Central Bark

Great self service dog wash. I tend to wash my dog at home just because it’s cheaper, but once every couple of months I’ll bring the derp here to get a power wash. They have high powered sprayers with soap. Even flea soap if you request it. Their blow dryer is also super helpful. Lots of towels and a waterproof apron to keep you from getting too soaked. They also do doggy daycare here but I’ve never tried.

I took my dog here because it was comveniently located. It is a warehouse for dogs for owners who feel guilty while at work. It is incessantly loud. The web cams have a very narrow view. I suspect my dog may have been kenneled vice roaming and visiting the «private dog park». In any event, my dog was always was hesitant to enter and ecstatic to leave this place. The front office personnel seemed friendly though. In any event, they seem to have a client list big enough to cherry pick the most compliant dogs for their attention.

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 2^nd 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.

Webcam just updated! They added «upstairs playroom» (=tiny dog room?) and it streams WAY better!!!
My dog does weekly daycare, boards occasionally, and is groomed 3−4x/year. We’ve been using CB services for about 1.5 years, since we got him. Many of the places in Seattle asked that we schedule regular days for drop-​off, which we could not do. CB allows us to take my dog anytime we’d like, any day of the week (when they are open, of course.). This flexibility and the location are unparalleled. Prices are competitive for the market too.
My dog LOVES this place. Last week, I opened the car door and he ran screaming into CB, then straight down the stairs. The staff person, seeing us pull in, had opened the front door and greeted my dog by name. She then followed him down to let him in to the play area. When I pick him up, they always ask him to sit before they let him out. I appreciate that they are asking him to use his manners and not jump as much :)
Yes, my dog smells gross when he comes home, but… it’s a lot of dogs and I know he’s playing with all of them! I can see it on the webcam, and he’s exhausted when he gets home. The smell fades overnight.
Once, my dog was bit while playing and they didn’t notice it. I was upset. I discussed it with the staff and manager, and they said they put him on a «list» so that they’ll watch him closer. I have no idea what that means. He does play rougher, but not aggressively… There hasn’t been a problem since then I appreciate their response, so I still want them to get five-​stars. I recommend CB to my friends with dogs.

this place is great. really flexible with my schedule and always do a great job on my dogs grooming

My dogs and I love this place! I’ve been taking my «kids» here for almost a year for daycare and overnights. The employees are all warm and fuzzy and know their stuff. My dogs always come home happy, healthy and dog tired. I also love the option of getting the dogs groomed while they’re there. Bravo Central Bark!

I recently boarded my dogs here. During the visit, one of the girl’s lost her ID tags, and although I paid $ 45 for a bath for each, they still came home smelling like the kennel. I called and left a message asking if they had found the tags. I requested reimbursement for replacing the tags (one of which has serious sentimental value and in that way, is irreplaceable) and also requested a refund on the baths. I did not receive a call back within a few days so I sent a comment through their website, explaining the same things and asking for reimbursement or credits (I was due to bring them back next week.) I did not received a follow up to that request either. Clearly, the business, besides having poor customer service, does not care about me or my business, so therefore I am taking my business elsewhere.

Review for Boarding:
The pictures on the website and their Instagram page seem to be rather deceiving but there are a few good reviews on here and a few bad, so we figured we would give it a try anyways.
We just moved here from out of state and were looking for a new boarding place and this one seemed close. Our last place was wonderful and we could watch the dogs on the webcam playing (which as a dog owner of course we did) so seeing that this place had the same we wanted to try it out. We walk in to have our dogs evaluated for play/​stay and were barely greeted. We were then taken on a tour of the facilities. I get that it’s a dog boarding facility and it’s going to smell like dog but in my all of my years as a dog owner, I have never smelled a boarding place this bad. In the small dog area, there were multiple piles of dog poop and pee that looked like they had been there for a while. We are then taken on a tour of the kennel area, which looked more like a sad dog pound than a friendly «home away from home» for your pet (chain-​link fence/​tall concrete walls and floors/​dim lighting). Not to mention there was peeling paint inside the concrete kennel. Yikes.
After the kennels, we are taken to the bath area which looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in quite some time and the prices were a little outrageous for a self-​service wash. After that, we are taken into the «play area». This was the most disappointing part of the tour. We are led down a dark flight of stairs to what is essentially an unfinished concrete basement. No light. No fresh air. Nothing except for a few structures the dogs can climb on and some painted pictures on the walls. I don’t know about you, but when I board my dogs, I want them to be able to run around OUTSIDE, like a normal dog and like they would at home. Note: during the summertime it was especially warm down in the «play area» with minimal air flow. I was sweating myself, so I can’t imagine how my Shepherd mix felt.
If we were to board them at this facility, they would have zero time outside and would be cooped up in a dark building the entire time. The staff is less than friendly or thrilled to be working there for that matter and the General Manager doesn’t seem to care much about customers either when we voiced our opinions.
We tried to watch the dogs on the webcam and checked several times while they were there and didn’t see them once. For an «evaluation/​interview» you’d think you would see some interaction. One of our dogs they felt unfit due to «potential» to start a dog fight. Never in her 5 years has she been in a fight nor have we received a single complaint or even comment from other places. We’ve watched her play with countless dogs in person and at boarding. We’ve even seen other dogs be aggressive and she cowers away. As we noted earlier, we have watched our dogs on webcam with previous daycare and boarding and not once have we seen this dog be aggressive in a big group. But nor did this place call her aggressive either, so while we were told a reason, we are still somewhat confused. It wasn’t because she bit a dog, played too rough, etc. It was because her behavior was too random and there was «potential». They also noted that in new situations, new places dogs can be nervous and a little random. I can’t imagine how many dogs they turn away if this one was not deemed fit. Even the dog that was «deemed fit for acceptance» was not seen on the webcam and smelled like pee when she was picked up. So I’m wondering if they actually got play time or not? If they did, it wasn’t for very long. When we came to pick up the dogs, typically they’re worn out and «smiling”/ excited. Red flag: I have never heard my dogs cry louder than when I picked them up from this place. They were pulling me out the door to the car.
This is from my one experience of this place, but overall based on the facilities you’re better off spending your money elsewhere. Good luck.

