Dog aficionados get together for Butler County Humane Society’s second annual Barking Lot Party
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Butler Bureau of Fire’s firehouse dog, Arlo, mingled with the guests galore at the humane society’s second annual Barking Lot Party, making friends with both young and old -- and both human and dog -- alike.
The 2-year-old mixed-breed pup, who was adopted by the local fire department last year following a similar event, was somewhat of a celebrity at the Saturday event, which highlights the Butler County Humane Society, encourages people to support the shelter with donations, and offers the public a chance to meet the dogs available for adoption.
The Barking Lot Party featured many interactive activities, like a dunk tank featuring the shelter’s staff members. With the tank, children in the crowd could interact with the staff in an engaging way, said Taelynn Ulakovic, the event specialist with the nonprofit.
Vendors on-site varied in the products and services they offered, but many were pet-centered. For example, at one of the booths, children could honor their deceased pets by planting a pot in their memory. Also, new this year was a bounce house.
An hour into the event, more than 100 attendees had walked in to join the party already, according to Ulakovic.
The humane society also had an open house along with the event, which Ulakovic said was busy all afternoon. The shelter was doing free adoptions over the weekend.
“All you have to do is submit your application for the adoption to be fully covered,” she said.
Among the tents pitched for the event was one for Say It Once Dog Training. Michelle McGraw, who works for the company, trains dogs for shelters like the Butler County Humane Society to help them get adopted.
McGraw said the Barking Lot Party is a good avenue to build a community around a special interest.
“I think it brings a rapport with other people that are committed to dogs,” McGraw said.
The shelter, which is funded entirely by donations, was raising money with a raffle tent at the event.
“Our donation drive is going really well,” Ulakovic said. “It's already being super filled up.”
The humane society plans to keep scaling up the event by bringing in additional vendors and activities in the future, Ulakovic said.
“We're hoping to expand this way beyond what it is now,” she said.
