Communities across the country will soon have the chance to build or enhance a local dog park, as PetSafe brand prepares to launch its popular Bark for Your Park grant contest. This year, PetSafe will award prizes totaling $125,000 to nine deserving communities.
Since introducing the Bark for Your Park program in 2011, PetSafe has awarded more than $1.65 million to support more than 80 off-leash dog parks in the United States. Beginning May 1, anyone interested in building a new dog park or providing a makeover to an existing park in their area should submit entries at barkforyourpark.com.
To enter your community:
- Confirm that your community has land available for a dog park.
- Contact a local civic leader and request an official letter of support for the dog park project.
- Make a list of ways your community will benefit from a dog park.
- Design a layout for your ideal dog park.
- Gather examples to show why the next big dog park should be in your community; like fundraising events, support from local businesses and more.
“Through our annual grant contest, PetSafe helps local communities make their dog park dreams come true by building and maintaining safe, off-leash spaces that will have a lasting impact for years,” says Celeste Vlok, marketing manager for PetSafe brand. “We encourage communities that have entered Bark for Your Park submissions before to participate again this year and continue their commitment toward making their city a more pet-friendly place.”
The Bark for Your Park submission period will be open from May 1 to June 30, 2022. Entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges and PetSafe will announce 30 finalists to compete in the public contest voting period. Finalists will be chosen on the level of enthusiasm and support for a dog park project within the community and the impact that a dog park project will have on the community.
Following the contest voting period, the four communities with the most votes pursuing a new park will receive $25,000 each, and the five communities with the most votes pursuing improvements to an existing local park will be awarded $5,000 each.
The full grant contest timeline is as follows:
Submission Period: May 1 – June 30, 2022
Finalists Announced: August 1, 2022
Voting Period: August 1-31, 2022
Contest Winners Announced: September 2, 2022
Bark for Your Park grant winners span 40 U.S. states with thousands of stories to tell. PetSafe recently visited 2018 winner, Pensacola, Florida, to highlight the dog park at Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart.
To kick off the 2022 grant contest, PetSafe encourages cities across the country to celebrate National Dog Park Day on May 7. For more information on the program and how to enter your submission, visit barkforyourpark.com.