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Robbie and Pippa’s BARK Ranger Adventure

Robbie Bond

Hello! I’m Robbie Bond and I am a Buddy Bison Student Representative for the National Park Trust.  I am also the founder of Kids Speak For Parks, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating kids about the importance of protecting our national parks for future generations. Over the holidays I got an adorable Goldendoodle puppy named Pippa. I wanted to do some research before Pippa and I started taking adventures together on public lands to make sure that we visit the parks responsibly.

I was super excited to learn that the National Park Service has a B.A.R.K Ranger Program! I found that the National Parks Service’s B.A.R.K Ranger program was perfect to learn how to be accountable for your pets in the National Parks. This program is part of the Healthy People Healthy Parks initiative. The B.A.R.K Ranger program focuses on four principles that will improve your experiences with your pet in unfamiliar environments. B.A.R.K. stands for:

  • Bag your pet’s waste
  • Always leash your pet
  • Respect wildlife
  • Know where to go

You can also volunteer with your dog at some national parks to be a B.A.R.K Ranger Ambassador.

B.A.R.K. Ranger Ambassadors

  • Provide Visitors with information about the park
  • Highlight Pet Policies and Pet Safety
  • Help protect the resource

The main purpose of the B.A.R.K ranger volunteer program is to make sure that everyone has fun and stay safe while following the park rules.

This Spring and Summer Pippa and I are going to explore at least 2 Dog Friendly National Parks.

Our first stop will be Olympic National Park (WA), which is where the first B.A.R.K. Ranger Program started in 2015.  I can’t wait to hike with Pippa on the trails that are dog friendly!  Our first stop will be the Kalaloch Ranger Station so Pippa and I can learn where we can enjoy the park together and get her first Bark Ranger Badge and I can earn 3 new Junior Ranger Badges! In addition to the Olympic National Park Junior Ranger Program Badge, kids can also earn their Olympic National Park Ocean Stewards Program badge and their World Heritage Junior Ranger Program badge. 

Next we will head to Arizona to visit Grand Canyon National Park. I look forward to getting my South and North Rim Junior Ranger Bade and my Phantom Rattler Junior Ranger Badge.

Here is a list of all the National Parks, Monuments, and National Historic Sites that are dog friendly and your pet can become a Bark Ranger.  Each park has different rules and regulations so make sure you visit the National Parks website and do some research before you set out on your adventures with your pet!  Buddy Bison says ”explore outdoors, the parks are yours!”  If you are a fourth or fifth grader, make sure you get your free Every Kid Outdoors pass so you can have free access to interior public lands until August 2021! https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm

  • Acadia National Park- Maine
  • Agate Fossil Beds National Monument- Nebraska
  • Biscayne National Park – Florida
  • Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site- North Carolina
  • Castillo De San Marcos National Monument – Florida
  • De Soto National Monument – Florida
  • Devil’s Tower National Monument- Wyoming
  • Fort Mantanzas National Monument- Florida
  • Fort Vancouver National Historic Site- Oregon & Washington
  • Friendship Hill National Historic Site- Pennsylvania
  • Gateway Arch National Park- Missouri
  • George Washington Carver National Monument- Missouri
  • Golden Spike National Historic Park-Utah
  • Grand Canyon National Park- Arizona
  • Gulf Islands National Seashore- Florida & Mississippi
  • Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park- West Virginia
  • Little River Canyon National Preserve- Alabama
  • Minute Man National Historic Park- Massachusetts
  • Montezuma Castle National Monument- Arizona
  • Natchez Trace Parkway- Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee
  • Olympic National Park- Washington
  • Pecos National Historical Park- New Mexico
  • Petersburg National Battlefield- Virginia
  • Petrified Forest National Park- Arizona
  • Redwood National Park- California
  • Sagamore Hill National Historic Site- New York
  • Salem Maritime National Historic Site- Massachusetts
  • San Juan Islands National Park- Washington
  • Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site- Massachusetts
  • Tonto National Monument- Arizona
  • Tuzigoot National Monument- Arizona
  • Vicksburg National Military Park- Mississippi