LANCASTER, N.Y. — Dogs didn’t seem to mind one bit that Saturday’s weather in Lancaster was a little gloomy. They were far too busy enjoying their new dog park in a place that has worked to become dog friendly.

“We feel that the dog park is going to bring a lot of people into Lancaster who normally don’t come into Lancaster on a regular basis,” said Mary St. Mary of Lancaster Unleashed. “We’d like them to realize there are many pet-friendly vendors and restaurants in the village. So we’d like them to hopefully, if they’re coming here, to wear their dogs out that they can do some pet-friendly shopping in the village.”

What You Need To Know

  • Bark Park opened on Saturday in Lancaster

  • The goal is to draw people into Lancaster

  • Everyone present was a dog lover, including artist Casey Milbrand, who created a mural reading, “Did you say dog park?”

She says that it took six years of hard work and fundraising to create a state-of-the-art dog park, but many pet owners agree the wait was worth it. This weekend marked the grand opening of the Como Lake Bark Park.

Everyone present was a dog lover, including artist Casey Milbrand, who created a mural reading, “Did you say dog park?” The sentiment has special meaning.

 “I came up with the concept because my dog growing up, she used to tilt her head every time I’d say, ‘do you want to go to the dog park?’” Milbrand said. “Kind of like, ‘did you say dog park?’ I have three rescue dogs of my own. So I really wanted to create something that was for dogs from their point of view.”

That way, when owners bring their dogs to Bark Park, they can snap a picture of them in front of the mural, share it to social media, and encourage others to stop by. Though the park is meant to be a fun place for dogs, it’s also meant to draw people to Lancaster.