Introduced this year, the program has been attended by more than 700 puppies.
By Andrew Carlo
Dog care franchise Central Bark is touting a program it rolled out earlier this year aimed at providing puppies with key socialization and development needs.
In January, Central Bark launched “Puppy Hour,” which caters to dogs between 8 and 16 weeks of age.
Since the launch, the franchise said 36 stores have begun regularly holding events. This includes attendance by more than 700 puppies. Additionally, puppies who have attended the program transition to day care customers once they’ve aged out of the program.
“At Central Bark, we pride ourselves on the satisfaction of our guests and their dogs,” Central Bark CEO Bob Crawford said in a statement issued by the franchise. “We knew that Puppy Hour would fill an industry-wide gap in puppy socialization opportunities, and the results of the past nine months have illustrated that clearly. As we grow this program and others, we will continue to put our communities first and find exceptional ways to support whole dog care and their pet parents.”
The program was designed to “mitigate the risks and concerns that dog parents face with puppy socialization in public spaces, like dog parks,” according to Central Bark. Puppies who join the program are vaccinated and play with dogs who are similar in age.
Puppy Hour is also free of charge and does not require an active Central Bark membership, the franchise noted. Each Central Bark typically features approximately 6,000 – 7,000 square feet of indoor space plus more than 2,000 square-feet of outdoor play area.
“It has been incredible to see the reception of our Puppy Hour program so far,” said Tim Weiderhoft, Ed.D., CFE, COO for Central Bark. “This event acts as a powerful way to show pet parents in the communities we serve that Central Bark’s first priority is anticipating their needs and providing their puppies with the right care for this influential time in their development. We look forward to continuing to grow this program and its impact.”
For more information on Central Bark, visit https://www.centralbarkusa.com/. Visit http://www.centralbarkusa.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-puppy-socialization/ for more details about Puppy Hour.
Central Bark was founded in 2003 and operates under the name Barkley Ventures Franchising, LLC. The dog care brand has more than 40 locations in over 12 states.
