Hey yawl, Junie B here your resident dog-blog-er. I wanted to take the opportunity to let you in on a little secret, for the rest of this summer I am only going to refer to Virginia State Parks as Barks.

Why? Because Virginia State Barks are the most pet-friendly parks in all the U.S.A. 

When you hear from me, know it will be about my all-time favorite 

VIRGINIA STATE BARKS

Of course Jake can doggy paddle (that was just put there as a prop)

She's not allowed on the beach but sure can sit in the shade under a tree at this bark

Tails on the trails as we walk around the lake at this bark with the two-leggeds

Jingle Bark in the Park in December is a great way to get two-leggeds outside

Dolly sure loves the reenactments at Sailors Creek State Bark

We are good dogs, we make sure our fams clean up after us when we visit the barks

Kiptopeke State Bark has two beaches and one is good for us dawgs yawl 

You wanna know why? 

I know it sounds a little bit crazy, but I want you to know dawgs that you can visit Virginia State Barks year-round, they are perfectly pet friendly! Are there limitations when you go to a Virginia State Bark? Youbetchya otherwise two-leggeds wouldn't follow the rules and those two-leggeds who don't follow rules spoil it for everyone, us four-leggeds included!

So here is what I found out that you can tell your two-legged family about dawgs in Virginia State Barks:

Leashes

You gotta stay on them, and you have gotta be under control. They can't be longer than 6 feet, so for all of you who think those really long expandable leashes are fun, be careful, you may violate the leash law at the bark. Under control, means supervising your two-leggeds on the other end and don't let them go where they shouldn't go like off trails to get poison ivy and chigger bites.

Rabies

Have your two-leggeds bring your vaccination record, and wear your rabies tag! Virginia has rabies outbreaks every year, especially in the summer months when you are going get your trails on the trails.

Beaches

Sorry yawl but we can't go on the beaches, and I know how much you like to dig in that soft sand, I do too. But hang on, there are a few exceptions you are about to jump about, when I say beaches I mean public swimming beaches. Like the photo of me and my big sis above, that is the beach at Kiptopeke State Bark that we dawgs can enjoy.

GET YOUR TAILS ON THE TRAILS!

Campgrounds

You can stay in the campground with your two-leggeds at no extra charge!  Make sure your family doesn't leave you tied up and you feel the need to bark for help while they are gone, let them know you are not happy be left alone and you will cause a stink. This brings me to the next item...

Restrooms

We, uh, well we like to go where we want to go and we dawgs don't like to be told what to do. If we find a nice spot and feel the need to use it, we just do do. (Mum says that is a pun, get it "do do") So if I were you I would let the fam know they need to keep an eye on you and clean up after you. Every park has a pet station with free "doggie bags" for disposing of your do do.

Cabins

There is a $10 per night fee per pet in the cabins at Virginia State Barks. This is less than what it costs to go to those very bad places that most of us dawgs do not like, when we visit other states and they don't allow us to spend time with our two-leggeds overnight, kennels. Mum doesn't like to pay the per night pet fee and every year I hear her belly-aching about it, but then it wouldn't be a vacation without Junie B in da house!

Barking

As I said above dawgs, you just can't bark and disturb everybody at the campground or cabin loop, there has to be limitations. Virginia State Barks says if you bark in excess they have the right to ask you to leave, and well, that would sure put a damper on the two-leggeds vacation. So try to keep yourself amused and focus dawgs focus! Don't let that squirrel flying up the side of that pine tree steal your attention, or that rabbit...dang, it won't be easy but you just gotta do it.

Off Limits

Mum reminded me to tell yawl about the one Virginia State Bark exception to this, and that dawgs are allowed at False Cape State Park, but they are not permitted access through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, this has nothing to do with Virginia State Barks, it is a National Refuge, so you don't wanna break that law and have the Feds after you! Oh and make that two, the Yurt at Kiptopeke State Bark is not a proper cabin, so you can't sleep in there, but they will be building cabins there soon.

Reservations

If you want to see what cabins or campgrounds are available to bring the fam out, you can click here to look online, or you can ask your two-leggeds to call call 800-933-7275 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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CALLING ALL COOL DAWGS

Remember, paws were meant to get muddy!