Bark In The Park

Mark your calendars,
our 21st annual Bark in the Park will be
on October 21st & 22nd, 2017
at Chesapeake City Park!

About Bark in the Park
This year marks our 21st annual Bark in the Park fundraiser, held in conjunction with Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism. It is Chesapeake Humane’s largest fundraiser of the year and is the city’s most talked about pet event. This two-day event kicks off on Saturday, October 21st at 3pm with our 5K Doggy Dash and one mile Puppy Trot and the Family Fun Fest on Sunday, October 22nd, from 12pm until 5pm at Chesapeake City Park. This is a rain or shine event. The festivities include the popular Radar Run, canine demonstrations and contests, animal rescue/welfare exhibitors, a variety of vendors, food trucks, live entertainment, our popular raffle and loads of fun for both the two- and four-legged members of the family.

We are also pleased to add two new elements to this year’s lineup:
• The World-Famous Disc-Connected K9s – This troupe of talented rescue dogs from Jacksonville, Florida, will perform their high-flying stunts on Saturday (pre-race) and again on Sunday for the Family Fun Fest.
• Pawject Runway – This is our take on the popular TV show ‘Project Runway.’ From Haute Couture to Halloween, this costume parade is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Events & Activities
We’ll have more on this years’ events for you soon!

We’re excited to announce that at this year’s Bark In The Park we’ll be having special performances by The Disc-Connected K-9’s! This group of Frisbee Dogs has 16 world championship finalists & are all rescue dogs!
You can catch their high-flying stunts on Saturday before the race and again on Sunday during the Family Fun Fest!

You can also jam at the races on Saturday with live performances by School of Rock, Norfolk! This rockin’ organization helps youth around the world channel their energy into creative projects, learn something new with instrumental lessons, come out of their shell with live performances, enrich social skills and team building, and connect with like-minded individuals and mentors.

Click on their logo to find out more!
More information on the races can be found below.

We’re also very excited about this year’s children’s tent!
We’re going to have quite a few crafts and activities for the little ones (& young at heart!). Featuring face painting by Vividly Fun, caricatures, and some charming custom temporary tattoos!
Pictured to the left are just a few of the designs that we will have available.

Are you and your pet ready to “Make it work?”
We’re shifting our costume contest this year towards something with a bit more glamour and flare. It’s Pawject Runway!
All animals in any kind of fashion are welcome in this fierce competition. We’ve already got some marvelous prizes locked in place.
More details to come.

Click to enter this year’s raffle!

The Races
Check out the sidebar to the right for details on how to enter! →
Check back for more information as we iron out more details!

Enjoy an afternoon Fall run at Chesapeake City Park where you can run with your canine companion! You can also enter the 5K/1 Mile with or without a dog, in memory of a beloved pet, or in honor of your cat. We are excited to share some details with you about this year’s Bark in the Park 5K Doggy Dash and 1 Mile Puppy Trot!

NEW – this year’s race course features new routes designed to ensure simplicity and fun – check back for updated maps
NEW – medals and ribbons to all human 5K and 1 Mile finishers and ribbons for all furry finishers
NEW – downloadable Couch to 5k schedule
Participants in all races will receive a custom race bib, FREE t-shirt and race bag
Enjoy a pre-race show by the world famous Disc-Connected K-9s
Live music by School of Rock, Norfolk
All race participants will automatically be entered into our raffle; stick around while we draw bib numbers for some awesome prizes and enjoy post-race refreshments by Big Ugly Brewing and Karnage Asada.