Tampa Premium Outlets has an extra attraction for shoppers who hate to leave their four-legged companions at home.
A new business, Park and Bark, gives shoppers a chance to leave their dogs with a pet sitter at the mall.
Park and Bark, which opened in mid-November, operates in a climate-controlled trailer in a parking area across from the McDonald’s restaurant.
Owner Laura Vinogradov is an animal lover providing what she believes is the first, and only, pet-sitting service of its kind in Florida.
“It’s an idea I’ve had for many years,” Vinogradov said. “So many services are coming to where people are. Why not dog sitting?”
Park and Bark is a very specific service.
“It’s not boarding. It’s not overnight. It’s not doggy day care,” Vinogradov said.
The service charges an hourly rate. Customers can drop off their dogs for up to two hours at a time.
If more shopping time is needed, owners must return to walk their dogs before heading off again to the mall.
One recent morning, Remy and Percy settled into their enclosed pods while their owner was shopping.
Remy, a Doberman Pinscher puppy, playfully batted around a square container with hidden doggy treats. His Dachshund sibling, Percy, rested on a soft mat in his own pod.
Vinogradov has two large pods and four smaller ones, but there is room for expansion.
While this is the owner’s first Park and Bark, she anticipates taking her concept statewide.
Negotiations are ongoing for two additional locations at undisclosed sites. They could open in 2018.
“We all know the retail market is changing,” Vinogradov said. “Malls are looking for the next draw to set themselves apart for the next shopping experience. We see Park and Bark as added value for them,” she said.
Vinogradov is a world traveler with a background in journalism and nonprofits.
She also has years of experience in the pet care industry.
She previously operated The Barking Lot boarding kennel in Lutz for about six years.
She has bred and trained show dogs. And, she also worked with the Israeli Schutzhund Club, training dogs for search and rescue work.
She spent about 18 months researching and checking locations for Park and Bark, including Orlando.
“I really wanted to come back to Lutz,” Vinogradov said.
The outlet mall, and her former neighborhood, fell into place as the best location.
The mall sits at the crossroads of State Road 56 and Interstate 75, where residential and commercial growth are spreading.
Vinogradov figures local residents can take advantage of the dog-sitting service, but she thinks vacationers will, as well.
Travelers with their dogs on board, can hop off I-75 for a breather, or to indulge in a shopping spree or have a meal in a sit-down restaurant.
Most of the time, families would have to take turns caring for their dogs while others shopped or dined. Or, families would have to go to the drive-through window for fast food.
With Park and Bark, people and pets can enjoy their visit, Vinogradov said.
“Pets become like children,” she said. “They (pet owners) want to travel with their dogs and keep them close.”
For information, call Vinogradov at (813) 600-7985, or email .
Published December 6, 2017