The Bark Park is located at 6794 Webster St. at the corner of Webster St. and Wyse Rd.
-A current dog license is required to use the park.
-Park hours mirror regular Montgomery County Park hours: dawn to dusk.
-Includes canine agility equipment.
-Handicap access.
-Rules and regulations are posted at the Park and available below.
-Encompasses over six acres.
-Next door neighbor to the Animal Resource Center.
The Bark Park was built on a closed landfill and it represents a creative use of land that would otherwise go unused. Originally, the landfill was used to dispose of ash that was generated by the Montgomery County Solid Waste District incinerators when they were in operation. Today, the landfill is closed and is a large hill covered in grass. The large hill is an ideal recreational environment to run your dog.
In keeping with the theme Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, most of the items in the Bark Park are made from recycled products. These recycled plastic items include the agility course, tables, chairs, gazebo, and even the trash cans.
In addition, plastic grocery bags will be reused at the Bark Park as an optional method of waste collection and disposal for dog owners.
Maximum of 3 dogs per adult. Dogs in heat are not permitted. Puppies under 4 months are prohibited, to protect their own health.
Dogs must be currently licensed.
Dogs must be current on their vaccinations.
Leash all dogs while entering and exiting.
Owners must be within eyesight and voice control over their pets at all times.
All children must be monitored and accompanied by a guardian at all times.
Honor the request to leash your dog if they become unruly, aggressive toward other dogs or people, or display mounting behavior.
Supervise and pay attention – this is not the time for you to be chatting it up with a friend, playing on your phone, or reading a book. If you go to the dog park you should be supervising your dog every second they are at the park. You need to make sure your dog is safe from others, and also not getting into trouble.
Don’t let your dog be a bully – just because your dog ‘wants to play’ doesn’t mean your dog is behaving appropriately. If your dog approaches another dog and attempts to play and the other dog doesn’t want to, if your dog continues to try to play and a fight breaks out, that is your fault. Not the other dog. Teaching your dog manners before playing at the park, and then supervising to ensure they behave, is vital.
Make sure you have good recall – it is very important that you have good verbal control of your dog. Your dog should come to you easily when you call them. This prevents dog fights before they start.
Look for signs your dog doesn’t want to be there – if your dog is avoiding the other dogs and is behaving nervously, they may not want any dog friends, and that’s okay. Bring them on days and times that are less busy if you need a place to have that off leash time.
Look for signs your dog should leave – If your dog is tense, staring at another dog, tail is straight up, has hair on their back and at the base of their tail raised, these are all signals that the dog may display aggression. If your dog plays rough, you need to make sure all the dogs are enjoying the play. Look for Lip licking, yawning, panting when not hot, one dog is trying to turn away, or one dog tries to leave the play.
For more information on proper dog park etiquette, check out the Dog Park Etiquette Poster and Before You Go to the Dog Park.