Alumni Team Members!
Kim
Who are your Bark/Meow Rangers?
Joy the newest member of our pack, and Traveller my big Greyhound boy.
What is one thing you love about being a Bark Ranger enthusiast?
Combining my love for National Parks with my life work of adopting retired racing Greyhounds. I’ve had the honor to serve as director of Greyhound Crossroads for 30 years! Being able to encourage our adopters to visit NP’s responsibly, while also supporting public lands and their legacy to the future, is a perfect fit for me. I started the BARK program in my local NP site and feel it’s a small way to give back.
What are things you would like to do or see this year with your pup?
My goal is revisit the SC and close NC BARK sites with our newest greyhound girl Joy. I’m also working on earning the Ultimate Outsider by visiting all state parks in SC. It’s my hope to extend the national BARK program by getting our state parks involved too.
What is something about you that is interesting or unusual and not related to your dog(s)?
The first thing that comes to mind is my trip last week to Alaska! I have dreamed my whole life of visiting Glacier Bay NP and my mother dreamed of seeing the Inner Passage. We planned a cruise together with my step father and had a marvelous adventure! Saw glaciers, humpbacks, orca, the Tongass Rain Forest, and experienced totem pole carving with Tlingit master artists. The last night we were blessed with the Northern Lights right over our heads on the ship. A trip with unbelievable blessings I will never forget.
What is your favorite part of being on the Admin team?
Being a part of these fabulous team feels very rewarding. It’s a way in which I can encourage people to experience and become invested in what is close and dear to my heart. May we keep spreading the good word and set the example for being good pet parents.
Jennifer
Who is your Bark Ranger?
Bruichladdich (Bru for short…lots easier to pronounce). A black lab mixed with moose…he’s 110 pounds.
What is one thing you love about being a Bark Ranger enthusiast?
I love hearing about other bark ranger travels and seeing the pictures of places they have been. It’s interesting to “meet” people from around the US and learn about their adventures.
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What are things you would like to do or see this year with your pup?
Not too much this summer because it’s just too dang hot, but come fall, we’ll be doing a trip to the Texas hill country. Next year is a whole new adventure because the husband will be retired and we won’t have time constrictions on where we can go!
What is something about you that is interesting or unusual and not related to your dog?
I like cooking and I make a good attempt at gardening, I haunt estate sales because you never know what you’ll find, and I’m really good at repurposing old things.
What is your favorite part of being on the Admin team?
Meeting people and their dogs and discovering places I need to go next!
Melody
Who is your Bark Ranger?
Reeses-8 yr old Catahoula
What is one thing you love about being a Bark Ranger enthusiast?
What I like best about being a Bark Ranger enthusiast is being able to combine my love of the outdoors with finding new adventures that can include my little travel buddy Reeses. We have always explored State Parks and local parks, but with Bark Rangers, it gives us many new options of places that we can visit together. Prior to finding the Bark Ranger program we always used State and local parks as our stops during long road trips and now we make sure to add the Bark Rangers stops into our trips.
What are things you would like to do or see this year with your pup?
This year we are planning to visit the parks in N. Florida as well as some in South Carolina.
What is something about you that is interesting or unusual and not related to your dog?
This is a hard question. My time is devoted to my dogs and my grandkids. I work 2 jobs just so I can go on as many trips as I can to explore nature and shuttle my dog to her sporting events.
What is your favorite part of being on the Admin team?
I love being part of a group that promotes time with your dogs/ exploring nature. The group allows me to connect with like minded individuals who share the same interests. It is a fun uplifting group full of nothing but positive posts.
Jordayna
Who is your Bark Ranger?
My Bark Ranger is Waffles, aka Belgamin Waffles III (no, there is no I or II), He is originally from a shelter in Moncks Corner, SC. While we’ve gone on many adventures together, we didn’t start doing Bark Ranger until we moved to New Mexico. I came across the program and decided this would be a great way to explore our new home.
What is one thing you love about being a Bark Ranger enthusiast?
The best part of being a Bark Ranger enthusiast is seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they see Waffles in his hat or bandana. It starts the conversation and is a great opportunity to share the importance of the program with others.
What are things you would like to do or see this year with your pup?
This year, our goal is to complete 52 hikes by the end of the year. We are also planning a holiday road trip with the goal of visiting at least 4 National Parks.
What is something about you that is interesting or unusual and not related to your dog?
I am a full-time student working towards my degree in Nuclear Engineering. I also work full-time in Applied Nuclear Research. Being able to escape to the NPs in my area on the weekend help to balance that work load.
What is your favorite part of being on the Admin team?
I think it’s really fun to see all the people from across the country wanting to take part in and share within this community. For all the negativity on the internet, this group is adding wholesome content and positivity to the virtual (and real) world.