Bark Place

This rating has to do exclusively with the way this store was closed. We were loyal customers of Bark Place for over 7 years. We bought all of our pet food there, bathed our dogs there and used Bark Place to walk our dogs every day.

We receive an email on Friday, July 20th that the store was closing that day! They had sold their condo (where the business was located) and stopping all services immediately. They had 100's of customers who depended on them to either walk their dogs during the work week or provide day care services for their pets. While it is perfectly fine to sell a business and move on, to give your loyal customers no advanced notice of this is deplorable. We had to scramble to find someone new to walk our dogs. Others showed up on Monday to drop their dogs off for Day Care and the doors were locked. Apparently, they let their staff know one day in advance before closing too. Bob & Cathy (owners), you should be ashamed of yourselves. So many people gave your their business and depended on you and you give them 0 days notice to arrange different services for their pets? And shame on you for treating your staff so poorly too. While I wish you luck with your future endeavors, do not try to re-open a store in Boston as you have ruined any goodwill you had in the neighborhood and with your faithful customers. This is a lesson in how to NOT treat people.

Hi, my name is Kita and I'm a dog and I hate two-leggers touching my feet and I love Greenies but I'm not stealing Master's computer to tell you about Greenies I'm here to tell you about my feet (Master calls them pause).

We walked in to this place near where I do my business and it had all of my favorite chewies in glass jars and Master bought me a duck foot for a green thing and I ated it.

He gave me a smelly duck foot because I was such a good girl because the nice lady picked me up and brought me in to the back room (where's Master I can't see him!) and used a spinning grinding thing on my foot sticks and made them short. She missed one, though, and another one has the red stuff but not too bad.

And Master said something like it only costed twelve collars, or something. And then he said he wasn't cheep but it was wurthit.

I think he wants to bring me back so he can wear a low coat and spray me with a water sprayer and put the foamy stuff on my coat and make me smell like a flower and that's okay because on the way home I'm going to find a dead hopper and roll in it... Gotta go; Master found me!

...

Well, she makes a point. I'll only add it's more economically feasible to do a pro grooming for a small to midsize dog than to do the nail clipping and self-wash independently. Costs about the same (~$40 compared to $12 + $25).

Most people do not recognize my dog after her grooming at Bark Place. She was buzz cut with a stripe down her back down to her skin. The groomer said she used the wrong blade. Oops.

The owner didn't seem to care at all. He would not refund my money. He offered a free next grooming, No thank you. I would never go back to Bark Place and neither should you.

My profile picture says it all.

Absolutely horrible. Oscar's fur is so choppy. You can see the shave marks and there were long pieces that they clearly missed. It was like they didn't trim his fur before they used the clippers.... how can they really let a dog walk out of there store looking like this? Its embarrassing. Photo included of what he looked like before he got there...

Honest Kitchen Evo Steve's Real Food
Orijen Innova Primal
Stella & Chewy's Calif. Naturals ...all are superior brands

Cane & Able products Leashes
Supplements Collars
Grooming supplies Toys
Dog beds Decorated baked goods

Services:

Dog Sitting $20/ half day $30/full day and packaged rates

Dog Walking $15/30 min, $18/45 min, $22/hour

6 Self wash dog bays that include shampoo, conditioner, absorbant towels and professional grade dryer. $22

Grooming prices vary

Friendly, bright staff, large open space delineated by purpose. Food and pet supplies front of the store. Dog wash in the middle. Supervised dog day care in the back. Of all the new places catering to dogs and their human companions, Bob and Cathy run one of the best.

Doggie Day, meet your competitor.

LOVE THIS PLACE! The owner is great & added to the pleasant experience! I just got home from giving my dog a "DYI Wash" and my dog is cleaner than ever! He smells, looks and feels great!

When you get there they have different kinds of shampoos and conditioners to choose from. Then you go to the back where they supply aprons, brushes, combs, ear wipes, blow dryers, towels and best of all elevated bath tubs with high pressure heated hoses that have one of those nozzle with tons of different settings! Anyway, knowing me and my dog, we made the BIGGEST mess ever, water EVERYWHERE! Get this, they clean up after you too (:

Only thing is on the way out it's a challenge to resist one of the many great treats & toys in stock!

