Santa Clara Fairgrounds officials decide to end dog training classes

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- South Bay dog owners are not happy with a decision to end their use of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds for training classes.

Chris Shaw has taken all six of his dogs for training classes there, with a 2-year-old dog named Jiki being the most recent.

Shaw and hundreds of other dog owners are now facing a dilemma. The management of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds is no longer going to rent them a large building to hold the weekly classes as of January 1, 2016. "Hopes are grim. More and more facilities are being shut down to dogs, so clubs have to look around to many different places," Shaw said.

Classes such as obedience training for puppies and even for developing dogs' sense of smell for hunting have been held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds for 50 years by two separate training groups: Santa Clara Dogs and Town & Country, but change is on the horizon.

This all has to do with a re-evaluation of how the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds could be used in the future. A 190-page consultant's report is going to the board of supervisors Tuesday as a first step.

A public hearing has already been held to get community feedback. A fairgrounds executive told ABC 7 News there's no specific timetable for changes at the facility. However, finding a replacement for the dog classes may be difficult. "During the summer it's OK to have outdoor training, but then when it gets nighttime you really need the extra light to be able to see what you're doing," Shaw said.

Clients say the low cost of the non-profit dog classes are lower than private schools or pet stores and that helps when many of the animals are rescue dogs adopted by owners on low incomes.