An annual Auburn event specifically for four-legged friends and their owners is taking place this weekend at Kiesel Park.
The 12th annual Bark in the Park event will kick off with the Tails and Trail 3K at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 16. At the finish line of the run, the first three finishers and the best-dressed pups will receive prizes.
Anyone in the Auburn community can register for Tails and Trails until Friday, March 15, free of charge. Auburn added the 3K to Bark in the Park four years ago as a way for dog owners to celebrate getting active with their tail-wagging friends.
After Tails and Trails, participants are encouraged to spend the rest of their in the park checking out different vendors, enjoying live music, letting their kids participate in fun activities and simply enjoying a leisurely day in the outdoors with others in the community and their beloved pets.
Sarah Cook is Auburn’s Bark in the Park coordinator. She said this event celebrates responsible dog ownership and rescue dogs will be available for adoption.
“We have a lot of different local vets come out to [talk] about their clinic, but we also have them come out and do vaccines, clip nails or different things like that," said Cook. "We have people there that will be giving dog baths, and we have people who make leashes and collars and a little bit of everything. So, it's a really wide variety of different things that are there.”
The City of Auburn partners will the CARE Humane Society to bring adoptable dogs to Bark in the Park. This is a non-profit animal shelter serving the Auburn and Opelika area. The organization’s mission statement declares, “Our mission is to advance humane treatment and responsible ownership of companion animals.”
Cook said that the organization’s goal through Bark in the Park is to raise community awareness and potentially connect dogs with new owners. The shelter offers adoption services and gives people in the community the opportunity to foster dogs in need.
Bark in the Park usually has between 500 and 1,000 people taking part in the event, according to Cook. She said Bark in the Park, as well as Tails and Trails, are unique events for Auburn. Cook said the city does not have other events like this one, so people from all over the community come to share in the fun.
“I think it's a great way to spend your Saturday with your family that is able to include your pets," she said. “There will be good music and a little bit of everything for kids, for dogs and for parents. So, I really recommend that people come out, even if it's for an hour, and spend the day at Kiesel Park at Bark in the Park.”
Cook said Bark in the Park is important for educating people in the community on all that the Auburn area has to offer when it comes to pet ownership.
More on the event can be found here.
