Central Bark Doggy Day Care

Central Bark is my happy place because it’s my dogs happy place. I know when I drop Jakota off that she’s well taken care of and going to have a blast. I completely trust them which is a huge blessing because my dog owns my heart.

I am really happy with their services. Moving cross country, it was of utmost importance that I find my dog a place for him to take a break from me, similar to his own «Disneyland» that he had in Wagville (
).
I really like that they have separate sections for dogs of different temperaments/​sizes. The facility is big compared to the other daycares I peeped in Philly.
The employees seem happy to be working there which aids into the kind of attention and care they will give your dog. I love that they when we come in the front door, they greet my dog by his name joyfully.
I think the first few visits my dog was meh about it, but after a month of consistent weekly visits, I pick him up and he is all smiles and wagging tail. The biggest plus is that he comes home hella tired and just sleeps the rest of the day, allowing me to have me time after work.

So I generally don’t give 5-​star reviews on Unilocal.However, this is the second dog I’ve had that spent time at Central Bark and it is well worth it. Amber absolutely LOVES IT! When we get there she becomes overly excited. When a handler comes out to take her back she can barely stand up because her butt is wiggling so hard. It blows my mind because it happens every time.
Amber visits some other facilities, in Philly, and in other cities… but her reaction to this place is completely different than others. I don’t know what goes on back there, but she loves it, and she comes home so tired she then sleeps at least a day and a half. Couldn’t ask for much more.

Recess! My labs love Central Bark! I send them to daycare 2 days a week to play and get out some energy. They have a blast, get outside when it’s nice and come home happy and pooped. I also board them there on frequent vacations. They are well taken care of. I 100% recommend them.
They put up pictures everyday too on facebook (and once in awhile a video) so you can see your pups in action which is nice, if you know, you love stalking your dogs online, which I do.
One of our dogs was bit in the face by another dog over a holiday weekend. The owner, Portia, handled it like a pro and got him excellent vet care — on Thanksgiving no less. Your dogs are in good hands here and will have a blast.

We’ve been taking our one and half year old Boxer here since the summer.
We had some issues getting her in there initially due to some miscommunication between me and the husband on vaccines needed, but the owner and staff were super nice about it and let us reschedule DeeDee’s initial daycare with no hassle at all. That’s saying a lot for a business in South Philly.
The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. They even took the time to help me find the right sized collar for DeeDee after we had sized her previous one too big.
Our high energy baby boxer comes home worn out and sleeps the entire day after.
Totally worth the money!

We used to love Central Bark for the 1^st 7 – 10 visits. It concerned us when they mentioned Wheaten puppies do not do well at doggy day care? Aren’t you trained to handle puppies and all breeds? We have had no issues at other facilities that do not crate the dogs.
We now know they are NOT trained to handle wheaten puppies. He’s been to 2 doggy training courses & is a loving, friendly, energetic puppy. That said, he nipped one of the staff after moving him from cage to cage — never happened anywhere else. (& we couldnt get an answer to why he was moved from cage to cage but we did notice he was wet every time we picked him up)
Central bark asked us to pay for training. Since the 1^st issue they had with him «nipping a staff member while moving him from crate to crate» he started coming home smelling like urine and all wet… clearly peeing on himself even though he is 100% housebroken.
I feel that a doggy day care should be trained to handle all breads – especially, gentle playful puppy breeds & not expect you to pay for training on-​site when they clearly aren’t trained to move dogs from cage to cage.
We asked them why they move dogs from cage to cage & why is he always wet & covered in pee & poo during overnights — the staff did not answer & were rude after that point. Everything is great until there’s an issue… then they are rude and unresponsive to questions. We know its tough to find a place to send your loved ones. However, please look for a place that has better customer service because heaven forbid you have an issue — you will not get any clear answers from this place & you’ll be left searching for another home away from home for your pet. There are several friendly doggy day care spots that don’t crate your puppy & don’t sending them home smelling like pee & feces.

I’ve been taking my dog to Central Bark since August. We used a great daycare service before moving to Philly and I was nervous about finding something similar. I’m happy to report that Central Bark is fantastic!
They have, IMO, the best facilities in the city– lots of space inside as well as scheduled play time outside in an enclosed area. They separate the big and small dogs, which I like as mine is a bit timid with larger dogs. And the staff is AMAZING. They truly care about the dogs. A huge bonus is their boarding service… I travel a lot for work and really appreciate being able to bring my dog somewhere where she knows the people, gets lots of attention, and play time with other dogs.
I tried out another company when we first moved, but they just couldn’t match Central Bark’s services and facilities. 5 stars all the way!

