by Katijane Shoffner

The leash has been cut and Tipton County’s very first dog park is now open for your furbaby’s enjoyment. Built in memory of Emily Arthur Clark, the grand opening celebration was held on June 9, 2018. Sponsors of the park and the event included- Munford Animal Hospital, Mosquito Authority, Hollywood Feed, Covington Animal Rescue Effort, Ruff Ruff Doggie Resort, Paws and Claws, and Angel Photography. The park is located at the back of Valentine Park. Go past the soccer fields, the fishing pond, and the disk golf area and you have arrived!  “The citizens of Munford had been asking about the creation of a dog park for some time.  So when private funds were offered by John Clark, the City moved forward to make Emily’s Bark Park - in memory of Emily Arthur Clark - a reality,” explained Mayor Dwayne Cole.

The grand opening had almost 100 dogs in attendance, large, small, and a lot that were in-between, along with their ‘hoomans’ (as Max spells it).Two of the Cypress dog’s, Harper and her best friend Balto, were there as well. Many of the sponsors gave away freebies, Hollywood Feed gave away wonderful treat bags with toys and treats. Munford Animal Hospital had four baskets to give away in a drawing as well as the option between dog treats or a dental chew, and C.A.R.E. had a drawing as well as T-shirts for sale to benefit dogs in their care. C.A.R.E. also had a furbaby that met his adoptive parents at the park that day, greeting them with kisses, at the first adoption that took place at the park, very fitting for the day.

Emily’s Bark Park features two separate areas, one for large dogs and one for small dogs. Both offer a large area for recreational activities. There is a separate water station in each dog area, but make sure you bring a bowl for your dog to drink out of. The City has future plans of expanding the park by adding an obstacle course in the large dog area. They will also be adding a memorial dedicated to the Munford K9 police dogs. The K9s are Cody, Sig, Rookie, who spent their lives in service of Munford, and the current dog Kilo. Another very special feature of the park was made possible by one of the sponsors, Mosquito Authority, who has graciously donated their services to make sure that there is less of a chance that the dogs and owners that come to visit the bark park get bitten by mosquitoes. Munford Parks and Recreation Director Griff Fisher added, “Emily’s Bark Park is another way to give our citizens a way to interact with their dogs and for both to get exercise and socialize.  The bark park is a great addition to the many amenities offered at Valentine Park.”

No taxpayer dollars were used for the construction of this park. Through a very generous donation from Emily Arthur Clark’s family, the city was able to create this area to make a haven for well behaved dogs to let loose and have fun. Her family explained that Emily was a very loving person and absolutely loved animals and would be greatly honored to have this dog park given her name.  

Emily's sister, Amy Arthur Turnage, spoke at the ceremony and quoted a newspaper clipping, “the park, the dog park, the dog park. The glorious dog park, need anyone ever ever ever say more”.  She also told several anecdotes about their childhood, that showed Emily’s good heart, including the fact that she did not want to kill crickets for fishing bait when they were young.

After a letter was read from Emily’s Aunt Sue Arthur, Mayor Dwayne Cole called everyone to the front of the Bark Park and proceeded to ‘cut the leash’ and allow all of the animals, who were woofing and yipping their approval, into the area to run and play at their leisure.

If you would like to visit the park, it’s at the back of Valentine Park, 1020 Beaver Road in Munford, TN.  Look for the Emily’s Bark Park signs, and listen for the sounds of pure canine happiness!