Mr. Dibra recently finished renovating the court. The New York City native put the finishing touches of paint on the fence last week.

He has been training dogs for 30 years. He started out working with star pets and colleagues including a trainer for one of the Lassie dogs. When he moved back to New York, Mr. Dibra was soon hired by doctors and celebrities to take care of their pets.

Among his employers: Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. He has been working with the latter for 20 years, training her Border Collie and now her rat terrier.

“I work with the family and the kids to make sure everybody is doing the right thing,” Mr. Dibra explained.

He once trained a timber wolf named Mariah whom Mr. Dibra refers to as his “soul mate.”

“She was my muse, the greatest teacher. She clarified that [in] every dog, there is a wolf. So I always tell people, ‘Think like a dog!’ First train them, then spoil them.”

Mr. Dibra said training a dog has numerous advantages.

“When you have a shy dog, it builds up confidence; when you have an aggressive dog, it builds up control. It’s a win-win situation when you train dogs,” Mr. Dibra said.

When he was a board member of the non-profit Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, Mr. Dibra wanted to give back to the community.

“We decided to promote responsible pet ownership, which means you’re responsible to make sure your dog is healthy, clean, trained and doesn’t have problems,” he said. That’s how he started Canine Court in 1996.

The dog run undergoes renovations every few years thanks to generous clients’ donations.

On Sunday, May 1, Mr. Dibra is inviting all pet owners and their dogs to the Canine Court

Bash Dibra, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Broderick, Van Cortlandt, Alice Guilhamon

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