Bark Social, the popular chain of dog parks in the D.C. region that sells food and drinks, has abruptly shut down.
The parks have a loyal following, and people who go there frequently to hang out and let their dogs run around off leash are shocked they suddenly can’t go there anymore.
“This is a place where people will go literally every day,” said Thomas Flinchbaugh, who was walking his dog past the now closed Bark Social at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland.
“Around North Bethesda, there aren’t a ton of places to bring your dog,” Flinchbaugh said. “My dog pulls me here every day and throws a fit if I don’t bring him here. So yeah, it’s sad.”
The gates around Bark Social are locked and there is a sign out front that says, “Bark Social is closed until further notice. Thank you for everything.”
In a statement, the company said an expected round of financing did not materialize.
“We know this is abrupt, but as a small start-up, Bark Social relies on investors to fuel its growth,” the company said in an email to customers. “The company was in the middle of a growth round when financing that was expected fell through.”
There are five Bark Social locations, including the one at Pike & Rose.
The others are in Columbia and Baltimore in Maryland, Alexandria in Virginia and also Philadelphia.
Bark Social held a grand opening for its Columbia location just last month.
“It’s a huge loss to the community,” said Gail Graves, who took her dog to the Pike & Rose location every day.
“This was actually one of the reasons why I moved to Pike & Rose because I wanted to be near Bark Social, so now I want to move, honestly,” Graves said. “I met so many friends here and my dog loved it.”
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