Central Bark Madison Southeast — Local services in Madison

I’d like to start out with saying, I found Central Bark by accident, and it’s one of the best things that’s happened for me and my pup!

Central Bark is easily the best daycare/boarding facility in Madison. They have been attentive and very hands on through my dog’s entire life!! He has been going for 4+ years on a variety of schedules and I have never had a single instance where I couldn’t book a day of daycare or boarding.

Flick is particular, to say the least. To start, he’s very suspicious of strangers and every single employee over the years has taken the time to get familiar with him instead of forcing him along on a leash.

He’s also a reactive dog and has a hard time on lead around strangers and other dogs. This can get difficult dropping off and picking up. However, the team knows him and knows he needs space, so every time multiple people come in behind me, they confirm with me that they’re going to help other pet parents and bring Flick out when it’s cleared out. It sounds simple, but that consideration is such a huge stress relief for me and for him.

When Flick first started daycare, he was rubbing his nose raw on the top of his crate during downtime. Once I noticed it, I called the same day. Ever since then, they’ve put Flick in one of the boarding areas so he doesn’t do it again. A quick fix was much appreciated.

Speaking of boarding, every boarding experience we’ve had at Central Bark has been wonderful. I’m always able to get in, even on short notice. Most times, we’ll even get a Report Card!

Flick has a chicken allergy, lactose intolerance, and IBS. This lead to a lot of diet trialing, medications, and supplements. Central Bark offers an enrichment toy for your pup during downtime, but they have yogurt in them, so Flick could not partake. I make our own frozen Kong’s at home and bring one in each week. Flick has it and CB is nice enough to even clean the Kong. Flick is on a medication where he can’t eat anything, even treats, after 4pm. I called CB and they had no issue accommodating. When we board, I send pre-measured food baggies with his supplements, his medications, and sticky note with his schedule. They’re able to get him taken care of without a problem! He also has separate treats for group because at the time they were using cheese based treats (not sure if that is still the case), so I bring a Tupperware full of ours and they let me know when they need a refill.

The staff are absolutely amazing. I have yet to come across someone who isn’t thrilled each Wednesday when we walk in the door. I don’t know a lot of staff names (unfortunately) but they all deserve recognition! He drags me to the door each Wednesday morning and gets the wiggles no matter who he sees!

Flick is signed up on a monthly package to get his nails done. It’s definitely worth it to me, and much easier than trying to do them ourselves.

However, I have to speak specifically of Alyssa. She LOVES Flick truly beyond measure. She spends so much time with him, shows me extra pics, and always makes sure he’s having a good day. I want to preface with saying Flick is not a cuddler. I picked him up from boarding one day and Alyssa told me she went into his boarding suite and he crawled into her lap!!!!! He has never done that with me or my partner, and I am truly jealous. He loves her just as much as she loves him.

Lastly, I want to talk about the play groups. Flick has gone through at least 2 groups over the last few years. When he was younger, he was always playing so hard that he would come home tired for 2+ days after. Over the last year or so, that has evolved. He’s an Australian Cattle Dog and has definitely grown into the “herding/supervising” role that the breed is known for. He might even look a little grouchy. I believe he now spends his days with the puppies or the older crowd, keeping his eye on them. He’s more into panhandling for his treats and getting some pets than he is into playing these days. He’ll hang out with the other dogs a bit for a photo op, but you’ll probably catch him on a bed...

Today I went to my dogs’ grooming appointment at Central Bark Madison Southeast. When I arrived, a staff member asked for my name and said she would check with the groomer. I waited, and then another person came out and also asked for my name, saying she couldn’t find my appointment in the system. Confused, I asked what that meant. The first person then returned and said she couldn’t find my appointment either, but the groomer could take just one of my dogs.

I asked what options were available for my second dog, and all I got was a vague “we can look into that,” but no one actually moved or took any initiative. I had to follow up with, “Can we look into it now?” Only then did she take action and went to talk to the groomer again.

Eventually, the groomer came out and, in the most insincere tone, told me "there was no space, only one dog could be taken" as if she were doing me a favor. I explained that I had booked these appointments in advance and had even scheduled them through the end of the year. It felt incredibly disrespectful that no real solution was offered, just a cold “sorry.”

I had to press for answers before they finally told me the next available appointment wasn’t until October. I mentioned I already have an appointment scheduled in October, so I asked again "what solution can you offer?" Only then was I told I could be put on a cancellation list, but by that point, I was already frustrated by the lack of accountability and willingness to help. This was clearly their error, yet they showed no real intention of fixing it.

To make matters worse, this wasn’t an isolated issue. The quality of service had already been declining for some time, and this experience confirmed my decision to stop coming back.

I am very disappointed with the lack of professionalism, poor communication, and the way they handled the situation. I booked all of my appointments through December in advance and expect those to be honored. Being told they’re “not in the system” is simply...

My dog Cooper loves going to ‘school’ at Central Bark!! We got him very young (6wks) and my boyfriend & I both work full time. We felt horrible leaving him home alone! Even though we would come home on our lunch break, it just still made us feel like bad parents. Cooper has been going to Central Bark for approximately 4 months now & he loves it, & they love him too! When it’s time to go home, he never wants to leave! I love that they offer grooming services, & overnights! (Both of which we use) I was very hesitant the first time we left him for an overnight, but I knew he was in good hands! I think they laughed a bit when I brought his favorite 20 toys, but he’s my baby! Each day they post pictures on Facebook and a few days a week you get a report card which is so cute! Everyone is very nice & knowledgeable! Having a puppy (first time dog owner, & to a puppy!!) they answer all my questions and offer suggestions, which I appreciate. Cooper especially loves Ms. Jaye & Ms. Michaela! Since he is a baby, he can’t remember everyone’s name, but he loves all the staff! Even the crew that allow him to get dropped off early in the morning, for a very small charge. Well worth it!! Cooper wants to mention his special dog friends that he loves to play with everyday!! He is already planning his birthday party at Central Bark in April! They are very good about making sure Cooper is in the right group of play friends! Even though he is a puppy, he does better in a group of bigger dogs, & the staff recognize that & rotate him accordingly. We also have taken advantage of Saturday play group to run a few errands, which again is AMAZING!! If you are looking for a daycare, grooming services, overnights, I would HIGHLY recommend Central Bark! Be assured your ‘baby’ will be given high...