New York Fido
If you were a city dog, you might just want to grow up in NYCby Maria Coder
New Yorkers have it all: bright lights, big city, and a world crammed with culture at their fingertips. Is it any wonder New York City dogs have it all too?
"When you go to the suburbs certainly people think it's no big deal to leave to your dog alone or in some back yard with nothing to do all day but gnaw on a stick. In Manhattan there's a real sense that if you take on the responsibility of getting a dog you take on the responsibility of keeping that dog mentally and physically active," says Nina Munk, founder of Urbanhound.com, an online magazine and resource for pets in the New York City.
There's more to it than that, though. In a city, like New York, there's so much hustle and bustle and career-mindedness that it's easy to feel lost in the daily grind. Having a pet in a metropolis can add a huge sense of companionship. "Pets are the new children. People are moving away from the traditional families... they still want that person they can nurture and spoil so that disposable income they would spend on a child they spend on a pet," says Leslie Padgett, editor of the bi-monthly The New York Dog Magazine. "Think about it, if you want to put a dog in a pink tutu, the dog has nothing to say, she just smiles."
By the looks of things, City dogs have a lot to smile about. While most Manhattanites are at work, their pets are in doggie daycare, getting prettied up at pet spas, walking the streets with their pals, or keeping up with their own busy schedules.
Just like their parents, puppies in this ever-fashionable city know they have to dress the part. Luckily, New York's known for top-of-the-line boutiques and shops. When it comes to pets, the city makes no exception. Two of the better-known pet boutiques/spas on the Upper East Side are busy catering to their four-legged clients non-stop. "There are people who will spend money much more easily on their pet than they would on themselves," says Chad Conway, co-owner of Canine Styles. The pet shop and salon carries everything from cashmere sweaters to Swiss dog collars to its own line of leather belts and horse blankets (a.k.a. a doggie jacket with a built in harness).
Luxurious carriers and clothingKaren's for People and Pets
Karen's for People and Pets, another boutique/salon on the Upper East Side, carries a full line of accessories that match pet to pet parent. The owner, Karen, spends a lot of time at fashion and runway shows to design accessories that will match the seasonal looks. Most clients stop in repeatedly to stock up on the new doggie outfit-seasonal purse combo. The store is to fashionistas what candy is to child. The store carries everything from doggie strollers to $6,000 doggie carriers.
Oh, and there's another thing both these stores have... cats. Each store has one cat and each cat has her own fan club. "We have a dog that comes in here every day with his doorman just to see our cat. He's really in love with her," says Cammy Cutler, manager and buyer for the shop.
Despite the thrill of the sale, Manhattan pups do like to take a step back and relax. In a city full of options, it's no surprise City dogs have a choice in where they choose to roll in the grass.
"In 1990 we got our first dog run. Today we have about 50 of them all over the place. Some of them are beautiful they have fountains and special areas for small dogs. Other have obstacle courses," says Nina of Urbanhound. "Being a dog in New York City is really a blessing in disguise."
There's one fact not escaping anyone in the City and that's how ill-prepared Manhattan is for the summer. Since there are only three-months of the summer, if New Yorkers are lucky, many apartment buildings don't have central air-conditioning. Not to mention, when the weather is truly hot there are few public places to cool off.
Hydro-massage for dogsThe Dog Run NYC
In Manhattan itself there is a privately-owned dog pool at The Dog Run NYC in Chelsea (www.thedogrun-nyc.com), an area closer to lower Manhattan. The pool is used for physical therapy with dogs recovering from surgeries and for treating other issues. The Run staffs certified swim and hydro-massage therapists for dogs. It also acts as a dog training facility and daycare where people can bring their pet to swim under staff supervision at his or her leisure. Throughout the day your pup can also rest on a cot in an adjoining room or run in a fenced back yard, "It's something different, it's fun, the dogs aren't just running on concrete and for water dogs this is really in their nature," says Stacy Alldredge, owner of the Run. Dogs are given a complimentary shampoo and rinse before they go home.
The Dog Run NYC also hosts pet parties, holiday events, Bar Mitzvahs, you name it. Single pet parents may also like to know, the Run hosts gatherings for singles. There are a few rules to know upfront. No more than 25 pets are allowed per day and no pup is allowed to stay more than four times per week. Rates start at $42 for a single visit. The rate can drop as low as $28 per visit for members.
