Experience the Bark Station Difference!

Bark Station is paving the way in how the perception of the typical “kennel” is viewed. We specifically cater to the clients that do not believe in boarding their dogs. Our goal is to provide a stress free environment for your pups by keeping them occupied during their stay & and receiving lots of love and affection. Our facility is larger than most kennel facilities that typically have 100-200 kennels that house all those dogs at one time. At Bark Station we intentionally only offer a limited amount of Bunkhouses & the rest of our facility is designated to play space & spa time! NO CAGE ENCLOSED CRATES! Only HUGE PRIVATE spacious bunkhouses where they only go when they are napping and staying overnight when they are not playing or getting lovin! The bunks are private & spacious enough to allow for walking, water bowls & beds. We believe in keeping dogs off the leash playing as much as possible & making you a part of the fun by watching on our LIVE webcams! We also cater to clients that have special needs dogs that can not interact with other dogs. Members of our staff have experience in dog safety, first aid, special needs care & behavioral training. Dogs that are aggressive towards people are not authorized to board in our facility. If you are shopping around for boarding facilities, make sure you know how many dogs they will allow in their facility at one time. At Bark Station your dog will not be another "number". The places that charge much less must PACK dogs in by the masses to stay in business. Our vision & goal is to offer personalized care & a fun safe environment so the dogs will always run to the front door & want to come back!

Safety is JOB #1!

Safety is a priority! All customers must pre-register their pups with us & have an approved application before the pups can enter the kennel area. We make sure every customer fills out a complete dog behavior profile, provides healthy vet records/vaccinations & completes a temperament test interview. We do not accept any dogs with dangerous behaviors or contagious medical problems that would affect the safety & well being of your pup or any of our staff. Our Pack Leadership staff, who is experienced in dog behavior & special needs care, is specifically assigned to your pup each day to insure they are having a fun, safe & overall good stay with us. Our Pack Leadership Staffs only job is to manage your pups stay (not answer phones, work the front desk etc..). We also ALWAYS have our playrooms supervised in all areas at all times. Big dogs stay with big dogs & little dogs stay with little dogs. 

Cleanliness- We pride ourselves in keeping our facility clean & sanitary every hour of every day! We have scored 100% on all Georgia Department of Agricultures random inspections in ALL CATEGORIES. The Georgia Department of Agriculture also brings by new inspectors to tour our facility as an example of what standards & practices should be kept.

Convenience!

We also strive to provide convenience to our doggy parents by offering a one stop shop for boarding, daycare, grooming, retail & self serve dog wash needs. Our front desk is open 7 days per week & ALL HOLIDAYS for easy drop off & pick up so you never miss a moment with your pups or pay for extra days! We even give the pups plenty of playtime ON THE ACTUAL HOLIDAY where most other facilities are closed. Our facility is available for a SNIFF & TELL tour (See PREPARATION page for tour times)! We pride ourselves on cleanliness! We hope you will give us a try & we will forever change the way you board your pups in the future. Click HERE to view what many of our clients have written to us about their pups stay at Bark Station!

The Customers have SPOKEN!

We are very proud to announce we have won two years in a row for 2011 & 2012 Readers Choice Awards BEST in the BIZ! We were nominated & voted for by our own clients for BOARDING, DOGGY DAYCARE & GROOMING! These awards were recognized by Around Town Woodstock Magazines & My Community Woodstock Magazines.

 

 

    

 

  

Who is Leading the Pack!

