Tulsa, OK

Tulsans and their best friends showed up Friday for a Media Preview Event at Tulsa’s first official dog park, the Joe Station Bark Park, located at 2279 Charles Page Blvd. The dog park is located in a converted baseball field, with ample adjacent parking and evening lights. Admission is free.

About three dozen animals and their owners were present, ranging in size from a 230-pound mastiff to a tiny 4-pound Yorky.

Some owners exercised their dogs, throwing Frisbees or tennis balls. Other owners lounged in the shade while their dogs roamed and played with other dogs or interacted with other humans. There were plastic swimming pools to cool off in and buckets of water for the canines; cookies and water for the humans. Although the completely fenced dog park has separate areas for large and small dogs, all the dogs roamed in the large dog pen during Friday’s event.

The new dog park was named for the trolley stop previously located nearby along the historic Interurban Line that once connected Tulsa to Sand Springs.

The dog park is a result of a cooperative agreement with the City of Tulsa initiated by the newly-organized Tulsa Dog Park Task Force, chaired by Herb Beattie. The Task Force has considered about 25 sites in the city for their potential to host a dog park. It is anticipated that up to five bark park sites might be operational within two years.

Funding for dog park development will come almost entirely from the private sector. Donations may be made through the Tulsa Community Foundation, Bark Park Fund, 7030 S. Yale, Suite 600, Tulsa, OK 74136. For more information, go to www.tulsabarkpark.com.