With a heavy heart, I must tell you that, after 23 years, we are ceasing publication of The Bark. There are oh-so-many reasons for this decision. In the last decade, many corporate-owned magazines have folded following precipitous declines in both readership and advertising. As an indie magazine, we have found this larger trend to be insurmountable.
On a personal note, I have been working on The Bark in what seems like 24/7 mode since I co-founded it 23 years ago, with nary a break. Almost a third of my life has been devoted to my “baby.” I don’t know if, like this magazine, I’ll reach the century mark, but I do know it’s time for me to bow out. Trust me, this was an exceedingly difficult and poignant decision to make.
The Bark will soon become part of Kinship’s most recent launch, The Wildest, a like-minded site focused on educating and engaging pet parents on wellness and lifestyle topics — for dogs and cats.
After more than two decades of publishing ‘the coolest dog magazine ever …’ and establishing thebark.com as an online destination for thoughtful, inspiring and sometimes provocative material … the time has come for us to step back and turn the reins over to Kinship, a group of like-minded canine enthusiasts who can deliver expanded content and new experiences to our longtime readers and to a new generation of dog lovers. Readers deserve smart content, and, above all, dogs deserve to live their best life possible.
So, that’s it, my friends. To all of you who are reading this now, we want to extend our most sincere thanks. It is because of you that we were able to keep publishing for more than two decades—a lot longer than industry experts thought possible. We loved hearing from you, and your enthusiasm for our mission; it touched us deeply.
