Come on in and grab a beer, cider, or seltzer while your dog enjoys Knoxville's best dog park! All breeds and sizes welcome after passing a behavior pre-check.

The Dog Park Play Spaces

The Bark has three different play spaces for your dog to enjoy. The Foothills (1,570 sq ft) and The Sugarlands (2,390 sq ft) are our indoor play spaces. In addition to the indoor dog park space, The Bark has another outdoor play space (5,115 sq ft) called The Camp with features like a foam machine, wadding pool, and sprinkler in the summer.

• The Foothills: (1,570 sq ft, indoor)
• The Sugarlands: (2,390 sq ft, indoor)
• The Camp: (5,115 sq ft, outdoor)

Behavior Evaluation

While all breeds and sizes of dogs are welcome at The Bark, each dog must pass a behavior check before entering. The owner will first be asked to fill out a questionnaire about their dog's play style. This questionnaire asks things like your dog's level experience with other dogs and what their play style might be

The behavior pre-check will start with a questionnaire about your dog's play history at dog parks and doggy daycare and we finish with staff observing your dog's behavior around other dogs. If everything goes well, they will be released into the play space while they are monitored for signs of fear or aggression. A staff member may ask the owner to hang out in one of the leashed areas while their dog settles in.

If a staff member detects innappropriate play behavior, your dog will take a leashed break outside of the play space as needed. After repeated offenses, we ask that you remove your dog from the play space for the day.

Other Requirements

Vaccinations & More: We require all dogs to be vaccinated for rabies, bordetella, and DHLPP. Your dog must also be on canine flea prevention, and dogs over one year of age must be spayed or neutered. We do not permit dog park entry to dogs in heat. Proof of these items must be provided in our online system along with the behavior questionnaire before entry.

Leashes: Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times when entering and exiting the building. Dogs may only be taken off leash in the designated off-leash play areas. We do not offer training and boarding services in the building and its important to remember that not every dog is friendly and wants your dog in their space

Play Behavior: Play among dogs in each play space must be balanced. We want all of the dogs visiting the dog park to have fun. Our staff members will not tolerate any inappropriate biting, mounting, humping, collar grabbing, or distribution of outside toys or treats. Any fighting, biting, excessive barking, or uncontrolled problem behaviors will try to be addressed with the pet owner and if it can't be gotten under control it will result in being asked to head home for the day. While we understand some of these problems behaviors can be play, these types of behaviors can bring stress to the environment when performed in excess and cause dogs to escalate their behavior quickly.

Staff Monitoring: While our Barkrangers will always be monitoring the play spaces, we do ask that you keep a watchful eye on your dog and choose a seating area within view of your dog's play space. We want to make sure all the dogs in the dog park are happy, safe, and comfortable. At the end of the day, no one knows your dog's behavior better than you.

Dismissal: If your dog is showing signs of inappropriate play behavior for the dog park, we may ask you recall your dog away from the situation and make sure they are calm before you release them to continue playing. Repeated offenses of inappropriate behavior (mounting, humping, etc.) are grounds for dismissal for the day. If any inappropriate behavior is deemed aggressive (biting, etc.), your dog might have their behavior pre-check status revoked and be required participate in an applicable training course to improve behavior before being accepted for reentry.