Bush Central Barkway

The Bush Central Barkway is not like other dog parks. From the start, this dog park was different. The park is in the affluent suburb of Dallas. The city residents realized before the start of the 21st century that they needed a place for their dogs, but there was a lot of foot-dragging over exactly where to put the park. 

People were concerned that the dog park would disrupt local neighborhoods. So the idea kept coming up in city council meetings and kept getting tabled. And then one day, someone came up with the genius idea of placing the park in the open space beneath the President George Bush Turnpike and US 75. 

The dog park was completed in 2015. It's six acres underneath the highway overpass, an area that, in other cities, is often simply dead space. In this case, it's a vibrant dog park, with four separate sections. A large, main section for larger dogs; a section for dogs under 30 pounds; a section for sedentary dogs, such as dogs that are elderly or recovering from surgery; and an area that can be reserved. 

For example, residents can reserve this area for events such as dog adoptions, training classes, and birthday parties. In the midst of these separate dog enclosures, there is a concrete and brick plaza for people. The plaza has picnic tables and vending machines, selling drinks and food for humans. There is a nice bathroom as well. 

The plaza is double gated, like the rest of the park, but owners are required to keep their puppies leashed when they are in this area. Each of the enclosures has its own double gate, poop bags, and drinking fountains for people and their dogs. Each of the enclosures is covered in grass, with areas of sand and gravel. 

In the large enclosure, there are climbing rocks and boulders. The small enclosure does not have anything for climbing but does have a painted, non-functional fire hydrant. The sedentary and the reservation dog enclosures do not have any extras. 

The Bush Center Barkway is a beautiful park in an otherwise unattractive area. The city carefully maintains the park to be sure that it is kept in top shape, but of course, the sounds of the traffic above is always there. By all accounts, it seems to bother people more than the pups. If you can get past that, the park is a great place to spend an afternoon.