Dumbo NYC

Has anyone tried the cat sitting services at DUMBO Pets and if so, what are your thoughts?

Yes, I highly recommend them. Cynthia and her staff are great. Home visits to my cat included feeding and cleaning litter box. Cynthia e-mailed me daily with updates. They can provide a list of references if requested. All the references I called were only positive.

Same here. My boys are always well cared for by Cynthia and Dario.

I'm thinking of getting a dog but don't think I could afford to send him to doggie daycare everyday. So question for the pet owners on this site:

1. How many times per week do you send your doggie off to daycare?

2. If you do not send your doggie off, how does it handle being in the apt all day alone? Particularly if you have a breed that is prone to separation anxiety (i.e. poodle)?

Hi DOT - we have a boston terrier who has major separation anxiety. We cannot afford to take him to doggie day care every day and feel pretty guilty about leaving him home. We have him walked once a day for 30 min and of course walk him in the mornings and evenings. We take him to day care on average of once every two weeks and try to take him on days we know we're going to be home especially late. He's pretty used to this schedule but if we deviate he spazzes out. We are strongly considering finding another dog though we're not sure this is the answer. Of course this would increase our costs overall too. Hope this is helpful...

I work from home so this probably won't help, but:

- I try to take my dogs 1-2 times per week to day care (Monstermutt). This is mostly for socialization and exercise, though sometimes it's nice to have them out of the apartment. When I'm working at a client I try to take them three days. The dogs are quite fine for the day alone though they may sometimes bark if they hear noises in the hallway.

- You'll find that dogs spend most of their days dozing.

- I'd avoid getting a puppy. Get an adult (2 years old or more) dog. An adult will be more used to people coming and going.

- Try to establish a routine, come home for a lunch time walk midday. If you cannot do this for the first month or two I'd suggest not getting a dog. Yes you can get a midday dog walker, but I'd avoid that until the dog has become familiar with you and your routines.

Hi DOT,

We got our dog when she was only 8 weeks old. Since we are gone 8+ hours a day at work, from the very beginning, we had a dogwalker do a half hour walk in the middle of the day. This worked out just fine. Except that after being alone all day, she was hyper at night (when we wanted to relax). Then, Cheeky Dog opened on Plymouth Street. It costs only a few dollars more a day for our dog to go to daycare at Cheeky than it was costing for the dog walker. Instead of a just a half hour walk a day, she has 6 hours of exercise and play time with other dogs. Since we have a very high energy dog, this has worked out so well for us and has been worth the little extra money. She loves going to Cheeky Dog and when we get home at night, she is happy and very tired!

If you get a puppy- I also recommend crate training. This was a great way to house train (they won't go in the crate, so they learn to hold it) and kept our apartment safe from destruction when she was left alone. As they get older and more mature, they don't usually need the crate anymore. It might sound cruel, but actually, dogs like cozy places. Ours will hang out or nap in her crate on her own. It's her "safe place".

This doesn't exactly address the issue of the expense, so I am not sure if all of the above helps or not! As far as the cost, it IS EXPENSIVE. Unless you can go home for a mid-day walk everyday or get an older dog who is comfortable being home alone and not going out for a pee for 8+ hours, then you will probably need a dog walker or daycare (and as I mentioned above, as long as you have a dog who likes other dogs, I recommend Cheeky Dog!).

My husband and I have to laugh when we think about how much our pup has cost us in the year that we have had her(vet bills, daily daycare, training, food and toys, not to mention the couch and two comforters that she has destroyed!). But at the end of the day, she has been worth every single penny. I can't imagine not having her.

One other piece of advice- Adopt! Rescue mutts are the best. You don't need to spend money on a fancy dog breed to get a great pet and companion.

I've been using DUMBO Pet Care for over a year and it's really not that expensive. You get lower rates when you do a combination of walks and daycare. I find it to be totally worth it. My dog gets the right amount of exercise and isn't crazy when I get home.

Wow, that's kinda brutal recommending a competitor doggy day care (Cheeky) under a simply informational posting about DUMBO Pet Care. You could have easily provided the same information you provided above without directing them away from DUMBO Pets. I don't know...that just rubbed me as rather inconsiderate.

Wow. That was not at all my intention, nor do I think it was inconsiderate (as I believe this website to be an open forum). I was simply responding to another posters GENERAL questions about daycare (not specifically about Dumbo Pets). I can not comment on Dumbo Pets as I have no experience with them. I was simply recommending daycare as an alternative to dogwalking and my experience with Cheeky has been great. I was trying to be helpful to DOT. Sue me.

I have to agree with JJJJJ and say that I found the long post about Cheeky in this thread a bit rude. I think you always mean well, T bone, but sometimes you lose the plot.

We just had our dogs groomed at Dumbo Pet Care and they did a wonderful job.

Sorry. Really not meant to be rude and my post was not all about Cheeky Dog- it was about daycare and owning a dog in general. Wow. That'll teach me to try and be helpful to one of my "neighbors"!!! I get insulted for it!

Sorry, I know I should just keep my mouth shut (or my hands away from the keyboard as it is), but I can't help but be upset by this. So genuinely trying to be helpful is "losing the plot", but insulting the way someone posts isn't? It truly upsets me that I took the time to write all of that information about my experience owning a dog to help a fellow dumboite and it is met by comments and criticism.

I am sure Dumbo Pet Care is great, by the way. I have only heard good things about them.

Ok. Removing hands from keyboard now.

T bone, you were right in giving any info on dog day care. Dumbo Pet Care got a free ad and this is an open forum in search of the truth, not a narrow discussion on the merits of one place. Try them both you morons.

Thanks to all who provided VERY helpful information. My question was general and I appreciate the feedback regardless of which doggie daycare you currently use (or don't). Thank you bc, epc, T bone, and Kirstie for chiming in your experience. We want our pooch to be happy if we get one, so we're weighing the decision heavily since we won't be home at least 8 to 10 hours a day.

Tbone
Don't worry about it. I'm sure most people who read it are sane and found it completely non offensive.

Yes Tbone not offensive at all. This is a forum for sharing.

I had a bad experience with DUMBO Pets, but was reimbursed for the poor service.

FYI: DUMBO Pet Care currently does not have groomers, there current groomer is out sick and they are seeking a replacement.

Actually, they do have a groomer on staff right now who does everything except hair cuts. My dog was groomed on Friday and she did a great job.