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Australian Dog Lover
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The hectic pace of city living means longer working hours, increasing stress on dog owners to ensure their pets are getting the right amount of exercise and social interaction.
Many dog owners will turn to dog day care or dog walking in an attempt to mask feelings of guilt in leaving their dogs alone for long periods of the day. Advocates for inner-city dog day care believe that exercise and interaction throughout the day is far more beneficial than being left alone for any dog.
Co-Founder Thomas Dowse explains “When it came to being away from my own dogs for the day, we generally had a choice of a few hours of paid dog walking or dog day care facilities that are like child care centres. As dog parents with no children we really struggled to connect with the bright colours and cartoon motifs most dog day care businesses are built around. We would often say to each other wouldn’t it be great if there was a dog day care centre that looked like a café? We couldn’t find it and so we went ahead and opened one.”
“We like to think that what we are doing is not ground-breaking" adds Co-Founder Shane Matthews. "We’re really just bringing dog day care into line with the experiences and environments that surround our customers’ daily lives. You only have to look around Sydney’s inner-suburbs: places like Surry Hills, Redfern, Waterloo/Zetland, Erskineville, or visit some of the growing suburbs like Alexandria, Mascot and even Rosebery, to see the popularity of apartment living".
Most dog day care businesses in the market today provide similar services: they offer socialisation, exercise (generally with a few short walks) and grooming.
Tom says “We get the dogs out to Centennial Park for daily adventures, rain hail or shine. That’s an hour walk minimum each time and we don’t charge extra for this because exercise makes us happy as humans and we see the same in the dogs as a result.
We get to know each dog and for several of our clients who have never been to dog day care before or had less than positive experiences with day care or dog walkers, the results have been incredible and they just can’t wait to come back!
We quickly sense when a dog is not happy and take swift action to address this either by diffusing any potential situation, separating dogs into one of our many different areas or simply giving the dog a hug if they need it.
We like to reinforce the basic training owners do with their dogs while they are at day care and we continue the training of commands like sit, come, and stay throughout the day to also keep each dog’s mind active.
Aside from the daily mantra of connection, engagement and exercise, the Centennial Bark team offers a range of selected quality dog food, treats and other accessories from suppliers that adopt the same philosophy of four-legged health and wellbeing.
Tom says “We have put a lot of thought and effort into making sure every dog is happy throughout the day, selecting suppliers and partners that align with good dog health and wellbeing.
We only stock premium brands of dog food including: ZiwiPeak, Hill’s Science Diet, Ivory Coat and wholesome raw meals by the Good Pet Food Kitchen. Happiness also thrives on the occasional indulgence and dogs will also find sweets from Pooch Treats and Pupcakes by Fi.
We also run Puppy Pre-Schools with the team at dogLOGIC - some of the best dog trainers in Sydney - and our services will be expanding to include things like grooming and dog massage down the track.”
Where: Centennial Bark, Crown Square Plaza, Waterloo, Sydney.
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