At first. I was ecstatic about the doggie day care. Friendly staff, large facilities. Etc. Etc. Everything on their website seemed fantastic ! But what I loved the most was the intense detail they put into your dog, meaning assessment sheets and things like incident reports, who they played with and so on. I left my puppy there Memorial Day weekend and she came home a happy pup! Couple of scratches but we didn’t think anything of it being we have a pitbull puppy and she’s very hyper at times. Plus we loved the owner Portia.
We recently left our dog with them on Saturday and retrieved her Sunday morning. When we picked her up and brought her home we noticed her face was extremely scratched up as well as her stomach. We called and called the facility only after numerous phone calls did someone answer. when we told her of the incident she became extremely passive aggressive and told us it was a result of our puppy ramming her face full force into the crate constantly. … Complete nonsense. Our dog has been crated outside and at home, with other dogs and never has done that.
The owner Portia returned my phone call and was very nice and asked me to email pictures of our dogs face and stomach and we did. Today my girlfriend was returning back their phone call and the husband or other owner answered and became very rude and aggressive telling her she needs to stop going on and on!
We just wanted them to acknowledge the fact that maybe something happened while they weren’t paying attention to the dogs.
Very disappointed with the outcome, we were very hopeful we finally found a good doggie day care!

When we adopted our then 9 week old puppy, Lucy last year we were encouraged to send her to doggy day care to have her socialized since they said she was going to be a handful, and boy were they right!
Lucy has been going to Central Bark for a little over a year now and they have been AMAZING! Lucy is certainly not the easiest dog to deal with as she has so much puppy energy (but we love her so much anyway) and CB has been so accommodating with any need or adjustment that needs to be made with her.
Lucy runs up their steps every morning and I have to drag her into the car in the afternoon when I pick her up. The care and love for all the dogs they have there is obvious and a special shout out to Jasmine who I hear works really well with Lucy while she is there.
We also board Lucy while we are out of town, and they are great with giving you updates on how your dog is doing and it is comforting to know she is with a great group of people who love your dog just as much as you do.
Doggy Day Care is a great outlet for our energetic pup who comes home exhausted and ready to snuggle every night!
Thanks Central Bark!

I have been taking my dog Riles for about 2 months now… she goes once a week and it has been the best thing for her. She is skittish with strangers and Central Bark has helped her so much in her short time. The staff is wonderful. Riles is like a kid to me, and I feel completely comfortable leaving her. She gets so excited going in when I drop her off, and she hates leaving me any other time so I know she loves it. Central Bark is a great place to leave your dog!

I had scoffed at the Doggy Day Care idea in the past, but am a firm believer in their service now! Our puppy had been getting really frisky during the week, and no matter how many walks and daily visits to the dog park we gave him, he still had a lot of energy that we had to figure out how to burn. We started taking obidience classes with Opportunity Barks at the Central Bark location, and were blown away with the size of the location and all the activities that seem readily available (large outdoor spaces and giant indoor spaces with fences, toys). I decided to look into Central Bark’s Doggie Day care, and look at a few others around town to see if any of them fit my needs.
I chose Central Bark because:
1). The website is incredibly informative and offers information on all thier services including bording, grooming, toys, prices, etc.
2). They have a schedule, which is also listed on the website. You know what your pup is doing all day. I was interested in this because as much as i like the doggie day care’s that have giant windows and you can see the dogs running around inside, central bark has activities that include rest time throughout the day. With the space being as large as it it, you know that when they say they are playing fetch with your dog, they really are.
3). They send home a report card which outlines what your dog did, who he played with, if he had any issues with food or toy possesion, and if he went to the bathroom and ate, how he acted throughout the day (was he playful or mopey), etc. It was great to see all these things and know that his behavior is monitored and that he is being a good dog!
4). He came home tired out and happy (and clean! he had a bath while he was there). Bruno was very happy to come home, lay in his bed and sleep.
My husband and I agree this is exactly the outlet he needs. We plan to take him once a week so that he can get a full day of socialization that he needs to burn off his puppy energy.

We LOVE Central Bark. My dog has been going there for 2 years now, since she was a puppy with a lot of energy. Her tail wags like crazy when we arrive and she is exhausted but happy from a full day of play when she comes home at night. ALl the staff and the owners are AMAZING with the dogs and the owners. They go out of their way with early drop offs and pick ups. We’ve utilized their boarding services and could not have been more pleased. Our dog was in great spirits when we arrived to pick her up and the cost was 50% less than our local dog walker. We recommend Central bark to everyone!

