{"id":5794,"date":"2025-10-17T13:27:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T13:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/5794\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T13:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T13:27:12","slug":"city-of-reading-celebrates-grand-opening-of-first-ever-dog-park-caramel-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/5794\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Reading Celebrates Grand Opening of First-Ever Dog Park: Caramel &#038; Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From City of Reading<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Eddie Mor\u00e1n, City Council members, and community partners gathered on Monday, July 14, to celebrate the grand opening of Caramel &amp; Friends Dog Park \u2014 the City of Reading\u2019s first official dog park.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117727\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-11.jpeg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-11.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117727\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Located at Schlegel Park, the new dog park is named in honor of Caramel, Mayor Mor\u00e1n\u2019s beloved rescue dog and the first officially recognized dog of the City of Reading. Caramel was rescued in 2009 from an illegal puppy mill through the work of The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Pennsylvania, making her a symbol of compassion, second chances, and the power of community.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117729\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-4.jpeg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-4.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117729\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a special moment not just for me, but for all of Reading,\u201d said Mayor Eddie Mor\u00e1n. \u201cThis park is a tribute to Caramel\u2019s story and a new space for dogs and families across our city to enjoy safely and freely. I\u2019m proud that our city now has a place like this and that it came together under budget.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117730\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-10.jpeg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-10.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117730\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Project details include:<\/p>\n<p>Total cost: $150,593 \u2014 well below the $300,000 budget.Doug Lamb Construction \u2013 concrete pad and sidewalk ($11,780).R. Smith Paving \u2013 court removal, topsoil, walkways ($88,000).ProMax Fencing \u2013 dog park fencing ($50,813).Additional amenities like waste stations, trash cans, and benches were provided by Public Works and Clean City crews.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117728\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-1.jpeg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117728\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>City Council approved the park in April, and several councilmembers attended the ceremony, along with representatives from Humane Pennsylvania, the Animal Rescue League of Berks County, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture\u2019s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117732\" style=\"width:768px;height:auto\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Untitled-design-17-1024x576.jpg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Untitled-design-17-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117732\" style=\"width:768px;height:auto\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Park rules are posted on-site to help keep visitors and pets safe. The City also announced an additional requirement for all dogs entering the park: they must be licensed and vaccinated against rabies, in accordance with state law. \u201cThis park is a gift to the people of Reading,\u201d Mayor Mor\u00e1n added. \u201cIt shows what\u2019s possible when we work together and lead with love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117731\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-2.jpeg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/preview_url-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117731\"  \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From City of Reading Mayor Eddie Mor\u00e1n, City Council members, and community partners gathered on Monday, July 14,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5795,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-5794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}