The Barker Lounge — Local services in Cranford

Beware. Don’t get fooled by the aesthetics. Been a long time customer for over 18 years until today, through thick and thin. Got a new pup during the height of Covid and figured that there was no better place than the family owned Barker Lounge, that always treated us like family. Right away I noticed everything is different. No real warmth or personalization. I quickly had a major problem as I don’t have a set work schedule and could not book a reservation for several weeks. At that time, reservations were booked solid for at least two to three weeks ahead. I called the owner and had a nice conversation in which he explained that the Barker Lounge was struggling in many ways. He did ask for patiences and even offered to refund me because they couldn’t accommodate the overwhelming amount of reservations. I decided not to take the refund and that I would stick with them, hoping things would change. About two weeks ago, I decided to give them another shot and could not make a reservation due to expired passes (they expired about 6 weeks ago). When I finally spoke to owner it seemed as if his attitude had changed. He was abrupt with me and told me he wasn’t willing to do anything about the expired passes. He asked me how they could make it clearer about the expiration and I recommended that they send out a reminder to which he strongly disagreed. He said that upon purchasing passes, it is highly visible that they expire in a Year. Who remembers???? He didn’t remember that I was willing to stick with him despite the struggles during Covid. I couldn’t bring my pup for daycare and had to find other alternatives despite purchasing passes. He was fully willing to except that he had just lost a longstanding customer and almost seemed happy. He said that he was going to take me right out of the system. What a shame after 18 years, through Covid, I stuck by his business, and he wasn’t even willing to extend the passes to give us a chance to show us that they have recovered from most of the issues.Nothing else to say other...

I am sooooo happy with the service from the Barker Lounge. I needed a place to board my dog for a week while I was on vacation and I chose the Barker Lounge because of the friendly, compassionate staff and incredible facility. I could not ask for more. The facility was super clean and all the dogs looked like they were having a great time. My dog, Archie, acclimated quickly to the environment. They have large indoor and outdoor play areas with plenty of room for the dogs to exercise and play. I loved the fact that the employees play with and interact with the dogs rather then simply watch and supervise. And, the best part is that the dogs are separated by size and temperament, so I never had to worry about him mixing with "the wrong crowd." I love that my dog had his own large, private suite to sleep.

I was also impressed with the pricing. The Barker Lounge is less expensive than my local vet and the Barker Lounge offers so much more. I shopped around different boarding facilities and nothing compared to the Barker Lounge. It was less expensive than the others, the facility is super clean and the staff is outstanding.

The Barker Lounge definitely spoiled my dog during his stay. I highly recommend this place and I know Archie can't wait to...

Just started using the place in September and it has been fantastic. My dog comes home completely exhausted after being there playing all day. I love to see it because I know he had a great time. I hate putting him to bed at home when he still feels like playing but anytime he comes home from the barker lounge he is completely drained of energy. Any time I drop him off at the barker lounge he runs right in so excited and I can feel his heart rate speeding up when we pull into the parking lot with excitement. It’s like Disney World for a dog. They do a fantastic job there.

Additional experiences

My dog loves the place when I mention the name of the place when he is going that day he goes crazy with excitement. He drags me from the car inside and never looks back at me when he heads thru the door to the back with the dogs. He loves going there he’s exhausted when he comes home so I know he has a fantastic time every time he’s there and I know he’s been well taken care of as u can tell all the staff genuinely shows that to every dog that comes in and out. and that’s really all I can ask for. Highly recommend the place for...