BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — It's a sight the owners of pup Luna have been waiting to see.
"We adopted her a little over a year ago. I don't trust her off the leash at all, so to be able to see her run in here, it's hilarious because she looks like a gazelle," said Kim Hummel.
Luna and her fellow furry friends now have a place to play and roam free in Bloomsburg's first dog park, located between East 13th and Catherine Streets.
"It's been in the works since about 2008, and we're so happy that it's going to be open finally this Saturday," said Bloomsburg Town Council Member Jim Garman.
"We have a 180-by-90 foot area here, and we're hoping to really add some amenities in the future with some future grants, so we're excited," said Town Manager Lisa Dooley.
It's hard to tell who's more excited, the dogs or their owners.
We attached a camera to the collar of Louie, a yellow lab, to see the park through his eyes as he played with his new friend Diesel.
"Oh, it's awesome. He's really having a great time. He'll be tuckered out by the end of the night. He'll sleep good," said Diesel's owner Anthony Silvette.
Mayor Justin Hummel says the response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
"I think that's the best part. It's always frustrating, and you'd like to be doing so much more, and you can't, so these are things that people are really hungry for. I think it's something people look for when they move to a community, so it's nice to be able to offer this."
It took federal funding and community fundraising to get the park up and running.
Cleve Hummel and his wife, parents of the mayor, donated $1,000.
"Because we got our dog over the pandemic, and we were out of town, and the place we were staying had a dog park. It was a great place to meet people, socialize, and the dogs had a place to run and enjoy themselves."
The grand opening of the dog park is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vendors will be on hand with dog toys, treats, and supplies. Oh, and hot dogs for the humans too! The park is then open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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