Bark in the Park to raise money for abused dogs
BUTLER TWP — Pooches are welcome at an event this weekend that supports their abused and neglected cohorts.
The second annual Bark in the Park will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the area of the Odd Fellows Gazebo in Alameda Park.
Admission is $10 per person without a dog and $20 with a dog.
Proceeds from the event will benefit One Voice for Abused Domestic Animals, the organization that hired Butler County's humane officer a year ago.
Cindy Menell Dimmick, vice president of OVADA, said dog owners can walk with their pets through the event, which will include music, a basket auction and vendors.
Dimmick said since being sworn in last October by Butler County President Judge Thomas Doerr, humane officer Janice Lawniczak has investigated 202 abuse and neglect cases in the county.
Most of those cases involved dogs, but cases on cats, horses, sheep, ducks, goats and cows were also investigated. One case involved 23 rabbits.
“Some of these animals lived their entire lives in horrible conditions,” Dimmick said.
Lawniczak, who carries out her job as humane officer as a volunteer, said one of the worst situations she has responded to occurred in February, when a woman in her late 50s in Slippery Rock Township had about 50 cats and a dog living in filthy conditions.
“We walked in the door, and there was cat feces on every surface,” Lawniczak said. “She thought she was saving these cats.”
The dog lived in the basement in a plywood room, and is now available for adoption at the county humane society, Lawniczak said.
She said the township alerted her to the situation, and after Lawniczak removed 27 cats and another rescue organization retrieved the rest, the woman was given a certain amount of time to return the house to a livable condition.
Some of the cats taken by Lawniczak were put up for adoption at the humane society, but some were so sick they had to be euthanized.
Lawniczak charged the woman, who was upset that she was there to investigate the case, with animal cruelty.
“The animals are our first concern,” said Lawniczak, who puts in about 24 hours per week as the county's volunteer humane officer.
She hopes everyone who has ever loved a pet will come to the Bark in the Park Saturday.
“It's a very organized and well-planned event,” Lawniczak said, “and it's a mission that is sorely needed.”
Dimmick agreed.
“Help us help these animals that have no voice of their own,” Dimmick said, “because their lives matter.”
More information on OVADA or Bark in the Park is available by searching “OVADA” on Facebook or logging onto www.ovadahpo.com.
