Plainfield Bark Park

The town of Plainfield, Indiana, outside of Indianapolis, is a small town of fewer than 30,000 people, but it has a lot of civic pride. You can see it in the lovely landscaping at City Hall, the festive seasonal displays on the trees downtown and the beautiful parks in the town, including a very nice dog park. The Plainfield Bark Park is a very nice place. 

The main section of the park, for all dogs, is nicely sized at over one acre. It's covered in grass, which makes it fun to run and play on. There are plenty of benches for people, there are poop bags and fountains for both people and puppies, and there is even some agility equipment; namely, a large, metal pipe for dogs to run through, a couple of concrete blocks to jump on, and a wooden ramp with steps. 

So this is a park that has a lot going on. There's a section for smaller dogs, weighing less than 30 pounds, which is always a good thing because let's face it, big dogs often don't know their own strength and the little guys often have the heart of a Rottweiler in the body of a Yorkie. So giving the little guys their own place is a good thing. 

And Plainfield has made a good place for them. The small dog section is about half the size of the mail section, and also covered in grass. It's got poop bags and water, and even a mini non-functioning fire hydrant for inspiration. Probably the best feature of the Plainfield Bark Park is the fact that the park is only open to members. 

There is sliding scale fees depending on whether you're a resident of Plainfield or not and if you belong to the Rec center. The fee ranges from $20 to $40 a year. In order to get access to the park, members have to show current vaccination records. This is good because it means that dog owners don't have to worry so much about communicable diseases, and an extra layer of security and safety is always good.