Most Manhattanites stick to the City, so most Manhattanites' dogs do too. However, for those adventurous types, a 20-minute subway ride to a dog beach in Prospect Park, an outer-borough of Brooklyn, could provide your dog much needed relief and ample play space.
The beach is really more of a pond. It's been there for years, left over from the park's early days in the latter 1800s. The park is being restored to the way it used to be and FIDO in Brooklyn (www.fidobrooklyn.com), a group committed to ensuring Prospect Park is a safe and healthy place for dogs, has made arrangements to cover some costs to keep the park open for pets. The Prospect Park Alliance, a public/private partnership with the City, is paying for the protection to keep dogs from going to the deep end of the beach and chasing the ducks.
Propect Park Dog BeachPhoto credit:
Jennifer Brauer, FIDO Brooklyn
"It really has become an extraordinary place," says Mary McInerney, president of FIDO. On a nice summer weekend about 700 dogs come to the meadow that shares the space with the beach. Mary says dogs are constantly in and out of the beach; some lasting as long as 2-hours in the water. On a beautiful day Mary easily counts several dozens. "One dogs just waits till he's shoulder deep and lays down, puts his head on a rock and just kind of sits there."
Of course, regardless how hot it gets, not all dogs love the water. "I know of this one dog that got bored and took the subway home," says Mary. The pup left the pool, went to the nearby subway platform and boarded the first Manhattan-bound train. A man followed the pup off the subway and called the owner from the number on the dog's tag.
Other weekend activity may include one of the many local pupnics or dog gatherings. There's rumored to be a Pug-Hill, for instance, in Central Park. Specifics are vague for the group because they're said to meet on weekends around noon and allow the pugs to roam off-leash. In New York City dogs are allowed off-leash in the park before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m. It's hard to say if reports of reprimands, for allegedly violating the leash rule, are the reason why on a recent weekend no Pugs or Pug parents were found; it could have been the excruciatingly hot weather.
Yet in a city of options, a Pug doesn't have far to go to find another Pug gathering (or air conditioning!) At Happy Paws in SoHo, about 60 pugs came together for their monthly get-together.
"We don't have a sign in sheet, we don't have a nametag, this is all about the dogs," says Robert Bayley, organizer of the NYC Pug Meetup Group (www.pug.meetup.com). "It's very amusing when you have 50-60 pugs come together." This August the group has tried to meet weekly instead of monthly. Keeping in mind that very few people drive in the City and the large distances, the group changes its location each meeting.
Regardless of where the Pug group meets meet, Pug parent Laura of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, tries to bring her Pug, Charles, as often as possible. "I don't have a yard and I think it's important for him to get out. I also take him to a puppy playgroup with mixed breeds." She adds: "I don't have any children. He's my child with fur. And he's so spoiled."
In New York; however, no meeting is truly "just for fun." A dog's gotta seize every moment to make a buck. Patsy, a stylish City Pug, always comes to the meeting with business cards in-hand to promote her clothing store, Patsy's Closet.
Networking is big in New York. City dwellers like to see and be seen. New York pets have adopted the same attitude. From the simplest to-do to a gala event, City dogs like to stay connected.
Seth Edelstein runs Walkee Doggie (www.WalkeeDoggie.com), a pet walking service in Manhattan. He says City dogs look forward to seeing their friends. "We break up the monotony of the daily routine. When we come in for a half hour or a hour and let them see their friends they're so happy." Walkee Doggie does dog walks in groups of threes or one-on-one. Seth says his service walks about 230 dogs and a day a well over a thousand a week. Prices range between $11 to $26 per walk.
When it comes to bigger interactions, City dogs are ready and dressed to the nines. New York Dog magazine recently held a black tie event. Dogs showed up in their best clothes and posed for photos on the green (not red) carpet.
Though perhaps the best testament to being a City dog are the parties in your own pad. "New York City is the bread and butter of my business," says Christine Ciramello, owner of Cleos Barkery (www.CleosBarkery.com), a pet catering service.
"People just want something different and unique and New Yorkers already have everything. They need something new that tailors to their needs," says Christine, who makes all-natural gourmet meat cakes and cup-cakes for dogs in her home. Her pup party packages start at $79. She also offers same day delivery/pick up and next day delivery to out-of-state clients via Fed Ex.
In the end, with pet taxis, doggie yoga, and a menu of pup amenities, City dogs have come to expect a different quality of life. They work hard and party harder. Come on, isn't that what life in the big city is all about?
