Central Bark

Not a suitable place to have any dog, the staff do not care about correcting the dog, will allow dog to eat poop, and hump, humans and dog continuously getting hurt. Ant/roadway problem cause by dog food being left over night or even for days. "Manager" (Darby. S) is never in build when short staffed or need of her presence. They will allow active/aggress dogs in the same room without being watched.(10+ dogs) No over night even tho they have been told about the dogs breaking out.

Turn cams off for dishonest reasons. Feeds dog the wrong food! The house food is scraps from boarding that didn't eat also don't feed any lunches. Kennels/play room don't get cleaned regularly. Staff do not discuss host

My little tough nut loves this spot and the people are very cool. Check out the webcam. someone is always engaged - interacting - & quickly cleaning up after casual pees.

Great doggy daycare with super friendly and accommodating staff. They have the most affordable rate I've seen in the area and the room cameras to put my mind at ease. I would highly recommend this daycare if you are located nearby.

These guys are helpful, reliable, and have a webcam so I can see Sunny play :D

TLDR: daycare is awesome! No clue about grooming though. My husband and I like Central Bark, but our pup Cobie LOVES Central Bark. You know it's a good sign when you pull up into the driveway and your dog runs out of the car and heads downstairs to the play area. The team is so attentive and careful with their daycare. They've called us to remind us about our vaccine records. which means they actually keep track of them to keep all the dogs safe!

One time our pup had too much fun and rolled around in some poop. They graciously gave him a bath and he came back still so happy. Their webcam makes it so easy to check up on our dog during the workday. Plus their hours cannot be beat. I work long hours and this is the only daycare that works with my schedule. They're absolutely top notch, I can't say enough good things about them! This review is solely for their daycare services. I can't speak for any of their grooming stuff.

Things are not so good anymore. I have a different dog now, and had her evaluated for daycare, which she passed just fine. Loved being able to watch her on the tv cameras, and loved that the wranglers were always present to head off any problems. Unfortunately, I asked them to cut her toenails. This is a 20#, 10-month old dog who hasn't had much experience getting her nails clipped.

The first time, the groomer wasn't able to get all of the toenails because Flora wiggles too much when she's restrained. Perfectly understandable. But the second time, the manager told us that she pooped and peed while they were trying to cut her nails. He had even taken over for the groomer and tried to cut the nails. I don't know what actions took place before she defecated, but I do know it would have been a pretty traumatic experience for Flora to poop and pee.

It appears to me that someone turned this into a power struggle. We were told not to bring her back for nail clipping. Heck, we won't bring her back at all. We can't trust that their coercive style doesn't bleed over into all their interactions with the pups. I urge you folks at Central Bark to try a different manager and a different approach with dogs. The "my way or the highway" approach to dogs is cruel and outdated.

For starters they're under new ownership. A bath with a nail trim used to be $45 for our dog that is 50ish pounds. It's now $80. Nowhere on their website are the new bath prices listed and the new prices were not quoted over the phone. Shop around. There's nothing "high end" about a dog bath. Especially since the website states "We are only offering basic baths and nail grooming services at this time!". Then your prices should be basic too. Be more transparent with customers.

Quick and easy in and out. The waters nice and warm and they supply all the shampoos / dog wash. They have brushes and hair dryer. Less than 20 dollars to wash your dog.

This is my dogs' happy place! There are a lot of doggy day cares, sure, but you won't find many like this one. The staff is amazing, always so happy to see me and my boys. One of my dogs has been through a lot and he's always been very wary of people and new places. From day one, he has been overjoyed every time we arrive in the mornings and runs right in without looking back! That's a great sign for me!

I live in Lynnwood and gladly drive to down here because I KNOW my dogs are happy, they have fun and they are safe! My dogs have boarded here and been groomed as well and both experiences have always been fantastic! If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Love you guys! Apollo and Indy love you too!

My dog loves coming here for daycare, and starts getting really excited a few blocks away, "singing" in the car. The staff is very friendly and welcoming, and my dog is always tired and happy at the end of the day. Whenever we board him at Central Bark, I also really like that we can check-in on him on their webcam.

ZERO STARS. We just had a terrible experience with Central Bark and the grooming department. If you love and care about your dogs like we do, take the time to read our experience and learn to not let them be groomed by new/ incompetent people. The first time we went to central bark pre covid, it was amazing. The haircuts our dogs got (Pomeranian and Chug) were probably the best they'd ever received.

