Bark Chicago

I volunteer with Greyhounds Only, a local rescue organization. Many of the dogs awaiting adoption in our program are boarded at Bark, so many of us have had a lot of experience with Bark and its personnel. The kennel is clean, the personnel love the dogs and are fastidious about their care. The dogs get a lot of activity and socialization. I would happily entrust my own dogs to Bark’s care.

I’ve used BARK Chicago quite a few times for boarding over the past 1 ½ years. Although there have been a few issues, I overlooked them because my dogs enjoyed it and the staff is friendly. However, I will not be taking them back because both of my dogs caught kennel cough from their stay this past weekend (Merry Christmas!).
Do you want your dogs to come home sick like this after a stay at BARK? Both videos taken yesterday evening:


My two dogs, who were up to date on all of their vaccines, were boarded at BARK from ¹²⁄₂₀ through ¹²⁄₂₄. The drop off service dropped them off at my home on ¹²⁄₂₄. When I got home around 10pm, one of my dogs was coughing a little bit (I didn’t think much of it, thought he was just over excited). That little, sporadic cough progressed to coughing large amounts of mucus and fluid all over my couches/​carpet after 2 days. We took him to the vet first thing yesterday morning. He was diagnosed with kennel cough and was given medication. Last night, my other dog began to show signs of kennel cough, so the vet also prescribed him medication. I have spent about $ 150 in vet bills/​medication. Not to mention my boys are both miserable. Poor babies.
I immediately emailed BARK yesterday and received a phone call today disclaiming responsibility because no one saw my dogs coughing and no one else has reported sick dogs. Well, he was coughing when I got home a few hours after you dropped him off, and he immediately got sick after staying there. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he got sick at the BARK facility. They did not offer to take care of any of the vet bills or even offer a credit toward a future stay as a good faith gesture. Although that is poor customer service in my opinion, it is about the principle of the matter, not the money. My dogs should not get terribly sick after staying at a $ 70/​night «luxury» boarding facility.
This wasn’t the first time one of my dogs has been sick after an overnight stay at BARK. In Oct. 2012, one of them came home with a bacterial eye infection, which required another expensive doctor’s visit and eye drops.
In sum, I strongly recommend that you do not take your four-​legged loved ones to BARK. If you are considering going there, just watch the videos posted above that I took yesterday of both of my dogs suffering with kennel cough. That should make the decision easy enough for you.

POOPED!
As in DONE, and not fecal-​related (but see how I did that?).
Our little guys love Bark Chicago and all the handlers there. So much that they come back home with… absolutely NOTHING left. We’ve got two small dogs, one who’s barely a year old and the other who’s pushing retirement at 13 years.
The people who work there love our guys, and take good care of them. The handlers there are really good with our guys, and if its any sign of how they might be with your dogs and cats, then I really wouldn’t worry.
The owner Jennifer was there, busy and working on the phone, taking last minute reservations, but still made the time to talk to me about our pups.
Carmela is great with the dogs and gave me a report on how they had been.
Julie was accommodating as I came in last minute with no reservation and had to leave them in an emergency overnight.
There’s a webcam so you can see what type of dirty doggy sex party my guys might start when they think I’m not watching. They got wise though and seemed to dodge the camera in the end. But it really looks like the other dogs are happy, and basically… PLAY ALL DAY.
It’s all day recess for your kids, people! So that when they come home, all they want to do is be sweet and nice… and CALM. After a long day of work, that’s what my wife cherishes. Me, I like to get them riled up, but unfortunately my two 18lb guys have more energy in the tank than I do.
That’s why we love Bark Chicago. It’s summer camp for our dogs, and the counselors there are really caring, thoughtful and attentive to every single animal there. Think about it. Sometimes they have over 50 dogs there. That’s impressive… and work.
What strikes me is that the staff seems to love their job, which instills my trust in them as a company.
Good job Bark Chicago.

