Maggie's Bark Park, Tennessee's first off-leash dog park, turns 25 in fall 2026 at its current home on Grigsby Hayes Court in Franklin.
The park opened in fall 2001 beside the former Williamson County Animal Control shelter at 138 Claude Yates Drive, next to Franklin High School, as first reported by the Williamson Herald. It started with a $7,000 donation from Karen and Andy Menzyk, who named the park after their border collie, Maggie. The dog had died in 2001 at age 14.
The Menzyks had lived in Canada for two years and frequently took Maggie to a dog park there. That experience inspired their gift.
Former shelter director Debby Leddy, who began working at the facility in 1993, pitched the idea to the Williamson County Board of Commissioners after studying off-leash parks in California and New York, she told the Herald. The old shelter sat next to a sewer plant, which limited foot traffic and adoptions.
"I was very interested in starting community programs that brought people together … I was seeing different things and what to do and what not to do," Leddy said.
The commission approved the park. Commissioners Judy Hayes, Houston Naron and Rogers Anderson all supported the project and later backed construction of the new Williamson County Animal Center, which opened in 2022 at 1006 Grigsby Hayes Court.
The park drew national attention. A USA Today reporter covered opening day, according to the Herald. Eagle Scouts and Girl Scouts built items for the site. Peggy Beasley and her husband donated a small-dog area called Rascal's Run Around. Williamson County Parks and Recreation donated agility equipment and built a walking trail.
Karen Menzyk, a longtime shelter volunteer, said two dog owners who met at the park held their wedding there. Andy Menzyk now serves as treasurer for Friends of Williamson County Animal Center, the nonprofit supporting the shelter's Paw Pantry and other programs.
Several early supporters have since died. Beasley and Naron both died in 2018. Hayes, a 28-year county commissioner, died May 16, 2026, at age 84.
Both the park and the animal center have relocated to Grigsby Hayes Court. The former Claude Yates Drive site is now the Williamson County Schools Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center. Williamson County now has multiple dog parks, including the K-9 Corral at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm and the Nutro Dog Park in Thompson's Station, which opened in 2014.
The Williamson County Animal Center at 1006 Grigsby Hayes Court is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
