Elvis hits the Bark Park

2.6 min readBy Published On: June 6th, 2013Categories: Features2 Comments

By Kennedy

Elvis is my brand new 4 1/2 month old Lab who I have decided must go everywhere with me. While Boston is a relatively dog-friendly city, I have decided to dig deep into Southie and see what she has to offer for the dogophiles in town. First stop, the Bark Park.

We made the trek down the G St hill on a 90 degree Thursday. I was second guessing myself but the Bark Park had shade and water – so we were ready for fun! I’d never taken a dog to a dog park before but I am determined to get Elvis as socialized as I can and the best way I can think of is to put him in a gated area with other pups who all want to run and play. When you have a pup, especially a big Lab who has no concept of personal space, you fear taking them in public as they most certainly will seek out the one non-dog person to jump on, repeatedly. However, at the Bark Park, we are all dog people. And jumping, barking and dog saliva does not bother us.

I stepped into the park and was greeted by a few guys who helped me get started. There are folks on staff there all day who can help, direct you, and love your doggie. At one point one of the gentleman sat down and all the dogs came and sat with him. It was precious, and he genuinely wanted to pet each and every one. The Bark Park has rules, but it makes it a fun day for dogs and their humans alike.

The Bark Park has a drinking fountain for your dog, which is fun for all of them. Elvis, however, decided he’d rather play in it than drink it, which was an embarrassing social faux-pas but we all got over it. There are shaded areas, play areas, a gated area for smaller dogs, and bags for puppy cleanup. Everything you need for a great day of play.

To visit the Bark Park, your dog needs a visible rabies tag, an ID tag with dogs name, owners name and phone number, and a City of Boston dog license . If you don’t have one of these, they are easy enough to get and they are pretty cool looking as well. It’s what all the best-dressed dogs are wearing.

Elvis made all kinds of new friends, I met a few neighbors, and by the time we got home, Elvis was ready for a nap. Come to think of it, so was I.

For more info on the Bark Park : http://www.sbbarkpark.org
For info on City of Boston dog tag : http://www.cityofboston.gov/animalcontrol/regulations/dogapplication.asp

Kennedy is a South Boston resident and morning DJ on Mix 104.1.

2 Comments

Paying Bark Park Member June 10, 2013 at 9:21 pm

The guys that greeted you work for a local dog walking company that uses the park for profit, and a place to run their business. They disregard the maximum of 3 dogs rule, don’t clean up after their dogs because they are too busy chatting with each other and have actually deterred paying members of the park from returning because their dogs get too out of control at times or have attacked other dogs at the park. Did you get the part about people that actually pay the annual membership fee to help with the maintenance and insurance of the park??? Yeah, Not one member of this company has ever paid this membership fee or contributed to the park besides using it recruit new clients or offer daycare/playgroups to existing clientele!
D&D Labrador June 11, 2013 at 12:55 pm

The best thing you could ever do for Elvis was to bring him to the dog park. What great fun and very good for him.
What a great Pet Parent for putting in the time to help jake him a well adjusted pup.
I know he makes his mom and me proud.