James L.
James L.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Licensed Experienced Dog Boarders On Sully Beach.
Welcome to The Bark Bungalow! Me and my partner Sophie have had dogs since we were born. I have been looking after friends and family's dogs for 10 years. In March 2024 I took the plunge to go full time and it's been a dream come true. Since then me and Sophie have teamed up together full time. There is nothing we enjoy more than a dog not wanting to go home and it happens continuously. We have experienced Mini Toy Poodles up to Newfoundland's, sleepy old dogs to young pup's who love fuss and attention and we can provide that all day, everyday.
Qualifications
Ratings and reviews
Left our two (mastiff x and toy poodle) with James and I have seldom if ever felt so relieved and happy that they were in the very best of care. They came back after six nights tired but very relaxed showing no signs of stress or anxiety. Will be using James whenever we can!


Mali loved her stay, came home a very happy and very tired puppy! Lots of walks and lots of updates, can't recommend enough :)

Amazing from start to finish! I actually think my dog had a better holiday with James than my family did on our summer holiday! James and Sophie go over and above in every possible way. I am sure Vinnie would be begging me to book him in again if he could! He even had a bath before I collected him, what a bonus that was! Thank you both so much, you provide an exceptional service.

I feel like we have struck gold in finding James and The Bark Bungalow. We had been searching for a boarder for our two Labradors for around 6 months as it will be the first time either of them have been in anyone else’s care and we wanted someone who ticked all of our boxes. James did just that and more, he was absolutely perfect. His response to my initial query was super quick and followed with a thorough phone call. Both Dudley and Gracie LOVED their trial night and every anxiety I had about leaving them disappeared as soon as we could see how competent and caring James was. We had regular videos and photos updating us on their day which was greatly appreciated. Both dogs made themselves completely at home (Dudley loved his cuddles on the sofa!) and both loved playing with James and Sophie’s gorgeous dog Ralphy. I think the biggest testament to how brilliant James is with dogs is that Gracie is a rescue with lots of trauma who usually struggles to trust humans, however she not only came straight to James as soon as she met him but even let him stroke her within hours of meeting (this usually takes days, if not weeks to achieve). James and Sophie, thank you SO much for treating our dogs like your own and allowing us such peace of mind for our wedding next year.


Kip had a blast at Jimmy's for his trial stay! We received plenty of video updates and loved seeing how Jimmy and Soph interacted with Kipper and the other dogs. It was reassuring to us that not only is this his full time job/commitment, but that he has such a passion and knowledge for all the dogs that stay :)

So pleased we found James! I knew straight away that Vinnie was going to be well cared for. The regular videos and photos were great. Thanks so much for looking after Vinnie, I am sure he cannot wait to return soon.

Calendar and availability
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Schedule
Welcome to the Bark Bungalow! We focus on dogs full time. I rarely need to leave the house and if I'm unavailable I update my Rover calendar. The times I do need to leave is for football training Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon's, Sophie is always home when I'm out. We offer daily dog walks including pick up and drop off in our securely cage and ventilated van as well as day care and boarding.
Where your pet will stay
Home characteristics
Safety, trust & environment
We have a detached dorma bungalow with lots of rooms downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs so if we need to separate dogs we can do it easily whilst still having access to the garden. At the back of the house we have an office with dog sofas, attached to a conservatory that opens into our fenced and gated garden. In 2024 we renovated our house and garden. Inside we have waterproof flooring all downstairs so there's no worries when coming in from them winter walks. We have clean micro fibre towels to dry the dogs and Sophie is a qualified dog groomer so if they need a wash or brush they will be handed in professional care. We use DEFRA approved cleaning products in compliance with our license legislation. We are fully licensed by the Vale Of Glamorgan council. We passed our inspection with flying colours. We keep all food and medication in separated sealed containers. We have excellent insurance which covered everything we provide and more including transport. We now have 4 apple tags here at the Bark Bungalow, if you have your own dog tracker that's great, but if not rest assured they'll be trackable when they are with us with our own name tag as well. We do require a collar. Outside we have a 100 square meter patio that leads onto a 70 square meter lawn, it's a very big garden which all the dogs love. We have a pergola which offers plenty of shade in the summer. the garden is securely fenced and gated with locks. The garden For boarding your dog can sleep where they are most comfortable. Downstairs they can sleep in the living room on the sofa or their bed, the kitchen in their bed or in the office in their bed. If your dog isn't great at being left downstairs we have a spare bedroom where I'll sleep and Sophie will stay in the main bedroom with our dog Ralphy. We always ensure dogs are separated overnight in secure rooms with camera so we can check they are settled. We understand that every dog is different some dogs have had more experience than others being left with carer's and other dogs. We always require a meet and greet before we confirm the booking to introduce our amazing dog Ralphy to your dog and to observe your dog to examine if they will be a good fit for our other dog's we look after. We continue to examine the dogs behaviour and introduce any new dogs out on a walk in an open field, constantly giving plenty of interactions on a lead before we let them free in the house together. All rooms have cameras and temperature monitors which we track daily. We wash all bowls after every use and provide fresh water every continuously. We also wash all beds, covers and towels after each use. We clean the van every week.
Pets
A typical day
We let the dogs out in the garden first thing in the morning. Then we take them out for group walk to the beach followed by a long walk across 2 massive open fields away from roads where they can have all the fun in the world. Sully beach is a couple of minutes away from us. We take them to Sully jetty which the dogs absolutely love. After their swim and walk along the beach they'll have a long play around 2 huge fields which are well away from roads. Once we get back and clean/dry the dogs we'll feed and water them and let them settle down for a sleep, they will beloved and fussed like they are our own. We continue let them out the garden for a toilet through ought the day. You will receive videos & pictures everyday of your dogs holiday.
