Playful Dog Fountain With a Golden Bone Captivates Mount Vernon, Ohio
An unexpected fountain in Mount Vernon, Ohio, features painted cast-aluminum dogs, a cat, a pony, birds and an apple gathered around a golden bone. The project was inspired by a similar fountain in Toronto's Berczy Park.
In the heart of South Main Plaza in Mount Vernon, Ohio, an unlikely menagerie has taken up residence. A fountain crowded with painted cast-aluminum dogs also includes a cat, a pony, two pairs of birds and, inexplicably, an apple. At the center sits a golden bone, while the cat—smart enough to know better—keeps itself perched safely out of the water spray.
The story began when Gambier resident Phil Samuell saw photos online of a similar dog fountain in Toronto's Berczy Park, designed by landscape architect Claude Cormier. He liked it so much that he and his wife, Mary, and their golden retriever, Sandy, traveled to Toronto to meet Cormier and see the original in person. That visit sparked the idea of bringing a similar fountain home to Ohio.
The fountain does not take itself too seriously. It is simply a bunch of dogs—plus a cat, a pony, some birds, and that apple—caught mid-splash around a large golden bone. It has become the kind of spot where people linger, trying to spot every animal hiding in the water. The result is a deliberately playful public artwork that adds a whimsical touch to the plaza.
