The Dog Bark

I was eager to find a day care for my dog. I selected The Dog Bark in South Salem based on reviews, completed the paperwork on line and promptly received a response to schedule the evaluation. I set up the appointment for the following day. I arrived with my dog on a leash and had all the required paperwork. When I walked in the door, there were two employees standing there, a male and a female. Both of them just stared at me. For a second, I thought I was in the wrong place. I let them know who I was and why I was there. I felt like I was bothering them. The male employee said he would go get things ready. (I didn’t understand why things weren’t ready since I had an appointment, but ok.) The first words the female employee spoke to me were ‘I’m printing your paperwork. Do you have the records?” I provided her with the records I had from my veterinarian. She looked at what I brought, then shoved the papers back at me stating ‘there is nothing here I need’. I tried to show her the rabies certificate, spay certificate and vaccination information. She disputed the information with me and said she needed to call my vet. Under normal circumstances, calling the vet wouldn’t have been an issue. However, I felt this particular female employee was rude and disrespectful to me. Worst of all, my dog was trying to interact with her and she completely ignored my dog. I left without completing the evaluation as I had serious concerns about the lack of customer service and most important, how my dog was ignored. If my dog was ignored in front of me, how would she be treated when I wasn’t there? Disappointing experience.

This review is for The «new» Dog Bark location in the NW area. The staff is amazing. Nicky knows each of the dogs individually, and treat’s them with the same love and care as her own dog. She even recognizes them outside of work. The dogs that are lucky enough to go to the Dog Bark are very fortunate indeed. They have all varieties of dogs, there is no breed discrimination. It’s an amazing facility!

The grooming is the only service I use and they do a decent job, however I always get my pet back with track marks from the razor so it’s not finished well. The ONE thing that really irritates me is how completely tacky they are at the time of payment. Before running your card for payment, they ask you if you want to leave a tip for the groomer. Seriously? Talk about tacky. If I wanted to tip the groomer I would say so. But when you point blank ask customers for tips, it’s really poor customer service. Put out a tip jar if you really want to but don’t back someone into a corner to tip someone. My mother has stopped going here solely because of how unprofessional she found that.

While many people have had wonderful experiences here, I feel compelled to tell of my past experience. If you are wanting to get your dog groomed, I would recommend this place. On the other hand, if you are looking for doggie daycare you may want to go elsewhere. We gave them one chance and they lost our business.
I was excited to try doggie day care for the day and had read glowing reviews. On arrival for pick-​up an employee told me she that had fun playing with a laser light with my dog and my dog seemed to love it. While it may have seemed she was having fun and was really cute playing with the light, anyone who works closely with dogs should know this can lead to obsessions… and it did. After this introduction, my dog now is obsessed with bird shadows and light reflections inside or outside the house. :(
What was even worse was that my poor dog was running, jumping, and skidding so much, chasing the light on their special floors that most of the padding on her paws had skinned off. She could barely walk and I had to carry my 45 pound dog to the car. The responsible employee felt terrible and was apologetic but I still felt it was inexcusable! My dog’s paw pads healed fine after several days but she could hardly walk during that time :(
This incident happened about a year ago so hopefully practices have changed with the doggie daycare and the employees have been given more training and knowledge on dogs.

Our collie Matty loves going to The Dog Bark! We love taking her there as she always comes home rested & happy. When we arrive in the morning she pulls us through the door tugging on her leash. The owner & people that work there are so nice. We love The Dog Bark! We still love The Dog Bark. Our dog was boarded there about a month ago & we were able to see her via the video cams. Since The Dog Bark closes at 4:30 pm on Saturday they have the employees come back to the facility in the early evening to let the dogs out for about an hour, to play & go potty.

We have used the north location two times now and completely appreciate the boarding service they offer. The staff is friendly and the free roam areas are kept clean and sanitized. Love the cameras to check in. Great piece of mind. Highly recommend.

It was acceptable.

Our family loves the Dog Bark. They have ²⁴⁄₇ dog cams which I LOVE! I’m
Always checking in on my pup when I’m away. The staff is wonderful. I’m always so impressed they remember Koda and even personal facts about him! Once I called in to schedule boarding and the staff remembered how he loves his pink blanket. They always recognize him by name when we walk in the door. I always feel good leaving him there and he’s always exhausted when we pick him up!

My dog loves The Dog Bark! She comes home freshly bathed, exhausted, and sleeps like an angel. I am hooked. :)

Great place to bring your dogs for doggie daycare or boarding. Caring and courteous staff, reasonable rates, and a very nice facility. This is a place that you’ll feel very comfortable leaving your pups!