I just learned the hard way: this daycare ONLY accepts puppies with rabies vaccinations, ie: 12 – 16 WEEKS OLD.
I was informed that they’ll accept puppies 8+ weeks, but when I brought mine in today (10 weeks), they wouldn’t do the scheduled evaluation because he hasn’t gotten his rabies shot.
By my understanding, the earliest this will be performed is at 12 weeks. Most vets, like mine, will not administer it until 16 weeks.
Not sure how they accept puppies 8+ weeks when nobody gives rabies shots that early…
IF YOU HAVE A PUPPY NOT YET RABIES VACCINATED, Downtown Dog Lounge *WILL* accept them for daycare. They’ll be in isolation pens in the lobby, so no interaction with other dogs, only people. Still better than a puppy sitting at home all day!
Central Bark seems nicely-​kept, the dogs sure looked like they were having fun, and all the staff I’ve seen/​spoken with are lovely. I look forward to trying them once my puppy is eligible; I just wish they made their guidelines more consistent with vet care.

I use Central Bark as my dog’s home away from home when I am visiting Seattle. There are a few familiar faces, but despite the rotation in staff, I always receive friendly service from making my boarding reservation over the telephone through drop-​off and pick-​up. As other Unilocalers have mentioned, my dog goes have a distinct «doggy daycare» smell from her boarding stay, but nothing that a quick bath in their self-​service dog wash area can not resolve. They do have a web cam in both downstairs playrooms to «check-​in» on your dog, but it is hit or miss as to whether it is working properly or if you actually get to see your dog playing on camera. If I have any concerns, staff members are quick to address those concerns and are more than willing to ensure that I am satisfied.

Extremely unimpressed by Central Bark! From their customer service, to the facility, to the care they provide for dogs– all just unacceptable! I was first sucked in by the freeway-​accessible location, one friendly receptionist, and their early daycare hours. My pup also seemed to love it there– he’s not so judgmental. So I kept bringing him, ignoring that he smelled like pee each afternoon, ignoring the fading friendliness/​now obvious discontent of the workers there, ignoring the UNATTENDED «small dog room» which usually had a few piles of poop and puddles of pee! Wonder why they won’t put a camera in there? It took overhearing staff laughing about lying to a customer about her dog having gone to the park for me to fully realize that I just couldn’t entrust my pup to these folks.

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

They take wonderful care of my Great Pyrenees (whose favorite hobbies are digging and rolling in mud). She’s a big, fluffy girl and it takes a lot of effort to bathe her. The folks at central bark have her looking like a show dog by the time I come to pick her up!
She also loves the doggie daycare– she gets super-​excited to go there. She loves the handlers and the other dogs. It’s fun to watch her on the doggie webcam from my phone. She’s always playing and having a good time.
The workers are friendly & responsive.

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!

A self-​wash dog wash station was all we wanted for our 50-​lb dog, and Central Bark was close by and good enough. No wait on a Sunday afternoon for the two raised bathtub stations. Shampoo, strong water pressure (prepare to be soaked), blow dryer, and towels — beats trying to wash him at home and sure beats having a stinky dog!

Woooooot! My dog loves this place and I’m so glad I found it! Tess is 115lb. malamute… she is a lot of dog! Central bark does an excellent job making sure Tess gets the love and exercise she needs… they even seem to be keeping up on her obedience training (sit, stop, down, stay) which just makes me happy.
Tess also gets groomed here! The groomers have made such a difference in Tess and my life. Her summer do is adorable and she smells amazing.
So thankful we have Central Bark in our lives.

Tessa my German Shepard absolutely loves playing and getting to interact with other dogs at Central Bark. When she comes home she is clean and its time to sleep for her. I wont go out of town with out her unless she is in the care of her favorite hangout at Central Bark. Not to mention there grooming abilities! she came home with Seahawks colored painted toenails that made her look like the biggest fan. Awesome is all I have to say about you all thank you.

