The Bark Yard - South Portland, ME
The Bark Yard – Premier Dog Park and Daycare in South Portland, Maine
If you’re searching for a safe, loving, and enriching dog park in South Portland, Maine, The Bark Yard stands out as a top choice for local pet owners. Known for its attentive staff and focus on both daycare and boarding, The Bark Yard offers spacious indoor and outdoor areas designed to ensure a positive experience for dogs of all sizes, personalities, and energy levels. Located conveniently on Broadway, it’s easy to reach for South Portland residents and visitors alike.
What makes The Bark Yard unique among dog-friendly locations in Maine is its commitment to individualized care. Dogs are grouped thoughtfully based on temperament, size, and energy to ensure safe, structured, and enjoyable play. Add-on activities like agility, sniff rooms, pupcicles, and loose leash walks provide mental and physical stimulation beyond standard dog park amenities. The staff is highly trained, fostering a loving environment and providing regular updates to pet parents. The Bark Yard is known for cleanliness, safety, and an environment where every pup is treated like family.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are dogs allowed off-leash at this park? Yes, The Bark Yard offers off-leash play within their supervised, secure dog areas.
- Are dogs separated by size or temperament? Yes, The Bark Yard carefully matches dogs based on size and energy levels for safe group play.
- Is there agility equipment? Yes, agility activities and play areas are offered for extra stimulation.
- Are staff present to supervise the dogs? Yes, knowledgeable staff are always present to monitor, interact, and care for the dogs.
- Is The Bark Yard clean and well-maintained? Yes, cleanliness and safety are top priorities at The Bark Yard, with constant cleaning and attentive care.
- Are there special add-on activities or training classes? Yes, The Bark Yard offers unique extras like sniff rooms, agility training, and training classes for both pets and owners.
Reviews
Our Edie has been to the Bark Yard for daycare and boarding. They are amazing! Everyone there is so friendly and takes such great care of our pup. They take the time to get to know your dog and provide them with the care and love they need. They go above and beyond to offer things that set them apart from all others. When I asked Britt how she remembered the names of all of the dogs her reply was, “They’re my friends!” Highly recommend them!
Harley’s been with TBY for about 7 months now and he absolutely loves it! His butt goes into overdrive when we arrive, he can hardly contain his joy!! Staff members are always helpful to pawrents and shower our pups with so much love & attention! Harley gets a variety of stimulation, not just hanging out with other dogs. From sniffaris to loose leash walks, bark boards to pupcicles, and ball pits to agility training Harley gets to try everything!!
I can’t say enough good things about this daycare! As a protective dog mom, I was really nervous about leaving my rescue pup, Zoe, but after a lot of research, this was the perfect place. I love that they focus on small group play and carefully match dogs based on size and energy levels. It’s not just throwing them in a room and saying, “Good luck, pups!”—they truly understand dog play, making sure it’s safe, structured, and balanced with breaks in between.
They also keep things exciting with add-on activities like agility and sniff rooms, keeping Zoe mentally and physically engaged. What also really sets them apart is how well they get to know each dog as an individual. The staff is always so kind, and it’s clear they truly love what they do.
I’ve also done training with them, which was a huge help—not just for Zoe but really for me. It had been a long time since I had a puppy, and their guidance made all the difference.
I feel completely safe leaving Zoe here, and she absolutely loves it. If you’re looking for a daycare where your dog will be loved, understood, and well cared for, this is the place.
The Bark Yard has been such a great place for us to send our pups. They even helped and took care of our “too large and difficult” hound dog when no one else knew what to do with him. We’ve since brought our new dog there and he enjoys going and bounces off walls to get in with his friends. I always know my boy is being well cared for, played with and nurtured while he’s there!! They have accommodated last minute needs with ease and take great weekend or week long care of our boy when we aren’t home!! Highly recommend for daycare/boarding, its safe, clean, kindest of employees, knowledgeable and caring!! 10/10!
Took my dog here for a year. After having him attend an alternate daycare (Roscoes) I was extremely worried. The previous daycare had amazing reviews yet he had gotten sick 3x in 2 months and was full of anxiety and smelly when I picked him up. Switched to the Bark Yard and was immediately impressed. They always kept me up to date with how he was doing and if he didn’t eat his food. They gave him the option of individual play where he was able to spend the entire time with humans rather than dogs. Not once did I have to take him to the vet for a daycare related sickness while attending the Bark Yard. This place is very pricy however it’s still cheaper than constantly taking your dog to the vet for getting sick from a cheaper daycare. Extremely sad we can’t attend anymore as we have moved out of the state. If you’re in between daycare options this one is by far the best.