Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Oh, the Parks You’ll Roam!

Welcome back Travel Bugs! Hope you all had a fabulous Labor Day weekend. I had a great time with Travel Puppie as we started our first travel series.  In the Travel Puppies series, we will be looking for and experiencing pup-friendly places and activities.  For our first post, how could we not go to some of the best dog parks around Kansas City? Three days of means three parks to visit!

On Saturday, we experienced Bar K Dog Bar for the first time.  I was very impressed!  Having heard a lot about this particular dog park and their pet-watcher, I was a little skeptical, to begin with.  The park itself is open every day from 9am to 10pm and has at least one event scheduled for each day.  The only downfall is it does cost you dog to get in.  Their pricing is $10 for the first dog and $5 for any dog with you after that.  For those who are not used to paying for a dog park, it might seem like a little much, but I believe it is well worth it.  Once you are inside, there are so many fun things for your pup to do! The first thing you see is their large playground and tennis ball bowl.  Not only does the playground have steps and platforms for your pup to climb on, but it also has various funny signs and tug toys for both humans and pups to enjoy.  The tennis ball bowl is full of tennis balls to throw for your pup. There is also a climbing wall for the pups who love to climb. For the humans, there are many places in the off-leash area to sit and enjoy a drink.

There are also multiple yard games to play and a stage for the performers.  If you want some food while you are at Bar K, they have both a leashed area to enjoy with your pups and a "Humans Only" area to eat inside.  The leaded area is two levels that look out onto the off-leash area.  We did take a look at their menu, and they have some great choices for both humans and pups!  While Travel Puppie had a great time roaming around and playing with the tennis balls, there were two things I was impressed with the most.  The first was the fact they regulate how many dogs are in the park. While there is a lot to do, the area is not that spacious.  I appreciate that they understand this and want to make sure all dogs and humans are comfortable.  The second thing, and the thing that impressed me the most is their pet-watchers. Being an over proactive dog mom, I was uneasy with the idea that people would just leave their dogs to sit inside and eat.  I am a firm believer that you need to be paying attention to your dog in a park to help mitigate any issues that can arise.  With that being said, I think Bar K does a great job keeping your pets safe, even when you are there to watch them.  By regulating how many dogs are in the park, they can keep the ratio of dogs to pet-watchers at a level everyone is comfortable with.  When you check-in, the person who lets you in the gate also lets the pet-watchers know your dog is entering, their name, and their breed. In the park, the pet-watchers actually watch the dogs and keep track of body language.  This means they can head off most issues before they get out of hand. We personally saw this last one in action.  While exploring the leashed area, we saw one dog go after another. In a blink of an eye, the pet-watchers were on top of the situation and had it handled.  One pet-watcher went over to the dog (and parents) that was getting bullied, to make sure that they were OK. While another had a firm talking to with the dog that went after the other.  I was very impressed with the way the situation was handled and honestly believe they actually use their "Time-Out" area. Travel Puppie and I will definitely be back! 

Sunday brought us to Travel Puppie’s favorite play to play tennis ball, Leawoof Dog Park! I personally love this park the most.  It is such a large amount of space, but you are still able to see the whole area. While some parks have more room, I do enjoy being able to see Travel Puppie where ever he decides to roam. However, at this park, he only has eyes for the tennis balls.  While I do try to get him to socialize when we first arrive, he immediately is trying to find a tennis ball for me to throw to him.  While the park does not supply tennis balls, there is typically always some laying around to use.  During our time there, you will see Travel Puppie find two tennis balls, one for him to hold and one for me to throw.  I bring our Chuck-It ball launcher to give the ball and Travel Puppie more distance to cover.  We will go back and forth all morning without getting in anyone's way.  The park does have its busy times, but I have never seen it over crowed.  We had a great time, and Travel Puppie was exhausted by the end. 

Our last day of the weekend found us at Shawnee Mission Off-Leash Dog Park.  This place is huge! Even standing at the top of the hill when you come in, you will never be able to see the boundaries of this park. Besides all of the space to play, the other two great features of this park are the pup swim beach and the hiking trail.  The main path of the park leads down to Shawnee Mission Park Lake and has a large area for dogs to go swimming or chase balls into the water.  Many owners use this area to practice water retrieval with their dogs.  However, our favorite part is the hiking trail! This trail leads around the border of the park and has many different types of terrain to cover.  They have grass, dirt, rock, and concrete at various points along the path.  Not only do we get to meet many other pups along the way, but since it is in the park, we also get to walk it off-leash.  Travel Puppie really enjoys this freedom, and I enjoying being able to practice his recall.   

Overall, we had a fantastic weekend at all three parks! With them being also so unique with different opportunities, I would not be able to choose a favorite. All three parks are definitely worth experiencing with your pup when you come to Kansas City! 
This weekend I get to take you all with me on an exhilarating trip to Lexington, KY! Lexington is my home away from home, and I love going back and visiting every year. During this trip, you all get to meet my amazing Travel Buddies and see some amazing places in Lexington.  I can't wait to bring you along! Until next time.
TTFN, ta-ta for now!

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