The Big Bark is Ireland’s leading volunteer led canine podcast series bringing all the latest canine stories to you. On this show, we chat with everyone from behaviour specialists, canine physiotherapists, groomers, dog walkers, vets and many more. Each episode, our panelists and regional correspondents discuss hot topics and review the best products, food and treats, the best places to take your dog on a day out and most dog friendly venues in Ireland. We have lots of fun along the way and of course we chat with dog owners as well about their dogs to find out more about the bonds that make a dog man’s best friend.

The Big Bark has quickly grown to become a fan favourite podcast. Throughout the first 4 seasons, 52 out of 60 episodes went straight in at Number 1 of the Itunes Pets & Animals charts in Ireland. The podcast has achieved over 200000 downloads and streams since launching in 2019. We are preparing to launch into our 5th season in April 2024, and we look forward to meeting with canine professionals and dog owners alike throughout 2024. Our team of regional correspondents will bring the latest dog related news from your area to a show with an international audience while we advocate for canine rights and improvements in animal welfare legislation.

We work closely with animal welfare groups across Ireland. We’re big into charity fundraisers too and since 2020, we have raised funds for many animal charities including Limerick Animal Welfare, Haven Rescue, DSPCA, MADRA, SARDA and more. In December 2021, we launched our first ever Charity calendar for 2022 which was a sell out. We  success with our 2023 calendar also selling out in December 2022 and our 2024 calendar selling out in December 2023.

The host and producer of The Big Bark is dog lover Darragh, a dog owner with a passion for canine Psychology and behaviour. Darragh started this podcast on a voluntary basis in 2019. Here’s a bit about Darragh in his own words.

I’m Darragh and I’m that crazy dog guy you hear about. In 2019, I decided I wanted to understand what my dogs were telling me, and I embarked on a crazy journey to obtain my diploma in Pet Psychology which has opened up my eyes to the extraordinary workings of a dogs mind.

I have three beautiful dogs, – Milly is a Golden labrador who loves attention more than anything – we call her the princess and then Bruno a Bloodrador (black Lab X Bloodhound) who can be a bit of a shy fellow but has a complete heart of gold. Roxy is a golden labrador who is a year old – all she wants to do is jump around so I think that should be her theme song when she comes into the studio. I call her a contractor because she starts digging up the weeds in one place and then jumps to another spot without finishing the first job. To say she is hard work would be an understatement but we’re having lots of fun along the way and Bruno and Milly have made a new best friend too.

For me, the bond that comes with having loyal companions such as Bruno, Milly  and Roxy is something that is irreplaceable. The loyalty, love and friendship that I share with these two beautiful souls is just wonderful. I’ve always been the type of person who values the friendship of dogs over that of humans and they have been a source of comfort to me in some of the worst times that I have experienced. I’m a strong believer that our dogs really do make our lives and our hearts feel whole. They truly are a human’s best friend and every day, they remind me that the world really is a beautiful place because of our dogs.

The structure of The Big Bark has always been just Darragh and the dogs – and that has been hard so thats changing for 2024. Something Darragh has learned is that sometimes, you cant do everything on your own – sometimes you need a team and for 2024, this will be made up dedicated animal loving volunteers who will be our regional correspondents, covering the whole of Ireland and bringing all the canine stories from every area in Ireland. Our team will also consist of our social media manager and production assistants.

The focus was always to promote happy vibes on the show and avoid any negative stories. But, that also meant shielding people from the unfortunate truth that cruel acts do occur. As Ireland’s leading canine podcast, The Big Bark will step up and be the voice for dogs in Ireland, we will highlight cases of cruelty and work with animal welfare charities to help where we can.

Over the next year, We plan to take The Big Bark to new heights and make sure this show is recognised in every home, kennel and pet business across Ireland and beyond as the best dog podcast on Spotify and Itunes. With our new volunteer led not for profit structure, we will do just that. Funds raised through our sponsors and business partners will be reinvested into the show and also will be donated towards animal charities.  We will continue our abundant efforts to fundraise for as many dog related charities across Ireland through our annual Christmas campaign, bi annual raffles

Get ready, because Season 5 of The Big Bark podcast is going to be the best yet. We promise to bring all the canine stories to you while being the voice for dogs in Ireland.

Season 5 launches on April 3rd 2024 at which point, we’ll be introducing our new team also. Follow our insta and facebook for more.