Dog park mural will be expanded to include 50 more pet portraits

Photos Tom Rivers: Brandi Zavitz is shown last August working on a 32-foot-long mural at Medina Dog Park. She painted portraits of 69 dogs, 3 cats and Orly the Ox (the county’s bicentennial mascot). The mural will get bigger this year with 50 more dog portraits to be added.

MEDINA – The portraits of beloved pets at the Medina Dog Park will be expanded this year to include 50 more dogs.

Brandi Zavitz, a retired art teacher, has agreed to paint more canine companions. People need to pay $150 and send at least two pictures of their dogs, which can be living or deceased. The project is a fundraiser for the Medina Dog Park. The mural also has received funding through GO Art! The grant is less than last year’s amount which is why the portrait fee increased from $100 to $150.

There was an overwhelming response to the mural after it debuted last year. Many people were amazed how Zavitz painted dogs as superheroes with capes, or doing their favorite activities – carrying sticks, playing with balls, eating ice cream or watching a Bills game.

An application to have a pet included on the mural is available on the Friends of Medina Dog Park Facebook page. People can submit photos by May 30 to brandizavitz@gmail.com or text her at 585-798-9780.

In the application, people will be asked to describe their dog’s personality – whether affectionate, goofy, etc., and to note activities the dog enjoys with family.

Kye, Medina’s K9 for nine years, is shown with his super hero cape. He passed away from bone cancer in February 2022. Kye was an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois that served the Medina PD from 2012 to 2021.

Davis and Zavitz wanted a mural to enliven the park. They were talking about it in 2024. Some of the dogs that were regulars at the park had passed away since it opened in September 2020.

Zavitz has painted other murals in the community. She envisioned a mural where she would paint some of those dogs, giving them angel wings. Zavitz has long painted portraits of dogs and she wanted show their personalities and activities they enjoy.

She gave them superhero capes, tutu dresses, a Buffalo Bills jersey and other features to show their character. One dog enjoys sailboat rides so Zavitz painted a sailboat on the mural.

The mural was initially planned to be 24 feet long and would include 50 dogs. But there was a big response last year from the community that Zavitz added another 8-foot-section.

The Medina Dog Park is at fenced-in area on North Gravel Road, next to the village’s former compost plant, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.