I actually heard about this place when I stopped by to checkout Meeow Chicago to get my kitty groomed. They took me for an on-​the-​spot tour and the place was so CLEAN it didn’t even smell like there were dogs in there! The girls were so friendly and genuinely knew each of the dogs that were there. I boarded Lola (my yorkie) and Joey (my persian) that weekend for a night when my boyfriend and I spent a night downtown. The next day they were clean, snuggly and we were all very happy:) They even invited us to their Howl-​o-​ween Social at the end of the month! We’ll DEFINITELY be back!

If only there were ZERO stars…
Why would anyone trust this woman who displays no customer service or professionalism with their pets? I called to inquire about her services, indicating the amount I currently pay at a competitor. She was incapable of doing basic math and even providing a quote. When she finally did, it made no sense, and eventually she said «yes, you should probably stay at [competitor]!» Following that, she hung up. I can certainly find a better place to spend nearly $ 1,000 a month!
You couldn’t pay ME to send my babies to this rude woman.

Our huskies Ka Ge and Mi Na are repeat customers at Bark Chicago. I work in the Loop so I find their location on Lake St. to be very convenient for doggy daycare. I have never had to wait very long whenever I’ve dropped them off early morning, which is a relief since I’m usually in a rush. Jennifer and her staff are very professional and courteous. She even remembers our dogs since she’s seen them since they were little. I always get nervous when I entrust our dogs to others, but I know that Ka Ge and Mi Na will have tons of fun and lots of play time when they hang out at Bark. They love it!

We’ve taken our dogs here for grooming several times and they always do a wonderful job. One of our dogs is a cocker spaniel, and lucky for us, one of the groomers shows cocker spaniels so our dog always comes out looking like a supermodel. I love the fact that the dogs get to stay in «playcare» while they wait to be groomed, instead of a cage.
Last weekend, we boarded them here for the first time ever. We were both super worried because our dogs have never been boarded before. Luckily, they both had an excellent time. Bark Chicago has a webcam that you can log into at any time while you are gone so you can watch your dog play, which is a nice option for worrywarts like me. Apparently our dogs had so much fun that they weren’t even that excited to see me when I picked them up. Either that, or they were mad at me for leaving them alone for so long :(
Both dogs got groomed during their stay (this cost extra) and their blankets and beds were washed before I picked them up (this was free). The staff was very friendly and didn’t hesitate to answer any questions I had. I highly recommend this place for both boarding and grooming.

I actually called Bark Chicago without reading the Unilocal reviews which is uncommon for me. But I’m certainly glad I didn’t read them because it probably would have dissuaded me from using Bark. I say this because although Unilocal and other social media have allowed people to become informed consumers it can also be skewed, understanding that most people write about bad experiences rather than good. Not to discount the ill favored reviews that people have wrote because I know when it comes to the care of my dog I can be extremely protective. I can’t speak about the boarding services since luckily I’ve never had to board my dog, but the grooming I received on my 15 year old dog was stellar.
My senior dog Remedy hasn’t been groomed in awhile because it can be too traumatic to take him to the groomer. The car ride and the waiting that can occur are too much for him so I’ve been trying to do it myself but it’s obvious he needs a more thorough grooming.
So when I found out about mobile spa grooming I was very pleased. Jennifer was extremely gracious and accommodating. And thankfully she was was nonjudgmental about Remedy’s lack of grooming even though his undercoat was out of control.
Jennifer was professional and it was obvious that she loves dogs and what she does. It was comforting to know that Remedy was right in front of the house instead of waiting in a cage at groomer with barking dogs and other noises that can unnerve the pooches. It took about an hour and man, she is a miracle worker because Remedy came out softer, fluffier and shiner than he’s ever been. He’s extremely fussy about this feet and she dealt with it like a pro, obviously realizing that he’s a sucker for treats. She also had a «senior» belt that helped aid the older dogs who have weaker hips.
The minus one star is only because it’s a bit pricey but I was thankful that Jennifer didn’t try to coax me into making an appointment for next month. She said that I should call in about three months and gave great advice on how he could be groomed for the summer months. She is very knowledgeable and caring. And truthfully, I think it was well worth it. The ease of just walking my dog out front to get such a great grooming is fantastic. I will certainly use Bark Chicago again.

