New dog daycare in West Columbia offers unique training and 11,000 square feet of fun
Dogs in West Columbia have a new hangout while their owners are away.
Central Bark is a new dog daycare and boarding service on Augusta Road, where your canine friend can hang out with other dogs during the day and engage with staff for fun and training during their stay.
“We’re an enrichment daycare with a structured program,” said owner Anthony Girolamo. “It’s not just someone watching like a lifeguard. There are enrichment activities they’re constantly engaged with. They’re always supervised in skills training, loose leash walking.”
Don’t worry about your pup getting too tired out. They’ll also be taken to a kennel during the day for nap time.
The West Columbia location near the Interstate 26 exit is the only Central Bark location in South Carolina. It’s one of around 40 locations nationwide, but the company is in the process of adding sites in other states.
Girolamo expects there to be more demand for these services. People have gotten dogs during the coronavirus pandemic, but have fewer opportunities to get them out to socialize. Central Bark can provide a structure for your pet, with different rates for whether your pooch needs daycare, overnight boarding or both.
Currently, the West Columbia location has seven employees and about 15 regular dogs, although when more kennels are added Girolamo expects to max out at spaces for 100. Its four-legged visitors play in three large indoor play areas inside the 8,000-square-foot building, or in the 3,000-square-foot outdoor area divided into four large play areas and one smaller one.
As the business grows, Girolamo plans to keep dogs in smaller groups of around a dozen so each pup can get enough individual attention. That means he also hopes to add more employees as he does dogs.
Girolamo, a New York native, opened Central Bark with a soft opening in November, after 14 years as a meat manager at Publix both here and in Florida. He’s gearing up to its grand opening on Feb. 6.
The business is open 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays, and offers toys and treats for sale along with the daycare services.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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