Celebrating One Year with BarkPass

Today marks one year since I took the helm of BarkPass, and what a year it’s been. When I stepped into this role, I was excited about the opportunity to modernize outdated pet licensing programs and deliver better solutions for dog parks. What I didn’t yet realize was how much more I would learn, and how the many dedicated professionals across the public and private sectors would help shape my perspective and BarkPass’ direction. 

Before diving into reflections from our first year, a quick note: In January, I’ll be sharing BarkPass’ 2026 roadmap, including product expansion, strategic partnerships, and our updated vision for modernizing the space. Until then, I think it’s important to look back on what we’ve learned and why I remain so passionate about BarkPass. 

Learning from the People Who Serve Pets and Their People 

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of spending time with professionals across a wide spectrum of roles: animal control officers, shelter administrators, city clerks, parks leaders, dog park ambassadors, veterinarians, licensing teams, IT departments, and pet-tech innovators who are pushing progressive change forward. Each offered a unique lens, yet all shared a common goal: creating communities where pets are safe, supported, and welcome.

Here are a few themes that surfaced again and again: 

1. The civic experience matters, especially for pet owners. 

Licensing a pet or accessing a dog park shouldn’t feel like navigating a bureaucratic obstacle course. Civic leaders want processes that are friendlier, faster, and more transparent, and pet owners expect a seamless experience that fits into their busy lives. 

This year, we simplified application flows, improved communications, refined dog park membership tools, and began exploring what a more connected, pet-centric system could look like. 

2. Local governments care about compliance but need modern tools to support it.

Tracking vaccinations, ensuring proper permits for dog park users, and processing renewals is too often cumbersome and overly manual. Teams are frustrated with poorly designed systems and the workarounds they’re forced to rely on. 

These frontline conversations directly shaped BarkPass’ design and fueled recent upgrades, expanded product types, enhanced data visibility, and streamlined workflows that make licensing and park access more efficient and less labor-intensive.

3. Every community has its own priorities; and that’s a strength, not a hurdle. 

Communities approach dog park policies, licensing requirements, public safety, and resident engagement in their own ways. We’ve embraced that diversity by building flexible tools that adapt to local needs, whether it’s an urban community focused on public safety or a rural area where licensing revenue is a key touchpoint. 

Pet-tech innovators added yet another perspective, helping us examine how national trends and new technology can complement, rather than override, local priorities. 

4. The future of civic pet services is collaborative and requires pet-centric technology.

Animal services teams, parks and recreation, veterinarians, local IT and finance departments, and even hardware providers all contribute to shaping the resident experience. Pet-tech innovators brought additional insight, pushing us to think more deeply about what a truly pet-first product should feel like. 

This has reinforced a commitment that will guide our work moving forward: BarkPass will always be a pet-centric platform, designed around the needs, safety, and well-being of pets and the people who care for them. 

Looking Back with Gratitude 

Leading BarkPass this past year has been an inspiring, energizing journey of ongoing learning. Every conversation with a city, every walk-through of a dog park, every demo with a clerk’s office, and every brainstorming session with both public-sector leaders and private-sector innovators has helped shape what BarkPass is becoming. 

To everyone who shared their time, their challenges, their wish lists, and their ideas: thank you. You’ve helped us build a smarter, more thoughtful, more pet-centered platform for communities across the country. I’d also like to thank my partner, Brian Hatfield, for taking this risk with me and immersing himself fully in this space. 

Looking Ahead 

As we enter our second year, I’m more energized than ever. Here’s to the people who make civic pet services work every day, and here’s to another year of building solutions that help pets and their people feel more at home in their communities.