Business Profile: A Bark Above, Somers
Photo credit: Neal Rentz
Christine Sinclair has loved dogs since she was a child and now she has a way to share that passion with the rest of the local area.
A Bark Above was opened in Somers in June 2013 by co-owners Sinclair and one of her daughters, Avery. “I’ve had consulting businesses before, but this is the first brick and mortar building,” she said.
Sinclair recalled when she took care of a dog owned by one of her daughters, Thea, during the first eight months of its life and was seeking to place her in a day care facility in New York City. “I was very shocked at what they had for dog day care and decided that there could be a better way of doing this,” she said.
There was no particular reason for naming the day care center A Bark Above, Sinclair said, adding it is just a coincidence that the facility operates on the top floor of a commercial building. It took over two years to set up her new business.
Owning the dog care center was change of career for Sinclair, who was formerly a hospital and nursing home administrator for 20 years, but her background is helpful in her new profession, she said. “At the same time it brings all those characteristics and traits to the dog dare care business and raises, I hope, the standards of what you expect from dog day care,” she said.
A Bark Above differs from typical day centers for dogs, Sinclair said. “A lot of them have very large warehouse settings. We have a home like setting,” she said. “We make sure that there’s a lot of space for them. There’s toys for them. There’s a safe setting for them and clean. Everything in the building here is organic. We had the floors shipped in from Oregon so that there’s no leaking of chemicals on the dogs’ feet. We use all organic chemicals in cleaning the place.”
A Bark Above is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and the business’ clients typically have their dogs stay throughout the week. “We cater to the person who mostly works and still wants to have a dog but that the dog has a good time also,” Sinclair said.
There are three day introduction periods for new dogs so they can become part of the pack with the rest of the dogs, Sinclair explained. The facility also will board dogs over the weekend at Sinclar’s home, but only for regular clients.
“There’s no stress for the dog and that’s the theory that we have here,” Sinclair said. “We know each dog personally.”
Aside from day care, acupuncture is offered at the facility, provided by a qualified veterinarian for such reasons as arthritis, rehabilitation following surgery and for older dogs with other various physical difficulties, Sinclair said
Some of her clients drive as much as 30 minutes from their homes because they are impressed with A Bark Above, Sinclair said. “We’ve gotten the reputation of going that little bit of extra distance with their dogs,” she said.
A Bark Above is located at 366 Route 202 in Somers. For more information, call 914-617-8900, visit 2bark.com or send an e-mail to christine@2bark.com.