The staff (young woman at the front, young male groomer) was super friendly and helpful at the front which always makes an experience better. Today, I dropped both dogs off at 10am to be fully groomed. At 11:50am we received a phone call from the gentleman at the front desk. He STARTED out by saying "uhhh Riley isn't really cooperating with the groomer, and she doesn't really feel comfortable continuing the groom." Riley's a 10year old chug, who has been groomed a million times, and has never had a problem.

Since we've never heard anything like that before, we tried asking in more detail what was happening. What started out as him "not really cooperating" turned into, "well um we think he broke his nail or something. He's bleeding quite a bit and won't really let our groomer near him, so she doesn't feel comfortable continuing."?! *so not really cooperating actually means he's hurt and bleeding?* He then proceeded to say that they're not sure if he broke it at the grooming place, or if it was already like that.

When I dropped both dogs off with the same gentleman, everything was completely fine. So, something definitely happened under their supervision. I could not get a definite answer on the phone as to what had happened, even after he put me on hold to go ask the groomer more detail. He then said that this was just a "courtesy call" and that we wouldn't be charged for anything since he was just able to get a bath. Great.

If one makes a dog bleed (accident or not) while being groomed, I would absolutely hope a "courtesy call" would be made, this is not something that deserves a trophy. I get it. Shit happens. Sometimes we cut a nail too short and it bleeds. It happens. I'm a hair stylist; if I were to accidentally nick someone and cause bleeding, that's absolutely on me and I would tell the person right away.

I asked if the groomer was new, and she was new, which is completely fine; but then made me really start to question what had actually happened and why we weren't getting an answer. When we got to Central Bark to pick them up, we were greeted by the same gentleman I had seen earlier and spoken on the phone with. We asked for the dogs and he went to tell the groomer we were there.

They both came running out excitedly, Riley didn't seem bothered by his paw. I then started to ask what had happened and why he was bleeding. The groomer, Natalie, then went into a long speech about long nails, and brittleness, and "this happens" and on and on and on. So, Natalie had gone to trim his nail, and it then broke down to the quick. Again, shit happens, BUT TELL THE PERSON WHAT HAPPENED INSTEAD OF TRYING TO COVER IT UP AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENED.

If while on the phone the gentleman who later when asked said his name was "Frank" (he took a really long time to think of his name, so I'm not too sure if it's real or not) had said something like "we're so sorry, it looks like Riley's nail got cut a little too short and now he's having some problems with the area, so we unfortunately won't be able to continue grooming.

So sorry, we'll cover the cost of today's appointment." That would've been great! Obviously not awesome my dogs nail is bleeding, but thanks for letting us know; Instead of trying to blame it on something else, and hinting that we had done something beforehand. "Frank" then denied that he had said what he said on the phone, literally telling me and fiance both to our faces that "he never said any of that" which is a complete lie.

We obviously weren't going to get anywhere with "Frank" and very young and very new Natalie was not going to budge on the fact that she'd simply cut his nail too short. Knowing this, I started to ask for a manager or owner of some kind- When asking for the managers information, he said he was the temporary manager. When I then asked for the owners information, he said "nah I'm not giving you that." We ended up having to take Riley to the vet immediately, where they had to remove his entire toenail.

The vet tech said the nail had tried to have been cut and then broke all the way up to the quick. They couldn't cut any more, so they took it off. It's a bummer that happened. It's an even bigger bummer how the staff at Central Bark handled the situation. Please don't lie to your customers after injuring an animal, just admit the mistake.

It makes you look extremely unprofessional. We have tried to get in contact with the owner, and will continue to try until we're able to express our experience with "Frank" and Natalie.

The new groomer here is terrible. They weren't up to grooming my dog, who is admittedly a high anxiety dog and difficult as a long-haired husky, but they should have just said as much. When they called to complain at me the first time, I should have listened to my instincts and gone back for her right away, and I'm kicking myself about that now.

Instead I get a second call hours later insisting that she must be shaved and arrive to find awful bruising on her side. Paid about $200 for the privilege of a shaved and injured husky. Never going back.

Love this place! The staff is attentive & welcoming & always happy to give me an update on how playtime went. My dog loves coming here, and he's tired and happy when he gets home.

It has taken me a while to write this but I think it's important to know. My dog went to Central Bark twice for grooming. The first time was great, cut was perfect and he smelled wonderful. The second time I picked him up the cut was alright. When we got in the car o noticed that he reeked of urine. I was moving so I couldn't go back right then but I called numerous times that afternoon and left several messages.

