The Barking Lot

Barking Lot is amazing! I bring my HYPER Border Collie in a couple days a week for daycare and he loves it! Just say, «Knox Barking Lot?» and he loses it! I’ve but him up for boarding while away on vacation twice, as well. I know he’s having his own vacation and being well cared for: D the prices are very fair, and the toy/​treat selection is great.

I used to drop my dog there whenever I had to be out of town and couldn’t bring him with me. I used their services 3 times. The 4^th time, he came home with a HUGE bruise on the back of his neck (at the emotion of seeing me and paying the bill and getting him out of there, I didn’t see it until I got home). It was dried blood, which means it has been there for a while.
Now every time I take him for a walk, he’s really aggressive towards other dogs. He was never like that, if anything he was always very shy around other pups. It’s very upsetting and I’m never dropping him off there ever again.
ETA: I’m not upset he got hurt, as I believe things happen. I’m upset he got hurt to the point of having a huge scab on the back of his neck still (it’s been almost a month). I’m upset that no one mentioned anything to me (which makes me believe no one was even watching him, so they probably didn’t even notice he was hurt). And I’m upset because now I have a dog that hates other dogs and I’ll probably have to spend money to get a trainer.

I got a summer job working full time M-​F 40 mins from home. I needed a dog care facility that would be in the town where I was working and would be easy to drop off right before work in the early morning and picked up before the 40 minute drive home.
The staff was warm, friendly, and really loves animals! Sadie, my black lab, was always excited going there which you could tell by her wagging tail, pushing the door open, and licking the staff. When I would pick her up she was happy and that was the first time she was worn out! I would get home and she would take a big nap before dinner. After the first week she would come home behaving better and was in perfect shape! The staff helped me pick out a better dog food that would help support Sadie and her active lifestyle.
Every time I dropped her off I felt that she was safe, well cared for, and loved. Especially on her last day everyone was sad to see her go and she got a good-​bye gift. Last week when I was in a crunch I had a family member drop her off and Sadie and her new sister Minnie had a great day! I was running late and called and they waited for me to get there before closing! This November I plan on boarding Sadie and Minnie there and I trust they will have another great experience.

DO NOT BRING YOUR PETS HERE! When I was in the hospital giving birth to my baby I trusted this place with our two dogs and what we ended up with was: one dog was attacked by another dog while he was boarded there and spent a week at the ER Vet and our other dog came home sick and we had to put him to sleep 4 days later. I’m an understanding person and know things can happen but when I talked to people about our experience there I was shocked to hear what they had to say: Basically what I heard was they take in too many dogs and they have a younger/​inexperienced staff which could both explain why our dogs weren’t being monitored properly. Someone should have noticed a decline in the one dogs health and mood. Someone should have also been paying attention when my other dog was supposedly being walked and attacked. All I can think is that there were too many dogs around?! Long story short, you cannot trust your dogs health or safety here! Just look at the reviews, the only positive ones were over a year ago and anything new is negative, just sayin’.

We have been taking our dog Lucy, a beagle, to the barking lot in Deerfield for several years. Lucy goes tonday care once a week and we board her
a couple of times a year when we travel. She loves to go there. She has always gotten great care and she knows and runs to the staff. I can’t say enough good things about Matt, Dani and the staff in Deerfield.

Had to take my dog to the vet after my first visit. Groomer irritated the skin while expressing the anal glands and left material that still needed to be expressed. Matting still found on the ears and nails were barely clipped but not even filed. I would say the place is nice but groomer doesn’t pay attention to detail and missed a lot.

If I could give this place negative stars I would. Brought my 2 slightly older but otherwise healthy dogs here when my Wife went into labor. A few days after dropping them off I got a phone call that 1 of my dogs had been attacked by another dog on his evening walk and was at the ER Vet. He spent approximately 8 days there. I found it odd that he was being walked with another dog because their website stated (used to at least) that each dog was walked individually. I also found it odd that our 1^st dog was not walked with our 2^nd dog. When I went to pick up our 2^nd dog 3 days after our first dog was attacked I was told that he had some loose stool but was otherwise fine. They brought him out and he could barely walk. He immediately laid down at my feet and I had to help him up and lift him into the car (wasn’t that way when he arrived). Over the course of the next 4 days our 2^nd dog saw our regular vet and the ER Vet. His internal organs were inflamed and I was told that it was most likely a virus. Only place he could have picked up this virus was the Barking Lot as he was fine when he got there. After trying multiple meds, IV’s and an ultrasound he continued to go downhill rapidly and we had to make the decision to put him to sleep. We never got a call from the Barking Lot to check on how either of our dogs were doing. Going back to why was our 1^st dog walked without our 2^nd dog? Was it because our 2^nd dog was already sick and he could go out for the walk? Did the caregivers choose to ignore or do nothing? Did the caregivers not see that he was ill? All I know is that if you bring your pet (s) here you are rolling the dice with their health and in our case their life.

So on the day we were leaving on vacation the Barking Lot informs us that they have an outbreak of Kennel Cough or something, and we could cancel or if our dog had a problem they would take care of it. So wre get home and are charged $ 150 for a vet to give antibiotics, for something our dog caught at the Barking Lot. I don’t think we should be charged at all, and if we are $ 150 is definitely outrageous. Also can’t get a return call from management to talk to them. And haircut was not done as requested. They could have called us at some point, she was there for 8 days.

