Downtown Bedford celebrates pets through festival

BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The first week of August is usually known as the “Dog Days” of summer.

Many use the term to describe the high temperatures that the summer months bring. However, Bedford takes the term literally.

On the riverfront of Fort Bedford Park, Downtown Bedford Inc. hosted a small festival to celebrate dogs and the local pet businesses that serve them called the Bedford Dog Days of Summer. Vet clinics, shelters, animal havens, boutiques and doggie daycares came out to promote what they have to offer.

“We wanted to make an event specifically for dogs or pets in general, because people love their pets and animals,” said Lindsay Salas, Main St. manager of Downtown Bedford Inc. “We created this event last year just to kind of bring in that community together because we always do shopping for the local retailers, and we wanted to do an event especially for those businesses as well.”

Along with businesses catering to the canines, a cornhole tournament and a live band were there to keep the owners entertained. Other stands included face painting, balloon art and food stands.

As for the dogs, many enrichment activities were there for them. The most popular was a pool filled with ice gave them a chance to cool down from the heat, along with a small cup of whipped cream with a treat on top.

With dog owners meeting one another, Abby’s Angels Animal Haven and the Bedford County Animal Shelter conversed with the public. They both took the opportunity to find forever homes for dogs in the area.

“It lets them know what all we can do and how we’re helping dogs at the same time,” said Rebecca Hall, a volunteer and Abby’s Angels.

Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters .

One dog took a stroll down the riverfront to be greeted by people. Phillip, a two-year-old dog who garnered interest from some folks at the festival, was shown off.

“I just wanted to get him out there a little and get him around some people,” said Brandon Borischak, board member of the Bedford County Humane Society.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com.