Dog owners working in an office are in a A type of fish Situation.
With the need for more employers additional office days per weekWorkers are saying goodbye to remote life – and being blamed by Fido more often.
As more of the Big Apple’s pups remain home alone, business for dog walkers and groomers in NYC is once again booming, with fur parents desperate to make sure they stay in small apartments. Close to let their four-legged friends get some fresh air.
Lauren Michelson, who has walked dogs through Rover for two years, said many of her clients simply need a caregiver for a long weekend. Now, they are reaching out because their work from home policy has changed.
“People are in the office, they need walks or day care,” Michelson, 27, told The Post. “I’ve probably gotten 40% more (requests).”
This matches data Rover provided to The Post: Dog walking bookings in NYC increased 25% year-over-year from July to September 2024.
“As pandemic-era remote work policies begin to end, we are seeing an increase in demand for dog walking services,” Megan Tepe, Rover’s senior vice president of global development, told The Post. “Dog walking bookings at Rover have officially surpassed pre-pandemic levels. One factor that could fuel this is teams being called back to the office.
Michelson, an MBA student at Columbia Business School, said she also gets a lot of requests from people starting new jobs with different work-from-home policies.
“Some people are changing jobs and they approach me and ask, ‘I know you watched my dog for the long weekend when I was out of town, but now I have a new job — or now. My work-from-home policy has changed – and I’ll need someone to walk my dog during the work week,” explained Michelson, who is starting her own pet sitting business. Lauren’s BestiesDue to increasing demand.
Andrea Leach, a certified professional dog trainer, said she first noticed a year ago that more clients wanted home boarding and dog training to make sure Fido was safe at home.
The 34-year-old Manhattan dog trainer said others in his industry have seen the uptick, too.
“Many of the walkers I know have to set a limit as to what they can do,” she shared.
Heather Briggs, a “star sitter” on Rover who works full-time in finance, said many people found pups to keep them company during lockdown – but now the pups are left alone because of the pandemic.
“People put their own worries on these dogs — they can’t be left alone, they’ve never been left alone,” he told The Post. “They felt like they needed extra support, so that definitely affected my business a little bit.”
Dr. Eliza O’CallaghanVeterinarian’s management for Small Door Vet’s NYC Practicestold The Post that many dogs are suffering more from separation anxiety as their owners return to the office.
“These dogs have become accustomed to a world where their humans are constantly around, so a sudden change can be jarring to them,” she shared. “Now, as people return to the office, many of these dogs are struggling with significant separation anxiety. It has been an adjustment not only for the dogs but also for the owners as they figure out how to manage this stress.
O’Callaghan said services like Rover are seeing growth as owners want to make sure their pets are taken care of during the day when they can’t be home. Briggs agreed, and the business “only sees Rover going up” as more people shift to office work.
“Especially customers who work part-time in the office, they feel a little guilty when they go in,” he said.
Briggs said the increase in requests is likely because people don’t have the energy to do all their daily tasks after spending a full day at the office.
“It’s like, you got this dog during the pandemic and now you have all these responsibilities that it’s a little overwhelming,” she said.
Travel – both for work and play – has also been impacted following the pandemic.
Jessica Cho, a 23-year-old media campaign coordinator who walks dogs as a side hustle, shared that requests to walk dogs are often due to owners’ work schedules.
“People are going on work trips more often, so it’s inevitable for them to leave their dogs in the hands of others to care for,” she told The Post.
But Leach said no dog is created equal, and what works well for one dog may not work for others. She advised dog owners to take a look at what their dog walker or day care center can offer before choosing one for their four-legged friend.
“If you’re thinking of just having a walker come in… instead of just walking out for an hour, maybe it’s something where we’re going to walk for 30 minutes of that hour and then 30 minutes just walk with the caretaker Home with the dog, playing with the dog,” she explained.
“Just taking long walks and increasing their steps is not always the best thing for dogs mentally.”
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