Oh, Bark Chicago. Where to even start?!
I first learned of Bark a week after adopting my puppy, Sebastian. I had come home from work to find an EVER so friendly note from my neighbors (insert sarcasm here) that my little guy was barking CONSTANTLY (in bold, capital letters, HIGHLIGHTED in pink marker!) during the day while I was gone. At the recommendation of a fellow neighborhood dog owner, I made an appointment to check out Bark the next morning. The owner, Jennifer, spent two hours talking with me – fast forward three months and Sebastian has found his home-​away-​from home.
It’s really the little things that differentiate Bark from the others – a few examples. (1) staff members that take the time to work on and reinforce training and establish good puppy behavior, (2) quality over quantity – my pup gets to play all day because enrollment is monitored so that EVERY dog gets appropriate attention and supervision – if your dog is just ‘standing around’ he might as well be at home, (3) updates on his day, like finding out he lost a puppy tooth yesterday!, (4) CAMERAS – seriously, you’d be crazy to trust a place that won’t install them – it’s nice to be able to pop online once or twice a day and see what my little guy is up to, (5) naptime (he loooves to play but he’s still a puppy and the staff is GREAT about making sure those growing joints/​bones get some down time, (6) SPABark… amazing…the list goes on and on.
And, as far as customers go, I’m pretty difficult. I’m overworked, sleep deprived, unorganized, absent minded and bordering on «hot mess» status. Plus, I’m pretty protective of my little guy, Sebastian. More than one morning I have shown up in pajama bottoms with curlers in my hair and a sleepy puppy. And every single time I’m met with the same response – «Go to work, we’ve got it.» Knowing that I don’t have to worry about my dog barking or chewing while I’m work is a massive relief. Better still, I don’t feel the least bit guilty-​Sebastian gets exactly what he needs – plenty of socialization, cuddles and even naps when he needs them! He comes home happy, tired and cuddly.
Bottom line – As a single lady with a pretty demanding job there is no way I could have a dog if I didn’t have Bark — they are amazing and I can’t recommend this place enough.

Four starts four the way they treat the animals – we have always been happy with that, and we think they do a good job. Zero stars for service /​honesty. We have had problems now twice with over billing (charged for picking up late when we didn’t etc.). We used them again after the first time because we think they treat the dogs well, but this will be it for us. The owner, Jennifer, is extremely defensive and unpleasant to deal with when there are «situations». If you have a «situation» /​«complaint» about this place, and need to deal with management about it, you are going to have a really unpleasant experience that will leave you upset. So, bottom line, go elsewhere.

My husband and I have been taking our dogs to Bark Chicago for the last 3 years. Although the customer service has never been stellar, the dogs have always seemed generally happy when leaving and extremely tired from all the play.
Recently our 6 month old puppy was bit on the face by another dog while being boarded for a weekend. After speaking with the owner of BARK it became apparent that the dog has had issues with aggression in the past. My question is why there was an aggressive dog placed in the same area as my puppy? If a dog is known to be aggressive they should not be placed in the same area as other dogs. I understand «dogs will be dogs», but dogs don’t draw blood unless they are trying to injure. We pay BARK to supervise and ensure our dogs are safe and taken care of, this did not occur. In defense of BARK they did take care of the initial vet costs (the owner of the aggressive dog had credits on the account). However, complications from the bite cost us hundreds of dollars in follow-​up care. We contacted BARK for reimbursment and the owner became extremely defensive and condesending. She began to argue that the we did not know how to properly care for the puppy’s wound and the complications were due to our negligence. On the contrary we followed the veternarian’s instructions 100% and complications still arose.
My husband and I have both worked in the business world for some time and have never experienced anything so unprofessional. You would think a small business owner would do what it takes to ensure customer satifaction.
Personally I do not feel safe leaving my dogs at BARK any longer and will be taking my business elsewhere.