Well the good thing was they have a webcam so you can watch your dog. The bad thing was our normally happy playful dog laid around all day and didn’t play.
We took him three times to give it a chance to see if he would be happier when they finally took him on a park trip.
He came home coated in pee twice and always smelling gross. I question how quickly and well urine and feces are cleaned up here.
The last time we took him we asked specifically if they were taking him on the park trip they said yes… when I picked him up it turns out they didn’t they still needed to watch him longer maybe next time. I’m guessing if we took him again he still wouldn’t have gone to the park I’m guessing. I’m unsure why we told them he behaves very well at the park, and would be happier.
Also told them he didn’t like communal bowls of water so make sure he has some clean water. Every time he got home our dog drank a ton of water.
The time I picked him up he was standing in the tiny outdoor portion barking at nothing, probably yelling let me out of here! He couldn’t get out of there fast enough when I picked him up. Also he yelled at me the whole way home probably saying please don’t take me back there!
We tried out this day care hoping he would play all day and be tired when he got home all we got was a hyper dog that slept almost the whole day, needed a bath, and started barking at home which he had never done before.

Get a webcam for the small dog area!!! If the big dog owners need one, why don’t the small dog owners need one? I’d take my dog here more for day care if I had any idea if she played with the other dogs or just chilled in a corner, but I have no idea.
Tiny dog cam!
Tiny dog cam!
Tiny dog cam!

We moved to Beacon Hill a few months ago and needed to find a new doggie daycare for Kojimus Prime to get his social strut on. Their hours are great. I like that the location is easy access off I-​90 Rainier exit but beware that you’ll need to cross some double yellow lines to get to the facility.
Everyone I’ve met here are nice and they have cameras for the big dog play rooms. Since Koji is a medium sized shiba inu he gets stuck in the small dog room, which is great because it’s upstairs and has open air access but this is the only room without a webcam. All dogs go on a daily field trip to an off campus private off leash dog park and I think they take them in groups inside a van with multiple kennels. This is definitely a nice touch that no other daycares in Seattle have that I know of.
This would absolutely be a 5 star establishment if they added a webcam to the small dog play area and also if it was easier access to get to their location without blocking traffic and crossing double yellow lines coming off I-​90 — though I fully acknowledge this isn’t something they can do anything about.

Review for Grooming — Never Boarded there
I’ve been meaning to write this for ages, but just wanted to say their grooming services have been stellar!
My dog is a husky, boarder collie mix with just massive amounts of hair. Over the summer we would go to the lake really often and afterwards the smell was just atrocious — not to mention the mats in her fur! The staff at Central Bark has always been able to squeeze her in on days when it’s been most convenient for me and they always finish her in an unbelievably short amount of time. I mean like 45 minutes to an hour. And the best part is even though they get her in and out in a flash they do a fabulous job. She smells and feels great for ages. Or at least until I take her to the lake again.
Have to thank the guys there for doing a fantastic job every time and doing it with a smile!

The uwash here is a little expensive. I think I paid 25 for a labrador and had to provide shampoo if i wanted to use a flea treatment. they do allow you to use the booth as long as needed.
i used the uwash at marymoor park and it was 10 or 14 dollars depending on time and they provide a flea treatment if you ask. it is timed but i had plenty of time to wash and dry plus their shampoo and dryer are super easy to use. i found that to be a better option and go there instead now.

We boarded our 16 pound dog there for a couple weeks. When we went to pick him up, he limped down the hall towards us. We learned that he was «playing rough» with other dogs and tore out a nail from his nailbed SEVERAL DAYS EARLIER (they did not call us). We believe he was unsupervised, because by their own admission the small dogs are watched by the same person who has front desk duties. We have currently run up about $ 350 in vet bills and countless hours treating.
To top it off, the bag they returned his toys and food in was full of mouse feces. Their response, «sometimes we get field mice inside».
So, in short, our dog was limping around with an open wound for days in a feces filled environment without proper medical care or pain killers.
There are many better options.

I’ve been a customer of Central Bark for over 2 years, and have more or less always had a great experience with them, until today.
I’m going to chalk this up to new staff (at least I believe they’re new); I dropped my two dogs off on Sunday to be groomed Monday morning. When I set the appointment up, I specified that they needed a full grooming (including hair cut), and again when I dropped them off Sunday afternoon. I go to pick them up Monday morning, and lo and behold, not a hair on their bodies has been cut.
Frustrating? A little, since I live in Redmond and it’s a ~30 mile roundtrip. I then make an appointment for the next Saturday to get their hair cut, however I find that I’ll still have to pay for it. Central Bark made the mistake, I’ll have to drive 30 miles to drop them off and 30 miles to pick them up, yet I still have to pay for the service? Ridiculous.
I love Central Bark, I really do, but I’m dismayed that they can’t be more generous when dealing with a loyal customer of 2 years, when the mistake was clearly (and even admittedly) on their end.

I come here about twice a month to use the U-​Wash services. (The water pressure at home isn’t as great as here).
The staff is always friendly. and the washing area and supplies are always clean and ready to go.
For $ 12, I’m totally happy to clean my pup and head home.
Thanks guys!