Puppies Party at Piedmont Bark

Birthdays only come around once a year, so of course your best friend deserves a party — especially since each year feels more like seven to him.

To help celebrate your dog’s special day, at Amsterdam Walk offers a dog birthday party package. “We tailor it to what people want,” said owner William Campbell, who opened the award-winning business in November 2002 and added birthday party services three years ago.

For each dog birthday party, Piedmont Bark provides essentials like a personalized cake from Taj Ma-Hound Barkery plus a cake suitable for human friends, treats and a case of Lick-A-Lots frozen treats for each canine friend, fresh bowls of filtered water, decorations and more.

“People love them,” Campbell said. “Sunday afternoons are popular for dog birthday parties because people want their friends to be able to come with their dogs. Then they can come in and we give them the huge open run space — 1,900 square feet. It can be brutal outside in Atlanta in summer, so here dogs can run in our climate controlled environment.”

A two-hour doggie birthday party package is $299.

Of course, with its doggie daycare, boarding and grooming services, Piedmont Bark pampers pooches more than once a year.

“We offer a safe, clean, secure environment,” Campbell said. “It’s a home away from home. When I was putting Piedmont Bark together I thought about what’s appealing to dogs. Dogs love to run and play, so we have huge open indoor spaces.”

Since most dogs are accustomed to spending time indoors, the climate-controlled environment is most familiar to them. What’s more, the building is 96 percent fresh air (not re-circulated), so it smells clean.

“Our goal is to pamper,” Campbell said. “We want you to be able to drop your pet off and for the dogs to feel like we’re an extension of the family.”

To accommodate people who work long hours, Piedmont Bark is open from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. during the week. The dog to staff ratio is ten to one, helping ensure that dogs get “a lot of affection, love and interaction,” Campbell said.

Weekdays up to 80 dogs can be found playing in 10,000 square feet of space, divvied up into miniature, small, puppy and large dog play groups.

“These dogs are running and playing the entire day,” Campbell said, “unless they break for food. Dogs are pack animals and love pairing off and playing with each other.”

Piedmont Bark is located at 501 Amsterdam Ave. For more information call 404-873-5400 or visit www.piedmontbark.com