How I became a Bark Ranger at Acadia National Park

By Danica Joy DSA

My Mom and Dad took me on an amazing adventure. They said I was going to become a Bark Ranger. I didn’t know what that was, but I was excited. They packed my Shark suit and all my favorite toys and treats. This was going to be fun.

It was a long boring drive to Maine. I don’t know where that is, but it was long and my shark suit was packed. The campground was fun, there were lots of squirrels to watch. The next morning I got to ride on a BUS! It was big and so much fun. Mom and Dad sat in the back with me instead of driving and I got all the snuggles. I love buses. I like to watch out the big windows, there was so much to see.

To become a BARK Ranger, I had to make sure my Mom and Dad learned the rules of BARK and that we did at least one of the activities together. We also had to get sworn in by a Park Ranger. I liked meeting the Park Ranger, she was really nice, but didn’t have treats in her pockets. Here I am with the Park Ranger and showing Mom the list of rules on my official BARK Ranger card. The Park Ranger signed my card.

The first activity we did was to hike a park trail, Mom chose the Jordan Pond trail. I loved hiking this trail with Dad, he made sure we followed all the rules. We are supposed to move out of the way to let other people and groups pass. Sometimes the walkway was really high and I had to jump to get off to let people pass.

We explored several other trails and areas of Acadia Park during our stay. I found so many new things to smell! I really loved walking the beach at low tide. Dad let me follow my nose and sniff EVERYTHING! I found seaweed and shells and crabs and birds. It was the best!

Mom and Dad took me to dinner with them. I’ve never been to a restaurant before. They had a special menu just for me! Mom said it had breakfast, lunch and dinner selections. I got the chicken. I love chicken. They even brought me my own bowl of cold water. I had so much fun hanging out with Mom and Dad at dinner. Dad even ordered me the ice cream, but I was too full to eat it.

Mom got me a new bandanna because I was being so good. Don’t I look special? Every puppy should go to Acadia Maine.