Bark Indoor Dog Park: Bring the Outdoors Indoors with Fresh Local Brews
By Brandilyn Mitchell
If you frequent the McHenry Village (like I do), you have been watching the building of this exciting little space for a long time wondering, “What exactly is this place? Is that a pint glass in the logo? When will it open?” It’s the Bark Indoor Dog Park, yes it is a pint glass, and it is NOW OPEN! It’s a dog park with beer! Owners Elora Jorgenson and her brother Mike Day worked for over two years to bring this vision to life. Elora has put herself in her customer’s shoes to truly offer something special, and to meet every need you’ll have while visiting. Hand washing stations, bathrooms, beer-it was all thoughtfully curated for you in mind. She and Mike have engineered, sawed, glued, stapled, measured, fandangled, adjusted or painted everything you see in here. A dog and human paradise!
Elora has owned and operated three Sit Means Sit dog training locations and even though training dogs met her intrinsic needs, she felt like something was missing from her work. She was seeing and getting to know all the “troubled” dogs–the dogs who needed help and guidance, the dogs the world calls “bad dogs” even though they truly aren’t-but how could she give back to and love on the entire dog community? Both the “good dogs” and the “bad dogs”? A dog park! 
At Bark, there’s a side for big dogs, and a side for little dogs, both filled with turf, rocks to climb, and playground equipment made especially for furry friends with interchangeable parts. So every time you come, it’ll be different enough to entertain your dog again for hours. There are huge life-like trees with branches to provide that true-to-life park feel, surrounded by picnic seats for fur-parents and fur-siblings to relax and kick back. The walls have a small ledge just perfect for holding your refreshing pints of local beer, so they’ll stay safe and out of reach of doggos while you play. (Nobody wants a spilled beer, that’s a party foul!) 
But what happens if you spill your beer, or your furbaby has an accident? The ground is slightly elevated so that everything ends up in drains quickly and can be hosed down, washed and sanitized every night to keep your pets safe. With specialized antiviral and antibacterial foggers, everything is sanitized nightly. Even the doggie pamper stations!
That’s right, when I said full-service, I meant it! Place your purse or bag in a drawer, grab a smock and get sudsy with your pup with glam shampoo. The water is lukewarm no matter what-you won’t waste water waiting for it to get warm, and if you accidentally hit the faucet, your water won’t burn your pup’s precious skin. Choose between a towel dry or a dryer. 
While the retail section is a place you want to visit to find fun toys, handmade accessories and yummy snacks, the most exciting spot at the park is the BAR! With 8 taps, and a fridge that will be stocked with brews from Last Call, Blaker Brewing, Contentment and more, you won’t want to walk into the dog park empty-handed. They even offer create-your-own seltzer slushies with flavors like mango, mint, strawberry, peach and vanilla. They’ll rotate taps frequently, promising to feature beers from within a 100 mile radius. They even have “pup-beer” which is safe for your furbabies to drink, and plenty of pup safe snacks.
Why build this in Modesto? The family are Modesto natives, and saw a niche they could fill while also doing something they love. This is a completely new concept for Modesto-sure, many breweries allow dogs but they don’t have turf, equipment, life-like trees and buddies to roam around with and chase off a leash. It is time to socialize, and at Bark you can make it a family fun adventure! 
In the future Elora wants to host puppy parties in the private room, as well as pup-friendly beer tastings, tap takeovers and hop classes. You will get all the socialization you crave and that your pup needs. Get a monthly membership for $25 with additional pups for $15. Each membership comes with loyalty points called “bones” to earn you discounts on beer and services. Elora hopes you will find all the happiness you seek at Bark. For more information visit https://www.barkdogparks.com or follow them on Instagram @bark.dogpark. Sip on, friends!
Bark Dog Park in McHenry Village
1700 McHenry Avenue Suite 61, Modesto
