Dog aficionados get together for Humane Society’s second annual Baking Lot Party
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, the parking lot of the Butler County Humane Society hosted the Barking Lot, a party entering its second year.
The Barking Lot featured many interactive activities, like a dunk tank featuring the shelter’s staff members. With the tank, children in 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.
Arlo, a 2-year-old dog who was adopted from the shelter by the Butler Bureau of Fire in 2025, made a trip back to visit his former guardians at the gathering.
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; because 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.
The bigger paw-spective
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.
“It brings everyone into the shelter, but it's also very educational,” she said. Dog wardens were at the lot to emphasize good treatment. “We want kids to see what they can be when they grow up,” said Ulakovic.
The event serves many purposes for the animal protection organization, said Ulakovic.
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,” said Ulakovic. “It's already being super filled up.”
The Humane Society plans to keep scaling up the event by bringing in more vendors and activities, Ulakovic said.
“We're hoping to expand this way beyond what it is now,” she said.
