Dog servicesin Farmers Branch, TX

The off-leash spot in Farmers Branch, TX is Barney Wood Bark Park, run by the city's Parks and Recreation department at 14090 Heartside Place. It covers about 1.44 acres of natural grass, with separate areas for large and small dogs, a splash pad and seating.

Lost, impounded and surrendered pets are handled by the city's own Animal Adoption Center, part of the Community Services Department. Its pages cover reporting a lost pet, checking impounded pets, adoption, fostering and low-cost pet resources. For general questions, the city's customer-service line is 972-247-3131.

If your dog spends time tied up outside, Texas law sets the rules: an unattended dog on a restraint needs shelter, shade, drinkable water and a spot away from standing water and waste. The restraint cannot be a chain, cannot have weights attached and must be at least 10 feet long, or five times the dog's length from nose to base of tail if that is longer. Walking your dog on a handheld leash is not affected.