Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Cohen.
Kevin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2010, my wife, Chrissy, and I were living in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston and about to leave for vacation; however, we were struggling to find a facility we felt comfortable leaving our two dogs at while we were out of town.
Our dogs deserved a vacation as much as we did, but the majority of places we researched were overcrowded, small and lacked outside space. We wanted to feel confident knowing our pets were well-cared for in a safe, secure and stimulating environment while we were gone and we could only assume that other people in the Greater Boston area were experiencing these same issues finding the perfect dog care service. That is when Chrissy and I realized there was a void that we needed to fill in the pet care industry.
We have always worked with shelters and veterinarians in the past- so we both decided to leave our jobs and dive head first into a new business venture.
Boston House of Bark was started to meet the needs of local dog owners by providing doggie day camp, overnight hotel accommodations and grooming services.
We searched endlessly for the best location for Boston House of Bark because we desired a place that offered natural outdoor space and a safe and caring experience for all dogs. In late 2010, we discovered an impeccable property in Hanson, Massachusetts, that instantly won us over. Situated on 8 acres of land surrounded by over 76 acres of farmlands, Boston House of Bark provides the cleanest, healthiest, safest and happiest environment for all dogs. The property has both indoor and outdoor play areas designed to meet the needs for dogs of all sizes, activity levels and temperaments. Every type of dog loves Boston House of Bark and we provide individual attention where other facilities seemed to have lost that aspect.
We get to know the dogs so well – that we can tell when they are scared, nervous or overwhelmed. We pride ourselves on having so many different space areas that your dog will never be in a situation where they get scared.
They are always with someone and in the best of hands. We also are affiliated with many vets in the Boston area. Our property is consistently treated with the best, pet friendly products, ensuring that ticks, bugs, and fleas are not a problem for any of our fur-iends.
After discovering the property in Hanson, we went through all the proper channels of establishing the business, by getting our licenses, permits, insurance and training in order. We hired a wonderful, experienced, dog-loving staff, who have all undergone pet training, pet first aid and pet CPR.
Then we started… our dream had finally become a reality.
Boston House of Bark formally launched in 2011, as a doggie day camp, short and long-term boarding and grooming facility servicing dog owners in the Greater Boston area and Chrissy and I could not be prouder of the business we created. We established an alternative to what is currently available, by giving dogs the time, attention and love not normally found in a dog facility.
We currently offer day camp (where we pick the pups up every morning, bring them to our property for a day of fun and socialization, and then drop them off later in the day), short-term or long-term boarding (where we keep everything very similar to the pup’s home life – they join us at day camp and then we keep overnight stays very similar to the pup’s home life) and we do all kinds of grooming.
Fast forward six years, and we are even more in love with what we do then when we started this adventure… we will play with the dogs as long as they want and every pup has a blast at Boston House of Bark.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road definitely isn’t complete yet! Starting a business from the ground up comes with a lot of risks and challenges, but Chrissy and I were determined to make it happen.
Upon launching the new business, we struggled with generating awareness of Boston House of Bark. We overcame this by encouraging all of our loyal and satisfied clients to help spread the word about our niche offerings and establishing our own corporate identity in the industry.
In the beginning, it was also a difficult task to get all of our licenses together, making sure all of our i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed. As a growing business in a dynamic industry valued at over $62 billion, we need to constantly stay up to date on training, health and safety protocols, cleaning procedures, etc. Therefore, every couple of weeks we have a team meeting to make sure we meet and exceed all standards and guidelines and stay on top of the latest industry trends. For example, we recently upgraded our dog transportation vehicles to Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans because they were recognized by What Van? with the Safety Award for 2017 and we want to offer the pups the most secure and comfortable ride to and from our property in Hanson.
We have always held our business to the highest standard – making sure that we treat the pups and their families as we would want to be treated. We build a unique relationship with every dog that visits Boston House of Bark and encourage open communication with each dog’s owner to ensure the best care for the pup.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Boston House of Bark – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a very reputable doggie day camp and overnight hotel servicing dog owners in the Greater Boston area. Unlike the competition, we have never really done any publicity in the past and all of our success has been based on word of mouth from our clients. Our reputation has been built strictly on our wonderful staff and great relationships with our clients. We become part of our client’s family and their dog becomes part of ours.
We are different than the competition because we built our facility with our own dogs in mind. Boston House of Bark today is the result of six years of careful thought – and we use our wealth of knowledge and expertise to ensure each dog visiting Boston House of Bark feels like they are always at home.
We never use negative reinforcements – everything that your dog will experience at camp is positive and fun. We truly love our jobs and it shows! We were told by a recent client that, “Boston House of Bark is like The Breakers for my dog,” and that couldn’t be more aligned with our mission.
How do you, personally, define success? If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
Success to us is waking up every day loving what we do and knowing that we are making a difference in people’s lives. Both my wife, Chrissy, and I were successful in the corporate world; however, after a lot of thought we decided to leave our jobs to start something that we loved. I would never change what we did and looking back I am so proud of how far we have come. We discovered our true passion and every day we deliver more than what is expected of us, never wavering from our main focus to provide an exceptional, one of a kind, experience for all dogs visiting Boston House of Bark.
To learn more about Boston House of Bark, visit www.bostonhouseofbark.com.
Contact Info:
- Address: Boston House of Bark Hanson, MA 02341
- Website: www.BostonHouseofBark.com
- Phone: 7815241056
- Email: info@bostonhouseofbark.com
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