Wrightsville Beach Park raised the “woof” on Oct. 4 at the 30th annual “Bark in the Park,” an event that mixed the with contests for Best Dressed Dog, Best Dressed Team and Dog Displaying the Most Personality.
Bark in the Park is held annually on the first Saturday of October, and it has become a favorite among the locals at Wrightsville Beach. People of all ages brought their families, friends and especially their dogs to watch the athletic canines compete.
All paws were on deck for the event– included Horton & Mendez Injury Attorneys, Acrisure, Fuzz n Wags, Hollywood Feed, Woofie’s, K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel and The Photo District Pet Photography, who also photographed this year’s event.
The disc competition, which is the primary focus of the event, is operated by Skyhoundz and is part of the Skyhoundz Classic World Canine Disc Championship Series, the largest disc-dog series in the world.
Dogs in the Classic Championships series compete for a combination score of distance and accuracy. The host may also choose to include a freestyle round, but the Wrightsville Beach competition opted instead for two 60-second rounds of Distance/Accuracy.
All in all, there were 30 dogs competing for the win. Owners stood at the end zone and threw their Hyperflite discs while the dogs – many of them thoroughly prepared for this moment – ran down the yard lines to catch them. Extra half-points were given to dogs who caught the disc with all four legs off the ground.
After the first round, just before noon, it was time for the furry fashionistas (many of whom were not frisbee competitors) to make their way to the field for the Best Dressed Dog and Best Dressed Team contests. All kinds of doggy divas showed up– a dachshund in a shark costume, golden retrievers in bee and lifeguard outfits, a lion-maned goldie with their lion tamer owner– but ultimately, the prize for Best Dressed Dog went to Coco Trost, an Australian shepherd dressed as Goose from “Top Gun.”
The prize for Best Dressed Team had six contending pairs and required a two-pair tiebreaker from the crowd; whoever incited the loudest cheer won. It was close, but the title went to a poodle, Daisy, and her owner Carol Smith, who were both dressed as stylish cowgirls. The golden retriever lion and her tamer lost the tie but walked away with big smiles.
The Most Personality award went to Fury Parker, who was also the first dog to compete at this year’s competition. His owner, Dave, received a gift basket, while Fury looked at him, tongue out and grin wide.
The second round of the Disc Championship commenced shortly after. The stakes were higher as the dog and owner duos tried to maximize their points, and the crowd watched just as intently as before with cheers for every catch and ‘awws’ for every miss.
After about two hours, the declared winner was Andrew Farrell and his parents’ dog, Gunner, who blew the competition away with a whopping 27 points. The pair previously placed second in the 2024 championships.
“We casually did this, didn’t even know [the competition] existed, and then when we found out about it, it was an easy matchup and fit,” Farrell said when asked about his entry. He credits Gunner’s love for the game to his own dog, Koda, who also competed in this year’s tournament.
“[…] He got to watch Koda do it, and then [it] eventually kind of inspired him to do that,” Farrell said. The Seahawk asked him, with Gunner by his side, how Bark in the Park felt for him. “It’s amazing. It’s like, the first day of fall almost. So, yeah, it’s beautiful weather… awesome time,” he replied.
Closely behind Gunner was Brady Benjamin and his dog Baco with 23 points, followed by Kyle Overacker and Ariya, a red merle border collie, who took third place with 22.5 points.
The Seahawk asked Overacker how he prepared Ariya for her third-place achievement. “My wife actually runs Port City Toss And Fetch. It’s a league that we run, and we are in Kure Beach on Wednesdays,” Overacker explained. “We practice there.”
Overacker and Ariya have been at this for a few years now. Ariya also placed third in the competition two years ago, and although she did not place in 2024, the excitement and experience is more important than the win to Overacker. “It’s a great time to come out and have fun. People are supportive, you get to enjoy it. So, I like when there’s not pressure,” he said.
While Overacker was being interviewed, Ariya crouched close to the grass in typical collie fashion beside him, almost looking proud. “The dogs are all having fun,” Overacker said. “That’s the most important part.”
The next Bark in the Park will be held on Saturday Oct. 3, 2026.
A photo gallery of the event can be viewed here.