Both my dogs Harlow and Forte love going to the Barking Lot. Actually, Harlow is a little Morkie and she doesn’t like to hang with dogs unless her big brother Forte is around. Forte is a big yellow labs that is very sweet and social. He loves playing with the other dogs at the Barking Lot. They always take great care of both my pooches.
The staff is super friendly and you can tell they love what they do. I highly recommend the Barking Lot! Way to go team Barking Lot.

We are lucky to have two great kennels available to us. The Barking Lot is one of them. One of the factors that is important to us is the option for Sunday hours and both of the kennels we use offer this option. Of course, the most important factor is that our dog has a great experience. Our pooch gets excited as soon as I open the car door. He cannot wait to get through the door. When we pick him up, he is full of joy, happy to see us but also interacting happily with whatever staff member brings him to us. He collapses when he gets home, clearly having made great use of his time to play with the other dogs. The webcam is a blast. It is so fun being able to watch him play with his friends and interact with staff. The Barking Lot is a wonderful convenience for us and it is a gift for our dog.

Inferior treat and food selection compared to their location in Chicago.
Massive store front that is half empty.
Walked in and had a few items to buy. Waited fifteen minutes for someone to ring me up — only one person working; only one other customer in front of me.

Absolutely LOVE The Barking Lot! I’ve been sending my dog there for four years. All the staff is so nice and accommodating! The owners Jill and Matt are terrific! The rooms for the dogs are spacious. My dog loves the playrooms and laying on the ledge looking out the window. I love the webcams so I can watch my dog during play time when I’m traveling. The groomers are also fantastic and give wonderful haircuts! I highly recommend The Barking Lot to anyone considering boarding their dog or looking for a groomer too.

The folks at the Barking Lot are absolutely amazing. A family emergency situation arose a few months ago where a family member went to the hospital and we didn’t know how long her dog would require boarding. Contrary to several other doggy day care places we called in the suburbs on day 1 of this stressful situation — which was a Sunday no less, they were extremely helpful from the initial phone call, and even helped us locate the dog’s vet records! They have since spent the past 3 months checking in with us, and taking EXTREMELY good care of an energetic Airedale. Upon picking up the dog yesterday, I was touched to see how clearly their entire staff truly cared about our dog during this extended and stressful stay. Not only that, but our Airedale was groomed nicely, in a good mood, and appropriately tired after a day of playing with the group, so we really could not have asked for more from these folks. Thanks!!!

My dogs absolutely love this place. We tell them they are going to school when we pack them up and every time they get excited. If I drop the leash at the vet, they make a beeline back to the car. If I drop the leash at BL, they tear towards the front door. They tell you if something is good or bad and they love this place.

I have been taking my dog to the Deerfield location for the last 9 months or so and he loves it. I work in the area so I drop him off at dog daycare a couple of times a week. They open at 7 and after a couple of visits they already knew my dog’s name and eating schedule. They also have web cams so that you can check out your pooch while he is in group play. My dog comes home so exhausted after playing all day. They do have breaks in between play sessions in order to let the dogs recharge. Great place!

This place is awesome. The staff is super friendly, laid-​back, and very professional. I always trust that my dog will receive great care in their hands!
They have webcams in the various ‘playrooms’, which is extra nice if you’re boarding your pup and want to see what she’s up to. They playrooms are huge, so even very active dogs have plenty of room to run around. There is ALWAYS a supervisor interacting with the dogs in the playroom whenever I go in or check out the webcam– very reassuring. They do a great job of grouping dogs according to temperment.
Great selection of natural treats and foods in the front store, too! It’s convenient to be able to pick up a new toy or deer antler when I pick my pup up in the evening if she deserves something special (which is always).
They’re a bit more expensive than other places, but they’re worth it!

As time has gone on these people have really stepped up. This place has some great people working for them. Most importantly they really show that they care about your dog. I encourage you to try them out.

Yay! So happy with the grooming at the Barking Lot of Deerfield!!! We had a favorite groomer when we lived near the city and have been trying to find a groomer that does a good job and provides great service now that we reside near Deerfield. We tried the Highland Park Petco and were not impressed. Today we brought our nervous 11 year old pug mix (Pug, Shar-​pei, Lhasa Apso), Wasabi to be groomed by Nicole at The Barking Lot. She did such a wonderful job! Wasabi can be protective of her paws and ears and Nicole did such a great job cleaning and trimming those difficult areas. Wasabi was greeted by the store’s friendly mascot who was so mild tempered and friendly, it really helped our Wasabi to put her guard down. We brought our dog in as a scraggly, wirey, mess — she came home a pretty, clean cut, fresh smelling happy dog. THANK YOU THE BARKING LOT. You’ve got a permanent customer with us! I’ll add a picture of Wasabi so you can see the before and after of our silly looking girl :)

Great facility! Both of my furry babies love it! Great selection of gourmet foods. Both of my huskies have food allergies — and I found food here that they both can eat! Matt and Jamie are great.
Would definitely recommend!

Jasper is a two year old Airedale with seemingly boundless energy and sometimes I just need him out of the house for a while… We are always happy to take him to the Barking Lot becuase he has such a great time there. The staff seem to genuinely like him, even though he LEAPS into their arms when we go in! The place is alwyas clean and smells good. The hours are conveninet and the arates are fair (esp if you buy the daycare packages).
Jasper always has a great time running around with his canine pals in the big gym (and we find it strangely addicting to watch him on the Webcam). Now our only problem is that Jasper starts whining and barking in the back seat every time we turn on to Lake-​Cook Road! We had better be taking him to the Barking Lot!