I take my cats in to get groomed here, service is very friendly and they always make sure I am happy with what needs done. If I wanted extra shaving they do it. No extra fees, super great for my main coon mix.
They put him upfront away from the barking. I am very happy with the, service. I appreciate that they keep my cay as guarded from the barking as possible.
I will continue to go back.

This is the only daycare facility we will leave our dog. We’ve used others in the Portland area and have never been as satisfied as we’ve been with the Dog Bark. The fact that we can monitor our dog from afar ²⁴⁄₇ is the first thing that sets it apart from other day cares. We also love that our dog gets love and attention from the employees, as well as great social interaction with other dogs. Shannon and her staff are really professional and go above and beyond for the dogs & owners. We’ve had 3 birthday parties for our dog at both locations & that is definitely something special we appreciate Shannon and her staff for. Our dog and his friends, along with other boarded dogs always have a great time & it is something we look forward to every year!

My little pup stayed at The Dog Bark two weeks ago when I was in town visiting family. I wasn’t sure what to expect, given the fact that I’m not familiar with the area. When I walked in everyone was very friendly and the small dog room looked like a lot of fun for the animals. I left Charlotte there for 2 days as I was off traveling to Portland with my family. It seemed as if she had a fabulous time and I loved the webcam feature! I made sure to check up on my little one as often as I could. As a very protective dog owner, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience and will come back here the next time I’m in town.

We were excited to check out The Dog bark not only for daycare but for boarding our dog while we are on vacation. We dropped our dog off for a few hours, when we picked our dog up he had a bloody paw. The attendant told us she didn’t know how it had happened but she stated that our dog wasn’t attacked. We took our dog to the vet and had a hefty bill.
I called The Dog Bark and spoke with Shannon the owner, I just wanted to let her know what happened and to try an figure out how the dog was injured. Did he get his paw caught on something or in a fence? She was very matter of fact about the whole situation, she stated that the same thing just happened to another dog recently. She said that she was sorry if this was a deal breaker for me.
No Shannon, that wasn’t a deal breaker for me, after speaking to you and your lack of concern was the deal breaker.
I am thankful this didn’t happen while we were on vacation, our dog is on pain medication, antibiotics and has to wear a cone around his head. We have to wrap his paw up in plastic every time we take him outside to go to the bathroom.
Shannon, you never asked me how my dog was doing, well now you know.

Be careful. When you sign the release form — they say will arrange the dogs by size, age, temperament. Though not liable– they put a 120 lb ³¹⁄₂ year dog with a 45 lb– 1 ½ yr old. When the larger dog plays you know the size of him and the smaller — who’s going to get hurt. After 435. Later for a vet bill. Do no recommend. This one was on Commercial Street. Also if you board your dog– everyone leaves and the dog will be on cam. Not safe if there was a fire.

I have been taking my dog Andre to The Dog Bark since he was 6 months old!
He was a shy boy, but now has really come out of his shell!
He loves it there, and the people truly live dogs of all shapes and sizes.
I feel very comfortable leaving him with them! So convenient for me because there are 2 locations, as A Realtor I am on the go, north and South!
Thank you, we love you guys! Arrf Arrf!

I’m taking Jackson, a Corgi Border Collie mix with an amazing amount of energy, there a few times a week for half-​days of romping with other dogs. Hopefully this will keep the tail chasing at bay. :) We have two other older dogs at home and between that, walks and visits to the dog park a few times a week, it’s still not enough.
I did some research, then visited, and we did a temperament test with him first, and then a few days later did his first half-​day of daycare. The staff are nice, work well with the animals, run a very tight ship, and everyone seemed to be having a ball. The online web cams are awesome (showing every square inch) and the info and reservation system are nice, too.
Very pleased.
A friend at work boarded her two little dogs there recently and was so very pleased; it was what urged me to give them a try for daycare.

From out of town working here for a bit. Great way to bring my dog with me and make sure she gets exercise. Several Web Cams allow you to see how your kid is doing.
Great price/​staff and flexibility.

I don’t even want to write this review! I was so excited about all the 5-​star ratings and I didn’t get that.
The price was more than reasonable, at $ 25. The staff was very friendly and my dog seemed happy when we left.
She didn’t really smell «clean» per se, as in, she didn’t smell BAD anymore, but she didn’t smell GOOD either. I’m wondering how long this neutrality will last… I just felt that I should’ve had them clip her nails and not spent more money for a bath that didn’t seem to make much of a difference.
I think they need to switch shampoos. It’s definitely not a bad place to bring your dog, they treat animals with respect there. I just expected more because of all the great reviews. I’d love to support a local place really close to my house but next time I might take her elsewhere :(

The Dog Bark is the perfect happy place for a best friend to hang out. It’s clean, fun and reasonably priced. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. It’s well run and very convenient, right off of 12^th St.