Barking Lot Pop Up Dog Park

Yes, 5 stars… not because it has great fancy agility training equipment — because it doesn’t — but because sometimes places get 5 stars due to the demand/​need in an area regardless if it has a bunch of whistles and bells. That’s exactly what the Barking Lot is, it’s a simple little dog park. The beauty of it is that it is downtown where virtually no one has any backyard space, so having somewhere to take your dog to run around is nice. This is especially true when it’s 20 degrees out and you want to put your energy towards staying warm and drinking hot cocoa versus walking your dog. That’s exactly what happened to me — it was freezing and I took my foster puppy here to do her business and was so thankful that I was able to just let her run around while I mentally channeled a warm sunny place. It hit me then how lucky downtowners are to have a little dog park.
Like I said it doesn’t have a bunch of features, but it’s decent sized and well fenced. I have only been here in the winter so there isn’t a lot of grass, but the ground always seems well taken care of and leveled after rain causes puddles and holes. It also is always stocked with poop scoop bags and has a nearby trash can. Usually no one is here (perhaps busier in the spring?), but the few people and dogs I’ve encountered here have been exceptionally nice. There are also two benches for people to sit while their dogs run around and it is well-​lit at night!