We have been taking our kooky pit mix to Central Bark in South Philly for 1 ¹⁄₂ years. She LOVES to go to Central Bark! She gets to play play play all day in a safe and fun environment, with loving staff and lots of room to run.
We also board Reese there when we go away. We know that she will come home happy and tired, having had her own vacation while we have ours. She is on special food and medication; this represents no problem for the staff. She gets to bring her favorite blankets and feel comfy overnight.

Central Bark Rocks! I’ve been taking my Shih-​tzu/​Bichon mix here for about two years since he was a puppy. We even had his 1^st birthday party here. He loves going and wimpers when we drive away. The staff is great and takes care of our fluffy children with lots of love!

We have been taking our black Lab, Penny, here every day for day care since she was a puppy. We love the new facility and separate play areas for large vs small dogs. The staff is great and we feel great about the place, security, physical safety, etc.
Penny loves going to day care to play with her friends and comes home happy and relaxed. The best place in the city especially for big or energetic dogs like ours.

Our little dog had a great visit at Central Bark today. The nice lady who groomed him did an excellent job with very little instructions, because we weren’t sure how we wanted him clipped. The location is a little tough to find and out of the way, but it seems like they have a lot of happy customers (human and canine). They can be a little slow to react on the customer service side and it might be a little more expensive than I would expect for the area (particularly the boarding and daycare costs).

We were clients at Central Bark for quite awhile. Our dogs loved going there and were exhausted when they returned home. We recommended a ton of people to join as well and always spoke highly about the company. We went to agility classes, training classes, and fundraisers.
Last summer, we went on a week long vacation and boarded both of our dogs at Central Bark. Our first day into the trip, Central Bark called to tell us that our larger dog had been seriously injured and taken to a local vet to get stitches. They were vary vague about what happened — they claimed he was «cut by the fence while laying down» and they did not notice the laceration until later in the day.
We were not satisfied with this story — why would they have such sharp parts of a fence in a play area where dogs can get seriously injured — AND, our dog isn’t really the ‘lay down and chill’ kind of dog — how do you get a major laceration by laying down next to a fence?
Halfway during our trip we sent a good friend down to the center to check on our dogs to make sure everything was okay with the stitches. He was treated very rudely by the staff. He was told that visitors at the center are strongly discouraged and was sent home. We were utterly shocked by this treatment (we had only positive communication with the staff and spoke so highly of their kindness).
We picked up our dogs and paid a regular stay bill (no discounts for the trouble and injury). Our dogs were in pretty bad shape, the ‘glue stitches’ had ripped open and we ended up having to take him back to our vet for a reexamination and stitches (All of which we paid). Additionally, our other dog was covered in feces that had been obviously caked in his fur for a few days (this also happened previously one other time during a day visit).
The owners/​staff never called us back to check on our dog to make sure he was okay. We immediately stopped using the center and we have not been back to Central Bark since.

Central Bark Doggy Day Care is far and away the best place I’ve ever left my dog. The staff are very friendly and develop meaningful relationships with all of the dogs. When I’m away for business, I routinely check on my dog and receive very thorough reports about his eating, sleeping, and who he has been playing with.
My dog becomes overjoyed when I take him here and it’s no surprise to me. This is THE place for any dog owner who wants the best for their furry friend.

So my dog Cocoa (a beagle) has been going to Central Bark for about 4 months now. I have nothing but positive things to say about this daycare for dogs!
First, the owners are great, Anthony and Portia are amazing. I work early hours, and they work with me and my schedule. Not only will they let me drop Cocoa off early, they don’t charge me extra for it! I sing their praises whenever possible.
I highly recommend Central Bark to anyone who truly loves their dog! I know my dog is in great hands during the day when I am working.
Owners are the best!!!

Central Bark makes me want to set up 100 fake Unilocal accounts so I can write 100 5-​star reviews. But, since I’m a woman of virtue, I’ll just stick to writing a 5-​star update.
I called around 7:30pm last night to inform my friends (not really friends, but if they decided I was worthy enough to be called such, I’d jump at the opportunity) at Central Bark and left the following message on their voicemailboxthing:
Hi Portia. It’s Monica. I’m so sorry for the late call, and I realize you’re not going to get this until early tomorrow morning, but I just wanted to see if it would be cool to drop Giles off around 6am? Maybe 6:30 depending on whether or not he vomits in the car on the ride over. I know you’re probably sick of these early morning drop-​offs, so I completely understand if you want to ban me from Central Bark altogether, but it’s really important and I really appreciate it and I’m sorry I’m so long-​winded. (sigh)
Fast forward to this morning at 5:50am…
I receive a call from Portia’s right hand man who informs me taking Giles at 6/6:30 will be no problem.
If ever there was a place to take your pooch, Central Bark is it.