Back in college, which was around six years ago, I used to bring Booboo often to Eastwood Mall with friends and family because at that time, they were one of the few pet-friendly places that allowed Booboo to enter even air-conditioned stores and restaurants. It was always such a blast to have him around while dining out or going shopping, but what I did notice back then was the lack of activities that we could do together.
I remember even thinking that Eastwood needed a dog cafe and grooming center, so that I could have Booboo groomed while having a slice of cake and a cup of coffee, or even a doggie day care center where pet owners could leave their dogs in a safe environment for a couple of hours if they suddenly decided to watch a movie and couldn’t bring their dogs with them (now that I think about it—what if malls opened a pet-friendly cinema so you and your furry friend can enjoy a movie together?).Anyway, it was a business idea that I jokingly told family and friends I wanted to pursue—but because I never really had the capital nor experience for it, it remained a daydream.
That is, until last January, when Bark Central launched the first indoor dog park in Metro Manila! Imagine how thrilled I was to have a daydream suddenly come to life after all these years! We were actually the first people to use it right before its soft opening, because it had become the perfect location for our cover girl shoot with Calyxta’s February cover girl, Carla Abellana. The campaign highlighted her love for dogs, which also ties it with Calyxta celebrating cruelty-free beauty for the whole month, so we shot her with five other dogs—and Booboo happened to be one of them!
Bark Central is incredibly spacious, as seen in the photos and video. There’s the park itself with an obstacle course to help train and exercise your dog, a large ball pit for dogs to enjoy, a cafe that serves comfort food for hoomans, a grooming center right beside the cafe with glass windows so you can watch your dog being groomed, a pet supplies shop, and a cute function room where I definitely want Booboo to celebrate his birthday this year!
I think what makes Bark Central even more unique is their well-trained and very friendly staff who closely monitors each dog, which means that every dog can walk around the air-conditioned park leash-free. I was so amazed during our shoot when Booboo pooped on the artificial grass because in seconds, a staff member cleaned it up right away just when I was about to grab plastic from Booboo’s doggie bag. I turned around and was surprised that the poop was gone! They had a special spray that instantly cleaned up everything and left the grass spotless and odorless.
If you and your furry baby love going out and doing fun things together, I highly recommend visiting Bark Central because it’s the perfect venue to enjoy with your dog. At the same time, you can bring family and friends and make a bonding day out of it! I’m already looking forward to bringing Booboo back with the Cupcake!
Bark Central is located on the 4th floor of Eastwood Mall. For more information, you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram @BarkCentralPH or visit www.barkcentral.ph.