Bark Rangers is a great program for camping dogs. Photo by Sgt. Taylor White
If your camping dog needs a job, the National Park Service is hiring. Well, not actually hiring, but rather they’re recruiting well-behaved canines to become ambassadors of good behavior in America’s public lands.
It’s no secret that the National Park System discourages pets in the parks, and for good reasons. RVing dogs and other pets are out of their element in these wild and beautiful destinations. A park’s rugged hiking trails can lacerate paw pads, and wild animals can harm a nosy dog without warning.
A program for outdoorsy dogs and their humans
Park authorities know that people love camping with pets, and bringing them on vacation is more popular than ever. Unfortunately, not all people with pets know the safest and smartest ways to take their camping dogs into the outdoors.
Dangerous dog encounters in national parks happen all too often, like this one that occurred in 2019. In this video, a small, off-leash dog tries to wrangle Yellow Yellowstone bison peacefully grazing in a meadow.
Bark Rangers lead the pack in good behavior
To lower the risk of dog and wildlife incidents, National Park System employees in Washington’s Olympic National Park kicked off the first Bark Ranger Program in 2015. Since then the public awareness program for camping dogs has spread to other parks across America.
The Bark Ranger Program is a fun, free program that encourages camping dogs and their people to get to know the park they are visiting. Volunteers learn about pet etiquette and safety in the park’s fragile ecosystems in order to protect it. In return, the dog becomes an official Bark Ranger.
“The main purpose of the Bark Volunteer-In-Parks program is to make contacts with visitors and their pets to help everyone have an enjoyable visit,” explains the National Park Service. “The goal is to increase awareness of positive pet behaviors and reduce the number of non-compliant dog incidents.”
Take the BARK Pledge to become an ambassador
Once you arrive at a participating Bark Ranger park, you’ll discover that a bark is about so much more than just a yappy, happy dog. Those four letters take on a whole new meaning:
Bag your dog’s waste (and pack it out!). Pet waste pollutes entire ecosystems. According to the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, “Across the US, 83 million pet dogs produce 10.6 million tons (that’s 21,200,000,000 pounds) of poop every year, each pound adding excess nutrients to the ecosystem if the waste isn’t disposed of properly.”
Always use a leash. Unleashed dogs are easy targets for protective wildlife, like the Yellowstone bison pictured above. Keep your leash under 6-feet long for the most protection from accidents.
Respect wildlife. Dogs disturb sensitive habitat where wild animals call home. Small animals may become so scared they don’t emerge from their dens. Plus, if your pet is injured in a wildlife attack, help could be hours away.
Know where you can go. Dogs are usually allowed in campgrounds and many paved trails, but most parks don’t allow pets off-road in the outback. And please, never leave your dog unattended in a car or RV to avoid heatstroke.
Collect Bark Ranger Camping Dogs Badges and other swag
The BARK Ranger lesson at Acadia National Park.
Each national park offers a Bark Ranger curriculum that’s unique to that location. Once you and your RV camping dog complete the series of fun lessons and say the pledge, you both become designated ambassadors for good canine behavior in the park.
“As a B.A.R.K. Ranger, I promise to Bag my pet’s waste, Always leash my pet, Respect wildlife, and Know where we can go.”
As a bonus, your pup can even earn a snazzy Bark Ranger merit badge and other swag that’s different at each participating park. Complete a Bark Ranger at different parks around the country and start a collection of merit badges!
Many national parks participate in the Bark Ranger Program. Reach out to the visitor center at your next national park destination to learn more. You can also find more information on their website.
Find national park campgrounds & more
You’ll need a place to stay when scouting out national parks for the Bark Ranger Program. A quick search on RV LIFE Campgrounds will help you find all the campgrounds within the national parks as well as RV parks and other campgrounds nearby. You can also easily plan your route with RV LIFE Trip Wizard and get RV-safe directions with the RV LIFE App.
Rene Agredano and her husband, Jim Nelson, became full-time RVers in 2007 and have been touring the country ever since. In her blog, Rene chronicles the ins and outs of the full-timing life and brings readers along to meet the fascinating people and amazing places they visit on the road. Her road trip adventures are chronicled in her blog at LiveWorkDream.com.
No, No, NO! There are already TOO MANY DOGS in the RV Parks & Life, we certainly do not need the National Parks to promote the flee-bag nuisances, it’s hard enough to find a RV Park to stay at for some peace and QUIET because we have to listen to the constant yapping and barking from the mutts. It is disgusting to see how people rant and rave about animals, (ANIMALS) being a part of their family, NEWS FLASH, they are NOT part of your families, they are ANIMALS, nothing more, nothing less and to a vast numbers of RV’ers, they are a disgusting nuisance and the dog owners are pretty obnoxious because they put them on a leash and walk them to another RV’ers site to let them pee and crap and more times than not, they won’t even pick up after their mutts have crapped on another site! They try to walk them after dark so no one see’s them do it and leave it!
Do us all a favor, abandon the plan to promote dogs, that is a terrible and disgusting idea and it discriminates against the RV’ers that don’t and won’t have animals with them everywhere they go!
I agree there are inconsiderate dog owners, but don’t blame the dog. I’ve met some people that are far more irritating than any dog.
If animals are so repugnant to you, maybe you would be happier staying inside at home, rather than camping in the great outdoors.
I think this is a great idea. Many people camp with their dogs and other animals, and that video shows what a stupid human who lets their dog off leash can have happen. I blame the owner, not the dog. Our dog is well behaved, does not bark, and we don’t leave her alone in the camper. We specifically like to take her with us on hikes, as she loves the exercise. Educating pet owners is a good idea, because obviously many people do not bother to do the right thing with their pets. Our leash has a bag holder on it, so if she poops we have a bag right there to pick it up. Pet owners need to be sensitive to the fact that not everyone wants to be friendly with their pet. Some folks are allergic, some just prefer not to be bothered – and that’s their choice. Just like camping with my dog and my bird is my choice. So long as our choices do not impact or limit someone else’s….. in other words, your freedom ends where mine begins, and vice versa.
I’m sorry you are so disturbed by our pet family. Your correct, good manners should be taught to children, 2 AND 4 legged. There are MANY reasons people have dogs. As companions, as help for depression and anxieties to mention just a few. But again, everyone should be responsible and respectful of others. People either are or are not courteous.
Sir, you too may learn to be a bit more respectful of people’s feelings towards their furry friends. They may just be ANIMALS to you, but it may be all a widow has left at home. Love comes along in more sizes than just 2 feet.