Let me start out by saying that this is going to be the hardest Unilocal review that I have yet to write. However, I feel as though the dog-​loving public has a right to read about both the positive and negative experiences that I have had regarding Bark. It is quite a shame that this negative experience had to happen because I was one of Bark’s most outspoken proponents. I work very closely w/​many national breed-​specific rescues and frequently perform home visits all over Chicago (sometimes a few a weekend!). When asked which daycare/​boarding facilities I trust my dogs to, I would always say Bark. Now I won’t. I no longer will be tooting Barks proverbial «dog whistle.» Here is why (feel free to grab a glass of wine or scotch, you might be reading for a bit…)
I recently went away for the weekend with my boyfriend. I needed to board Grover + Telly (my 2ish year old rescue shih tzu mixes) from Saturday to Monday. I was told I could drop the kids off at noon on Saturday and pick them up around 7am on Monday. Perfect! I made the reservation over the phone on a weekday around 3pm and they actually answered. Usually I would get the answering machine, which I’m totally fine w/​because there was no emergency and they always called back within 24 hrs. So, all was set for a great weekend mini-vacay…or so I thought.
I arrived at Bark around 1215pm on Saturday. I was in great spirits… after all, this was my kids «happy place!» I rang the doorbell… no answer. At first, this was no biggie. I walked the kids around to do their business and rang the bell again a few minutes after. Again, no answer. This stuck me as weird… they always answered within a few minutes because it was my understanding that someone was ALWAYS up front w/​the special needs dogs (one of which would be my puppy mill rescue Telly). I thought to myself, «well maybe there aren’t any dogs up front… it’s probably a slow weekend.» WRONG. I peeked into the front room and saw 4 or 5 dogs up there. One pup was even at the wooden gate barking to let an employee know that someone was outside. At this point in time, it has been about 10 minutes and I have rung the bell 4 – 5 times AND called their main number twice. I noticed the sign on the door with the emergency phone number on it. GREAT! I know that the employees are supposed to carry this with them everywhere they go so there is always a way to get a hold of someone if they are not in the front area. So, I called it… and guess what… no answer. Now it has been 15 minutes. I am starting to panic. This is unacceptable. I then shouted over the outside fence. Nothing. 20 minutes go by. I called the emergency number again and left a message for Jennifer, the owner (who has always been friendly and helpful in the past). I basically stated that this was unacceptable having to wait outside when I was told to bring my dog in at a specific time and that there were dogs left unattended in the front (which again, was where my Telly was going to be) and that I was going to take my dogs elsewhere to board because I felt uncomfortable leaving them there. Guess what… she never received that message (so I found out when I called to discuss the situation on Monday). Just as we were about to leave and go somewhere else, thus postponing our vacation, a girl showed up at the front door. I had no idea who she was.
At this point I am shaking because my dogs are my kids and I’m pretty apprehensive about leaving them there. The girl didn’t apologize. Where the heck was she for 20 minutes WITHOUT the phone??? When I asked if someone else was there she said there was a guy in the back monitoring the large playroom but then she said that someone would be coming in soon… well, which one was it? The camera’s that show the different play areas on a tv up front were not working so I couldn’t see what was going on behind closed doors. I had to «trust» her… and my gut was not feeling too trusting at this point.
The girl seemed all over the place, come to find out she is new and was sick (per the conversation I had w/​the owner on Monday… which I will soon get to… keep drinking…). I ended up leaving the kids at Bark and as soon as I got into the car I began to cry. Sob. What did I just do? I had to trust in the fact that they have boarded at Bark numerous times and come back happy, but as Sarah M. states in her review «In all honesty, my dog is happy pretty much anywhere, and in the dog care business, it’s important to have good relationships with owners. My dog doesn’t have a credit card, I do! I don’t need to be pampered, just treated like a customer.» I was not feeling well.
All weekend I expected a call from Jennifer explaining the unfortunate situation. After all, she would call me during my other boarding stays to let me know that everything was going OK. No call. Apparently she didn’t get my message. Did that new girl erase it?