I had to wash him again as soon as we got home because the smell was so strong, $70 literally down the drain. When I finally got a return call they said they weren't sure why he smelled like urine but assumed he urinated in the crate after being groomed. My dog is an adult and has been potty trained and crate trained for years so that doesn't make much sense. They offered a slight discount at his next appointment but who would bring their dog back and actually pay anything after an experience like that.

My dog has been going to boarding at Central Bark for years. He loves this place. He gets so excited when pulling up, sprints inside, and quickly heads to the play area. I've always found the staff attentive and caring. Never had a problem, except my pup comes home very tired (a great problem to have)! Thanks to these guys, I travel without worry.

I went today to give my 62 pound goldendoodle a bath! They do self wash which is great for those of us with big dogs but as soon as I walked it - the place reeked of dog pee. I was already there so I figured I'd give it a shot! The front desk lady was very kind and brought me right to the back when I requested a self wash. The bathtub itself was kinda dirty but they had an elevated slip mat in the tub which at least meant my dog wouldn't be in filthy water.

They have a cool spray that does shampoo and water so it's quicker, but I was bummed that there was no conditioner. The water hose after the shampoo wash was pretty powerful but it was hard to adjust strength level and have warm water, so my dog was shivering a bit at times while I was rinsing him. I went for the towels to dry my dog off before I dried him with a blow dryer but a lot of the towels faintly smelled like pee.

My hand also mysteriously smelled like pee (?) so I just opted to forget the towels and use the dryer. Their high powered dryer helped dry my doodle super fast which meant that it worked really well! At the end, it was $25. I got my receipt and left but when I doubled checked I remember looking at the board and thinking that it said $22 (which is also the price online).

I realized the extra charge was because he was considered an "extra long haired dog" but I didn't know that a doodle with a short cut is considered extra long haired. Overall, I was slightly unsatisfied with the cleanliness and the extra charge, but if you're looking for a no frills place for a self dog wash, definitely come here. Personally, I'd rather drive a bit further and go somewhere that has shampoo + conditioner options and doesn't smell like pee.

And here for basic bath and no complaints. Easy, flexible and good value. We will return!

I take my schnoodle here for her biannual haircuts. I tried grooming her at home, but it took forever and it turned out really ugly. At that point, I understood why dog grooming is so expensive. I like that she gets to stay in the grooming room after the service is done because she gets really anxious around other dogs. Something must have happened with other dogs when she was on the streets before she was picked up by the animal rescue. Anyway, this place lets you leave your dog there the whole day after grooming without additional charge, which is great because I work full-time and can't get to her until after work. Other places charge for this, making everything twice as expensive. Anyway, definitively going to continue supporting this place!

My dog got irritated skin as seen in pictures and no help afterwards. Since the grooming, my dog has been acting weird. Itching everywhere, throwing his tongue out, licking himself all night (I woke up couple times at night due to his self licking), and running around weirdly. My understanding is that the shortest haircut request caused the blade reach his skin too close.

The person I spoke with wanted me to wait until their groomer came back after 2 days. I WON'T recommend this place for grooming. But I know their day care is good (that's why I was referred by a friend).

The last day I took my (very gentle) dog here, after I picked him up I noticed he was hurt and found multiple bite wounds. Staff never said anything to me, so I never went back. Either my dog was left unsupervised with some aggressive dog(s), or the first rule of doggie daycare fight club is "don't talk about doggie daycare fight club."

People in charge are great- staff has been friendly and astute to my dog's needs. Hours are fantastic. Star is knocked because services are a bit pricy, and add-on services are $$$$. Though at least for the price- I cannot argue w the services (dog grooming, etc) being high-quality. Dog got groomed here and it was the best cut he's ever had. Also, what it lacks in the price department they make up for in the convenience department and great staff. Web cam for doggie viewing is cool feature but I have yet to ever see my dog.

The upstairs playroom for little dogs needs a broader view. My rescue has been needing socialization and they done a great job helping him get to that point where he's comfortable w other dogs and people.

Update. I decreased my rating from 2 stars to 1 star due to this business basically cyber stalking me. I understand that they want another chance to make things right, and usually I am the kind of person to give people 2nd chances, but seriously if you really wanted to get in touch with me try calling me and talking to me in person(They claim they did, but I never got any voicemails).

