Few things are more fulfilling than walking a dog in the park on a beautiful Brooklyn day. Alas, I personally don’t own a pooch because I’d feel bad leaving an animal in my apartment all day long only to come home and subject it to a steady diet of reality TV. But thanks to the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC), a rescue organization that runs a volunteer dog walking service, busy, city-dwelling dog lovers like myself can still scratch that behind-ear itch for a little puppy love.
Located at 253 Wythe Ave. at the corner of North 1st, BARC has been around since 1987. 90 percent of the dogs they care for are mid-to-large sized breeds, and 70 to 80 percent are pit bulls or pit bull mixes.
“People just seem to abandon pit bulls,” said Holly, one of the shelter’s managers. Between handing dogs off to volunteers and running pups around the block herself, Holly mentioned she was the only employee on duty that day, with about 40 (!) dogs to care for.
Volunteer aid is essential, and in short supply at BARC, but fortunately for the dogs, the organization makes it pretty easy for people to help out. Other rescue groups often require intensive training sessions before granting volunteers contact with their pets, but if you’re 21 or older, all you have to do to walk a BARC dog is show a valid form of ID and sign a checklist of rules to obey when taking the pups on their much anticipated strolls.
If my walk with Dutch was any indication, novice dog walkers need not be intimidated by the abundance of big breeds at BARC. When Holly asked me if I would mind trying a mid-sized dog on for size, I admitted my experience was limited to tiny dogs with annoyingly-hyphenated breed names like cocka-doodles and malty-poos. She then disappeared behind the shelter’s blue steel door and returned with a pooch the size of a four-year-old child.
“Dutch is an old timer,” she reassured me after seeing my panicked face. “He’s twelve. He’ll take it slow.” But that 77-pound, butterscotch-colored pile of muscle, also known as “Grandpa,” was thrilled to be out in the fresh air. As soon as I looped his canvas leash around my wrist, he yanked me like a soap on a rope down North 1st street, towards a tiny little park off River Street. During the next forty-five minutes, Dutch pawed around in some woodchip mulch, lounged in the grass, sniffed some fellow canines, and partook in various other doglike activities until his tired tongue hung out so far it practically scratched the pavement.
Finally, Dutch and I exchanged some last furry hugs and sloppy face kisses, and vowed to become Facebook friends. I can’t wait to walk the big ol’ softie again. Unless you adopt him first!
BARC is open 7 days a week, though you can only walk the dogs during the non-adoption hours of 9am-12pm and 5pm-8pm. You can also visit BARC’s cat loft on Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 12pm-5pm.
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