Kansas City: A Pup’s Paradise
"Oh, cabana boy! Bring me another mimosa. I'm absolutely parched!” -Sheldon and Buster (@littlemuttbutts)
Sip a kale smoothie, enjoy a fresh poke bowl for lunch, and watch your dog frolic in the off-leash play area and then cool off with a dip in the splash pool at Kansas City newest off-leash dog park. “A Dog’s Heaven on Earth” is how the new Bar K has been described as during their soft opening for current members. Bar K was successful in their test run at the Bar K Lab in the West Bottoms and they are ready to open up the official 2 acre off - leash dog park on Tuesday, August 14th on the Western Edge of Berkley River Front Park.
Those who have attended the soft opening have nothing but praise of the upgraded Bar K:
“Oliver loved the doggy jungle gym! He likes to dog watch, so we sat on the top deck and he watched the other dogs play as I ate some delicious poke! (@oliver_the_cuddlepup)“Gideon’s favorite part was the splash pool! He found it right away and he’s a typical 1 year old labrador, so he rolled in it and ran all over the place in pure joy! Luckily he didn’t run anyone over because he gets really intense swimmy zoomies!” (@allisonogren)
“Charlie’s favorite part was definitely the little wading pool (and all of the delicious mulch!)” (@charliecooper_kc_golden)
“Sophie just moved to an apartment in KC so Bar K is the perfect place for her to run around. She had never been to an off-leash dog park before, but loved how friendly the dogs and dog watchers were! (@sophies_adventures08)
David Hensley and Leib Dodell left no stone unturned in the planning of the perfect pup paradise. The new Bar K proudly features a Tito’s Splash pool, covered cabanas for the dogs, a Jungle Gym sponsored by Westlake Ace Hardware, and even a dog friendly menu. Dogs have their own divine menu selections including beef stew, chicken risotto, turkey and sweet potato meatballs (developed with Purina nutritionists) and a variety of treats and cookies from Three Dog Bakery. There is even a dog-friendly drink menu, including our Beer Paws beer on tap.
We interviewed a few furry friends to get their opinion on all of the bark-worthy upgrades:
“There’s a pool with a cabana, there’s a jungle gym for dog’s only, and there’s Beer Paws for me to drink while my mom has a beer of her own! I got to check it out early on Media Day and wow! I just want to stay here forever. Believe me, you and your human won’t be disappointed!” -Charlotte (@charlotte.englishbulldog)
“I hate baths, I hate rain. But I couldn’t get enough of the splash pool! What a great way to cool off so that I can go back out and chase more tennis balls! -Ozzie (@everybodylovesozzie)
The list of perks and activities doesn’t stop there! The park has a five sided rock climbing wall designed by ROKC Climbing Gym, an on-site dog salon appropriately named the “Groom-Groom Room”, an outdoor beer garden, a stage (sponsored by Bayer Animal Health), and super-sized games such as Connect 4 and Guess Who? sponsored by KC Crew.
Bar K has a fully trained staff to make sure your experience at the dog park is spectacular. Fowler the Rescue Dog loves that there are wide open spaces to run free and that the staff at Bar K are always on-duty to handle any sort of canine situation.
An annual membership will run $225 for a single dog and $25 for each additional dog in the household. For non-members, there is a $10 day pass for one dog plus $5 for additional dogs. Humans get in for free.
The park will be open every day from 7 AM until 10 PM.
To find out more about BarK and all of their new amenities, visit www.barkdogbar.com
Photo credits: @littlemuttbutts, @jcashforchaos, @itskevinthepug, @willow_the_aussie_kc)