Bark Social is back in Baltimore, but it’s not exactly the same.

It’s still the same human- and dog-friendly outdoor space people remember, name and branding included. The wall of on-tap beers hasn’t moved, and some of the “Bark Rangers” are familiar faces.

The difference is happening behind the scenes. Bark Social has a fresh selection of healthy food and dog-themed drinks, and new dog suites for day camp attendees.

The biggest change is the new owner.

Brad Notaro, 32, is the new top dog at Bark Social, leading the pack as “chief dog officer,” with his two mini goldendoodles, Olivander “Ollie” and Luna in tow.

Notaro, a Canton resident, left his job at the Baltimore-based cybersecurity firm ZeroFox a couple months ago to pursue this venture.

“The previous owners had a great vision, they had a great team and they really built a great formatted spot for everyone to enjoy positivity,” he said. “I’m just grateful that we can continue that.”

This isn’t Notaro’s first time as an entrepreneur or working with dogs. As a kid growing up in Manasquan, New Jersey, Notaro started a pet-sitting service and even recruited some of his middle school and high school friends to grow the business.

The Towson University graduate has worked in numerous industries, ranging from antique and collectible cars to fleet management. Bark Social is his newest venture.

Bark Social is a powerful brand with a strong community behind it, he said, and that’s a big part of why he decided to buy it.

“This is less than five minutes from my house and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Notaro said. “And it was right at a time when I was thinking about the next move. It just seemed like it was a match.”

We Love Pets LLC purchased two Bark Social locations in Baltimore and Columbia for $500,000 this year. We Love Pets is registered to James C. Foster, founder and executive chairman of ZeroFox.

Notaro declined to comment on the business relationship.

The grand reopening of the Baltimore location is Thursday. The Columbia location is expected to open this fall.

Former owners Jeff Kurtzman and Luke Silverman launched Bark Social in 2019 at its first location in Bethesda. Over five years, they opened four more dog-centered beer gardens in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Alexandria, Virginia, and opened another in Columbia, Maryland, last October.

The company even teased a future location in Los Angeles.

With so much rapid growth and successful rounds of investment, it came as a shock to the dog-loving community one Thursday night in November when the then-owners sent out an email informing customers that Bark Social was filing for bankruptcy and that all locations were “closed until further notice.”

Employees were let go with little notice and no severance “due to a lack of funds,” Fast Company reported last year. Members who had paid as much as $365 for an annual membership were not refunded.

Rumors of a relaunch and new ownership swirled online for months as the Baltimore community spotted Notaro and others making changes to the beloved dog park and bar in Canton.

Notaro said around half his staff are former employees, many of whom he found through community members and social media.

Angelic Cruz, the new general manager, was the assistant general manager under the previous owners and worked for the company for three years. She heard about the relaunch on social media and reached out to Notaro to learn more.

Cruz, 53, and the rest of Bark Social’s staff found out that the company was closing and filing for bankruptcy the same day as the public. But she said that’s all behind her with Notaro at the helm.

“We are back, and we are better,” she said. “And we want everybody back because it was a family. It was a community here within Bark Social.”

There are other changes, too, including pricing. Entry for humans was free, and it’s staying that way, Notaro said.

Dogs, on the other hand, previously paid $365 for an annual membership. Now, it’s $385.

The monthly membership increased from $40 to $45. And the daily pass is $12, up from $10.

Bark Social has had a few soft-launch events to get the word out to the community and let former members get a sneak peek. They’ve been successful so far, Notaro said. He surveyed some former members at the events this summer to find a price that felt most comfortable.

“It was so awesome to see everybody so happy — the smiles and the dogs," Cruz said. “They couldn’t get into the gate quick enough. It felt good, like a homecoming.”