I’ve used their Mobile Spa services which is ok if you want your dog to smell like a perfume bottle for 3 days for $ 90. The mobile spa woman was nice but overly excited, which is not how to calm dogs down before a bath and nail clipping. The owner, I feel, cares little about people so I wonder how much she could care about animals.

We’ve been sending our dog to Bark Chicago twice a week for the past six months – she loves it there and we couldn’t be happier with Bark.
Carmella picks up our little circus monkey in the morning and brings her home in the afternoon. She and Carmella are best friends – she runs straight into her arms when Carmella arrives. When she’s dropped off, she’s exhausted – it takes her a full day to recover.
We love Bark because they give our dog a healthy outlet to play and socialize. The transportation option makes it so convenient. We can’t say enough about Bark! Special thanks to Carmella!

I took my dog here once for grooming. The outside of BARK looks a bit scummy, but they’ve recently put up a new sign. The interior is identical to many Chicago 2-​flats, which is nice! The dogs are in what feels like a real home.
They kept the big dogs separated from the little dogs. Even the largest dogs there seemed very friendly and gentle.
They were helpful when it came to getting my new puppy groomed and offering suggestions on foods that would be better for him. The prices on their website were far cheaper than what I ended up being charged and I’m not sure why. My dog didn’t have that long of hair, was clean and not matted… I was disappointed by their fee.
I haven’t boarded or had any other services from Bark Chicago.

I’m updating my review after speaking to the owner regarding my visit. When she called, she informed me that there is a big, bright sign on the front of the door with a number to call if noone answers the door. While I can’t say that this was or wasn’t the case, I told her that if it was there, I apologize because I didn’t see it. She offered us a free weekend of boarding for the troubles. While this was very nice, I also feel that if there was a separate number to be called, she should have let us know this when we spoke to her just 3 hours before we showed up. Anyway, after speaking to her, she emailed my husband and I am posting the exact email. I think she is exaggerating a bit about me apologizing «over and over» and saying it was «no big deal».
The email:
«Im emailing to discuss the horrible review that you posted about BARK on
…to say the LEAST Im extremely disappointed that your view & what actually happened are not the same… Your wife stated to me today on the phone that she failed to see the phone number posted on the door for her to call if someone was not upfront and apologized over and over for this! My staff would NEVER just not answer the door. if they did they wouldnt have jobs! My other disappointment is that I called and offerred you guys a complimentary weekend stay because I realized you did loose $ due to the miscommunication & actions on BOTH parts and you still posted this review.
Im requesting you remove this horrible review or at least make it more appropriate as to what actually happened. I am a small business owner, this job feeds my daughter and I. without BARK we would be on the streets and BELIEVE ME my staff are getting the 460 about it and Im pulling the cameras to find out exactly what time your wife arrived and what staff were here so this doesnt happen in the future! Im really really sorry… I do understand what a disappointment this was. according to your wife it was no big deal, but seeing your review tells me otherwise…
Anticipating your response… Jennifer/​OWNER BARK Chicago, Inc.

Avoid Bark Chicago (Lake Street location)! Very unprofessional customer service. For my puppy’s first visit, we were asked to pick him up because he cried too much. They knew we were out of town and this was impossible. He was tranquilized without our permission (found this out after a vet visit), and it took him three days to return to his normal self.
So why we would try to return, I guess for the convenience. Over the phone we attempted to make an appointment. we were told to call back at 2:30. They blocked our phone number and never answered.
A professional way to handle this matter: «Sorry folks our facilities can not accommodate your type of dog.»