Check it out!

ps. the 7th bath is FREE!

I'm sorry to say that we had a terrible experience this week at Bark Place. They were really horrible to my dog, who is a really happy guy and loves everyone. The first warning sign that, in retrospect, we should have paid better attention to, was that our dog didn't want to go back with the groomer (who we didn't realize was the same groomer who had worked at another business previously and we had the same experience with, which is why we chose not to go back there and to went to Bark Place instead... what are the chances?). Our dog hangs out with people and dogs all the time and this is the only person that he has ever been timid around.

The cut was way shorter than we had asked for and took a really long time, which was unfortunate, but that wasn't the biggest issue.

The major problem was how he was treated by the groomer. He was there for about 7 hours and was never taken outside which, per the groomer, is the policy of the establishment. Then, when I was waiting to pick him up and heard the groomer yelling at our dog, and then he apparently got so scared that he peed on himself, which is something that he has never done before. She cleaned him off with a grooming wipe, and he came out from the back room with his tail tucked.

He was stressed out for a few days after and then had complications (I'll spare you the details, but they were GI related) that we had to get addressed at the Angell emergency room yesterday. The vet said that it was likely due to stress from his grooming (which should hopefully clear up in a few days). After the emergency room visit and some meds, he thankfully seems to be more himself today.

In short, please consider other options when going to get your dog groomed. I feel horrible for putting my dog through what he went through on Monday.

This was, without doubt, the worst grooming experience I've ever had and worse than I could have thought possible. My dog and I have moved around a lot and been to groomers in many cities, and I'm really not picky. I just want his nails trimmed, ears cleaned, and an even half inch shave. When I picked my dog up this afternoon the groomer walked out and said, "oh! I cut your dog." I thought he meant, like, cut his hair. No. That is not what he meant.

Then he touched his finger to my rib cage right below my breast (ew!) and said "I nicked him here." First off, how the hell did he cut him? I've never heard of that with safety razors!! Second, DO NOT TOUCH ME THERE. Or anywhere! I don't know you and I am not a dog.

I was obviously already creeped out and angry, and he brought my dog out and manhandled him, showed me the cut on his ribs, then kept manhandling him to show me that he had ALSO nicked him, pretty badly, on his back leg. There was dried blood all around both wounds. My poor pup!!! I am so concerned that the conditions were really unsanitary and that he'll get an infection.

I am not prissy about my dog. But my dog is extremely friendly and every groomer he's ever interacted with has loved him and my dog has always been his normal friendly self when I picked him up. But my dog COWERED when I finally forcibly pulled him out of this groomer's hands and let him back onto the floor.

Also the groomer kept calling my dog "she" while his boy parts were quite obvious. Does he know anything about dogs?? Was he high or something? He also made reference to sitting down with my dog to shave him...which is not how real groomers do things. Generally, they have a table and a little loop for their heads to keep them still so that things like this DONT HAPPEN. Was he even using the appropriate equipment?

Absolutely avoid the full service grooming here. Seriously.

Also I paid full price just to get away from the extremely creepy groomer looming over us. $65. Not cheap.

Also, the whole place smells like urine.

Do NOT go here.

Tucker has been coming to Bark Place for daycare for almost 2 years now. It's about time I write a review!

He always comes in wagging his tail and is whooped when he gets home. They email daycare "report cards" which is always nice. I wish they sent some photos though.

We also buy his dog food (Taste of the Wild), treats, and other accessories here.

Great place! You can even stop by Flour Bakery afterwards.

This is review is for the grooming service by Pam. We were referred to Pam at Bark Place by a neighbor in Beacon Hill whose dog always looks immaculately groomed. Previously, we had been going to Red Dog for grooming, but our favorite groomer had left there and one of the new groomers who replaced our groomer did a horrible job, so we vowed not to return.

Pam did a great job of grinding our very nervous little Chihuahua's nails. She said he was fidgety, but she was still able to grind the nails down -- something Red Dog said they were unable to do?! Pam also fixed the "butt fluff" on our Papillion that Red Dog had also screwed up when they had last done the sanitary groom on our Papillon.

Pam was quick, attentive and displayed a genuine love for animals. We will be back and are so glad we found Pam/Bark Place!