I obviously did not want to respond to what seemed to me a rude reply from the owner back-handedly saying that everything was my fault yet I should give them another chance. I wasnt sure about my waste bag dispenser so I said in my initial review the key word "might" have taken it off the leash. As to giving you another chance? No way! Not now. You charged way too much for a service that I could have done myself, I am not convinced that you even bathed my dog, and I am not wasting my entire day for a re-groom that should have been done right the first time.

I would describe myself as easy going and easy to please and I was willing to just let this go. But I cannot sit here and let you go about doing business like this. Is the customer always right? No! But you will win more business (and get your customers back) by just apologizing and a few simple words "How can we make it better?". Thats all I wanted and I would have gladly come back.

Central bark has taken great care of my pup! I have a Siberian Husky who has been kicked out of other daycares (CityDog) and Central Bark is better and has been less expensive. If you're looking for a good daycare or boarding Central Bark is great!

UPDATE: My dog's been going here for the last couple months, and he loves it! My initial impression was right: the staff are great, and really seem to enjoy their jobs. The webcams are awesome--if I'm stuck at work and can't play with him, I love seeing him run around and playing with the other dogs & getting lots of attention from humans! One important thing to know: this daycare doesn't have isolation capability for dogs not yet rabies vaccinated, post-surgery, etc. Plan accordingly.

My Pit bull Jamaica boards here when I travel. It is a very nice place and the front desk staff is very nic, e reassuring, and professional. All of the staff I have met has been amazing. Jamaica runs into Central Bark to stay, which was a shock. She likes it, I have to admit my feeling where a bit hurt. Of course she loves being picked up, if you have to leave your dog this is a great place.

I have boarded Jamaica at another place and she was traumatized. She still cries even when we drive by that place. It is quite the opposite at Central Bark she runs in and runs out when mom picks her up. I highly recommend Central Bark for boarding. They Rock!

I took my shihtzu poodle here shortly after adopting him. His previous owners hadn't groomed him or cut his nails in god knows how long. His hair was matted, and I warned the groomer that he suffers from anxiety and will likely be very nervous. They called me several hours later and stated that they had to go very slow as he was super combative (but not aggressively so - just scared).

She warned me that his cut wasn't very cute as they had to go really short due to the matting. All of this was fine. I paid the $70 and took my dog home. A month goes by. I notice he's licking his paw. The groomer didn't cut one of his nails and it was now almost imbedded in his paw (this is hard to see because of how dark he is). Why didn't she tell me this?!?!

I understand he was difficult, but a quick "by the way I couldn't cut all his nails due to his behavior" would have been great so I could promptly get his nails cut elsewhere. My dog was in discomfort because of this place. I'll be taking him elsewhere simply based on the fact that they neglected to tell me something that I think is pretty important

This is a grooming review. I used to love Central Bark! I have two dogs. The oldest one has been getting groomed there for nearly five years. When I took my new Poodle puppy to get a groom, the groomer gave her a Bichon cut! I live really far away and drove all the way there to give them my business. The manager wasn't prompt in returning my phone calls, and when I did reach her, she took the groomer's side and made me feel invalidated.

I brought the dog all the way back to Seattle so her haircut could be fixed. I had to take time off from work! Extremely inconvenient. They didn't even apologize! I would have at least appreciated some token of consolation. $100 total for two dogs plus five years of business went unacknowledged. I wonder if they're under new management. I never had problems when Cutty worked there. Terrible customer service. Needless to say, I haven't been back since. Took my business elsewhere. You lost a loyal customer. I let all my friends know as well!

Strange. My earlier review has "disappeared". I shall repost. Saturday 07/13/2013 Just got off the phone with C.B. manager in the Central District area. They do not stand behind their work. Was told I could bring my dog in today to have a bad cut/groom ( done there ) but, there would be an added charge. We have been there many times & spent hundreds of $$$ on; boarding, self baths, & grooming. Now, we have to pay extra to correct their bad cut?

The staff is always nice, not the issue, everything runs fine as long as there is no problem. Pay extra? Not gonna happen, ALL of our business will be moved to somewhere that stands behind their services. Update: 07/17/2013 Head groomer called to let me know they would fix the cut by any groomer of my choice, free of charge. While that is a nice gesture, I turned it down.

Too late, at this point it's a trust issue. If a real problem arose what would they do if anything? I love my dogs & wish to protect them best I can. I will save this & repost as many times as needed if it "disappears" again.

This place is great! My dog gets so very excited to go to daycare. I love that they are open seven days a week with lots of pricing options! The employees are always polite and helpful. The web cam is a great way to check on the pups. They do a great job!