I’m actually pretty surprised the reviews are as mixed as they are, we’ve always had a great experience here. We just left Chicago, and saying goodbye to the people here was a sad day. The staff is great!
Our dog (a Boston with WAY too much energy) loved it here, she got excited just driving by the place. The play areas seemed adequately sized for the numbers of dogs I typically saw, in the summer they offer «field trips» to take the dogs swimming, which our dog loved as well.
We did board as well here, and I’d be willing to bet after a day of playing, our dog just slept.
I can’t recommend Bark enough.

We boarded our pets at Bark Chicago for a week while went on vacation (on the recommendation of a coworker). When we returned, we noticed that one of the dogs had a large bald spot on her belly from where her hair was so badly matted that it pulled her hair out. Our other dog had a similar, but smaller spot behind his ear. These mats did not exist when we dropped them off at the facility, and when I emailed them about my concern, the response was very dissatisfying. We will not be returning to this facility.
Email correspondence with the owner follows:
On 7÷1÷07, Jennifer wrote:
Im so sorry, but somehow on the 1^st of July all doggie baths that were to be given by the computer expired! So your pups did not get their complimentary bath! I will put it on your account for the next time you come! Its on us!
Im so sorry again!
Jennifer
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: We owe your pups a bath!
Jennifer,
Thank you for following up. They did actually get their baths; however, we were rather dismayed to see the condition of their fur when we got them home. Ella had a large patch of skin under her right front leg where the hair was so matted that it had pulled hair out from this area. Murphy has a bald spot behind one of his ears from the hair matting so badly and pulling hair out.
On 7÷2÷07, Jennifer wrote:
well we didnt schedule them for grooms… for baths they are just that «basic» baths… if you need them groomed by a groomer to get mats out that has to be arranged… Jennifer
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 7:51 PM
Subject: Re: We owe your pups a bath!
My concern is that these mats formed while they were in the care of Bark Chicago — they weren’t matted when we dropped them off a week ago, nor have we ever experienced such matting while they were boarded at any other facility. Based on this experience, will not be returning to Bark Chicago.
From: Jennifer
Well Im sorry that you feel that way. 2 mats from a dog playing and outside in pools is a little «picky» I think when it comes to overall care of your dog! I will forward this on to the rest of my staff! Maybe its because your dogs actually got to PLAY at BARK! Unlike other places who tell you they do!
Best of luck!
*********
I do not think it is too «picky» to expect that my pets come back to me in the same shape that they were in when they left me. When we dropped them off at Bark Chicago, they did not have huge mats in their fur, and they definitely did not have bald spots from the hair being pulled out as a result of these large mats. In my opinion, someone at Bark Chicago should have noticed these very obvious mats forming, and at least contacted me to see if I wanted them groomed. Had I been given the opportunity, I would have paid the extra money to have them groomed, and the mats removed, so they didn’t get so bad that they pulled hair out. But, I wasn’t given that opportunity. Nor did I receive any sort of apology for the poor care that my dogs received. In fact, all I received was the very defensive response posted above.
I will never take my dogs back to Bark Chicago, and I have told all of my dog-​loving friends of my experience — including the friend who recommended Bark Chicago. I would never recommend Bark Chicago to anyone.

The pupster by no means enjoys visiting Bark because it means we’re taking off for the weekend or perhaps a bit longer. But we know she’s in good hands when we leave her at Bark. My fiancé has met most of the people who work here, but so far I’ve only met Chris. Summer (our pup) loves him!
It’s $ 40 a night, which adds up pretty fast on longer trips, but money well spent to ensure our dog is being taken care of.
And they make it easy… reservations can be made online within seconds, then just drop off the pup during the scheduled time, and pick her/​him up when you return.
And the extra $ 25 is worth spending for a bath before you take the pupster home… Summer has come home pretty smelly from here!