The beloved dog park and bar, Bark Social, may make a comeback under new ownership at some locations in Maryland after the company abruptly closed its doors last November.

We Love Pets LLC, registered in Maryland as a pet services company, agreed to pay $500,000 for Bark Social’s Canton and Columbia locations, the Baltimore Business Journal reported July 1. The potential acquisition comes eight months after Bark Social filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and abruptly closed all five of its locations.

Launched in 2019 by Jeff Kurtzman and Luke Silverman, Bark Social opened its first location in Bethesda in 2020. The dog-centric company expanded to other cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia and Alexandria, Virginia.

It offered a human and dog-friendly outdoor space with coffee and breakfast in the morning, and lunch, beer and other beverages in the afternoon and evening. Dogs could enjoy water features and ice cream in the summer while owners enjoyed the shade.

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Entry for humans was free, but the cost for dogs was $15 for a day pass, plus proof of up-to-date vaccinations and spaying or neutering. A monthly pass was $40, and an annual membership was $365.

The company sent out an email on a Thursday night in November informing patrons and employees that all of its locations were “closed until further notice.” It came as a shock to Bark Social regulars because the company had just opened a location in Columbia about a month prior.

Bark Social had previously expressed interest in expanding to other cities, including Frederick; Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia; Pittsburgh; and northern New Jersey, the Baltimore Business Journal reported in 2022.

We Love Pets LLC, which was approved to purchase the business on June 17, is registered to James C. Foster, the founder and executive chairman of ZeroFox, a Baltimore-based cybersecurity firm. Foster did not respond to requests for comment.

Rumors of the reopening made their way onto social media late last month, when community members and former employees of Bark Social spotted work being done at the location in Canton.

The future is unclear for Bark Social’s flagship location in Bethesda and its beer garden-style dog parks in Philadelphia and Alexandria, Virginia.