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 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.