Lorre LaMarca, the owner, is passionate about working hands on at Bark Station daily. She has over 16 years experience in animal care & rescue. She only employs the best in the business to work beside her.  All the employees that work at Bark Station have significant experience in either veterinary care, animal behavior/training, kennel care, first aid & special needs care. She feels as if it is important to have ownership present to make sure the facility is running TOP NOTCH & employing a wealth of knowledge to lead the PACK! She personally owns 5 rescue dogs which she brings to work daily (Sadie & Cassie- Beagles, Hot Rod-Black Lab, Gracie-Mix, Joe-Shih Tzu). Not only has she owned dogs her entire life, she has worked with dogs for over 16 years in animal rescue groups & shelters with little or no pay. She has a communications degree from Georgia State University. She won Georgia State Woman of the Year in 1998 for her charity work, GPA & University outreach. She was promoted to VP of 2 realestate companies before the age of 30. While she has a wall full of leadership awards & accolades, her free time & passion was spent helping the dogs & designing the Bark Station concept! Owning many dogs her whole life & traveling for business she found that it was very rare to find a boarding facility that had catered to dogs active lifestyle & gave her the sense of trust & personalized care. She also felt as if there were webcams, there would be no question what her pup was doing all day & actually getting what she paid for. Trust is #1 in the boarding industry & the concept of Bark Station is not only about the services & facility...but the PEOPLE! The people & service is what makes or breaks a boarding facility! She drew this concept in college and saved every penny of her realestate funds to make her dream a reality 16 years later! Her faith in God & tireless work ethic made Bark Station a reality back in 2010! With her realestate construction background, she architecturally designed the entire building herself & oversaw the luxury renovation & construction of the 10,000 sqft prior Golds Gym Facility. She loves to tour people through the building & sits back every day and watches dogs just have a blast!

There is not much she does not know about dogs when it comes to health care, behavior & safety. She currently is an adoption counselor for Mostly Mutts Animal rescue & is passionate about rescue! She shares a significant amount space at Bark Station for rescue fosters year around! See below. Having an animal expert as the on-site owner is priceless in this industry & VERY rare. Her quote "I personally make sure every customer & pup that enters Bark Station has the BEST experience possible. I never have to sell this place, the dogs wagging their tails upon entering & exiting the building will tell the story themselves!"

Wes-Director Of Operations (AKA our HEAD PACK LEADER)-Also known for the past 2 years as the “Dog Whisperer” to many of our clients! Wes leads our Pack Leaders in training, handling & kennel operations. He has worked with dogs his whole life & in rescue. He raised & trained Rottwielers & has an understanding of the misunderstood “Bully Breeds”. Wes knows EVERY dog that comes in to Bark Station personally. A dog does not enter the playroom pack without first meeting Wes to complete a safety & personality assessment. He enjoys talking to customers about their dogs personality type & ways to get the most successful relationship out of the breed. He believes dogs should be socialized as early as possible. He understands the root of dog behavior & offers a great wealth of knowledge to our customers.

Wes says “Dogs need exercise & mental stimulation DAILY to have a well balanced life. Sometimes people spend thousands on training when they never give their dog what they need...EXERCISE! Working dogs are unemployed these days & we help fill that void!” He also shares five dogs with Lorre the owner. His dream one day is to open up a dog behavior rehabilitation sister Bark Station center similar to the one Cesar Milan has in California.

Lucy (Mother of Lorre)-Office/Front Desk Manager- Everyone at the Station is greeted daily by Ms.Lucy & her two little rescue bichons Darla & Peanut! Lucy keeps all vet records in order, makes all the reservations for daycare, boarding & grooming, answers all calls & customer questions daily. She keeps everything organized so the Pack Leaders & managers can focus on what they do best...PLAYING and CARING for your pups!

OUR RESCUE MISSION! 

By using the services  at Bark Station you help us to reach out to the community to foster dogs at our resort. We foster dogs that were adoptable and moments away from being euthanized at animal control. They now have a temporary happy home until we can find a forever home for them. Also by using our services you assist us with the outreach program to spread the word about SPAY/NEUTER!  We need everyones help in the community to control the overwhelming pet population. If your dog is not spayed or neutered, there are many affordable options we can direct you to. Bark Station is a proud partner with Mostly Mutts (Large non-profit animal rescue group for North Georgia) & a proud sponsor of the Spay & Neuter Society of the South. The owner of Bark Station is an adoption counselor for Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue. See our ADOPT US page for more details. Stop by our resort today to visit one of our fosters! Click on this LINK to view some of the great media attention Bark Station has recently received!