The Hair of the Dog and the Barking Lot at 325 South Poplar in downtown Centralia have reopened with new owners.
Five family members, Andrea Wollenhaupt and her daughter Jessica of Centralia along with Jane, Kent and Stacy Gabriel of Witt have purchased the business from Hannah Shores.
Andrea Wollenhaupt says she will be the only one to keep another job.
“The business is beautiful, and I love them so much. My dog was here five days a week every time I went out of town for work. My daughter worked here, and when she had to close I went home and said, ‘We need to do something about this,’ so we all decided to see if we could move forward on it.”
Wollenhaupt says they will offer the same services as in the past.
“We have dog day care from 7 AM to 6 PM all day. We also have boarding for family vacations and things like that. We have three suites and lots of kennels in the back, for different levels of comfort for the dog.”
The bar will also remain so dog owners can come with their pet and have a drink.
Wollenhaupt says they have also entered into an arrangement to keep dogs picked up by Marion County Animal Control and work to return them to their owners or to adopt them out. A ‘meet and greet’ area has been set up for those interested in adopting to be able to spend some time with the dog before they make a final decision. Since the agreement began earlier this month, four dogs have already been adopted. Marion County is paying $5,000 a month for the service through the end of the year.
Visitors play with dogs at the bar at the Barking Lot. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
