ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — An Adams County Girl Scout recently opened up a dog park in her community.
It's helping meet a need for the area's four-legged friends.
"This is just a place for dogs to run around, and the community really loves it," Greta Haley said.
Four-legged friends now have a safe place to play at East Berlin Community Park.
The Girl Scout created the Barking Lot as part of her Gold Award, where scouts are told to identify a problem within their community and find a solution.
"There were a bunch of dogs in the main park across the woods over there, and people would let their dogs off the leash and potentially harm other people," Haley said. "And so I wanted to create a dog park where dogs can run around specifically without the risk of hurting other people."
The Barking Lot officially opened its gates in June, and Haley says it's been a labor of love.
"It took about eight months for this whole process to go through, especially because it was through the government; a lot of processes that come with it," Haley said. "So seeing it finally completed brings me a lot of joy."
The Bermudian Springs grad says the $20,000 project was funded through grants and donations.
It includes two separate fenced-in spaces, one area for large dogs and another for small dogs.
Haley says providing a safe space for dogs to play, just like her own dog Dublin, gives her and other dog owners peace of mind.
And she says her experience as a Girl Scout gave her the confidence to make it happen.
"Girl Scouts is there to teach girls how to be leaders, how to find themselves, their passions and creativity, and that's what it's helped me to do," Haley said.
She says in the future she'd like to add some trees for shade and benches for dog owners.
The easiest way for you and your four-legged friend to get to the park is by walking through the trail in the East Berlin Community Park, Haley said.