Bark Brothers was founded in 2023 by Shantae Hanks — a lifelong dog lover who grew up with rescues, fostered through her twenties, and spent years working in pet care for other companies before taking the leap on her own.
The reason she started Bark Brothers was simple: she kept seeing the same problem across the DMV. Pet parents would book a sitter through a big platform, get a stranger at their door, and spend the entire trip checking their phone, hoping for an update that never came. Dogs were treated like inventory. Meds got skipped. Photos went out late or not at all. And when something actually went wrong, no one took responsibility.
Shantae knew dogs deserved better — and so did the families that love them.
She started Bark Brothers out of her own home, walking and boarding a handful of neighborhood dogs. She showed up early, sent photos every visit, learned every dog's quirks, and built her reputation one client at a time. Within a year, demand outgrew her solo schedule.
That's when the team came in. Shantae handpicked every single sitter — people who genuinely love animals, are calm under pressure, and hold themselves to her standard. Every team member is background-checked, pet CPR & first-aid certified, and personally trained by Shantae before they ever take a booking on their own.
To give every DMV pet parent the kind of care they'd give their own animal — so they can travel, work, and live their lives without ever worrying about who's looking after their best friend.
That's the whole job. That's why we exist.