The Bark opens near downtown to offer safe, trainer-run indoor dog park and social space for humans
Nearly everyone is getting back into the social rhythm after nearly two years of pandemic restrictions, and that includes your furry companions. Local dog trainer and owner of My Curious Canine, Hanna Harris, experienced a big business boom during lockdown – remember all those pandemic puppies? – and knew expansion was the best and most logical next step.
“The primary purpose [of The Bark] in the beginning was that our positive-reinforcement training was growing so fast that we needed a space to work out of,” she says. “Last year we had a six-to-seven month waiting list for our ‘board and train,’ and now we can work through that so much faster.”
Knoxville may claim itself as one of the most dog-friendly cities in America based on the density of dog parks by area, but still there are limited social establishments where humans can hang out with other humans alongside their dogs. Even fewer of these options are indoor and air-conditioned.
The Bark has nearly 20,000 square feet of play space between the historic 1950s roller rink-turned-post office interior and the shaded and turfed outdoor courtyard. There are picnic tables all over the play areas where humans can enjoy a craft beer or cider or work alongside their dogs on First Friday arts and crafts (yes, there are such activities for the dogs, as well). There is an all-sizes play area, about which Harris adds, “We’re pretty aware small dogs prefer to be on the big-dog side, but we also have a 35-pound-and-under space for smaller dogs.”
There are three private party rooms, single-dog boarding rooms and positive-reinforcement-training appointment rooms. The party spills into the street when Treehouse Coffee Truck stops by on the weekends, when the donut or dog ice cream trucks park outside and when The Bark launches their upcoming Canine Fit Program for dogs and their humans.
You might be wondering: Why should I become a member of a dog park when there are free, open parks all over town?
I ask all dogs in the audience to raise a paw if you’ve ever felt personally victimized at any of the public dog parks. And as a dog owner myself, I never can be sure who we’re going to run into at one of those. It can run the gamut from dogs who haven’t been socialized in a while (or ever) to dogs carrying illnesses and/or lacking vaccines to dogs whose owners think they’re “in control” until their dog has ahold of yours.
Being a member of a park owned and staffed by experienced and licensed trainers means your dog’s vaccines must be current and kept on file. They must pass a behavior evaluation in front of an expert, and they must be wearing a body harness at all times while playing in order to make for easy removal if a dog needs to be extracted from a situation.
“The average dog owner doesn’t know dog behavior or dog language, especially if they have a very good dog and never needed to know it,” says Harris. Consequently, there always are Bark Rangers standing by to monitor the vibe in the play spaces at The Bark and to give any pups who need it a moment to cool off.
Beyond their daily training, doggie daycare and boarding services, you can get involved with The Bark through some of their upcoming social programming:
FURst Friday takes place June 3, and a fun dog craft session will be available for any interested and creative pets. They also have a bubble party planned for the next day. You can keep the brunch vibes going with canned bloody marys and mimosas on the weekends. Down dog yoga will begin teaching yoga again in June, as well.
You can learn more about The Bark on their website, www.thebarkknoxville.com.
