Dogs in NYC

I've never had a dog, but one of my former roommates had an aging Yorkshire terrier who needed a lot of pet care. My mom had a little dog that needed similar care, and I have to say I don't think the vet/care bills are much different in the city than they are anywhere else.

That said, I think the best thing about having a dog in the city (besides the pure enjoyment of having a pet) is the fact that when you are walking around with your dog, people are more inclined to be friendly and talk to you. The difference in walking with or without a dog is pretty astounding.

I do not have a dog. I do have two cats. Taking care of my two cats is not that difficult. I just feed them, give them water, and they are happy. I do need to take the cats to the vet now and then for shots and health maintenance.

I always find it a bit sad for the big dogs that people keep here. I've seen some beautiful animals that were obviously not made for living in a cramped apartment. It almost seemed irresponsible or somehow unkind of the owners to insist on keeping them.

Me, too, Uraniumfish. And it seems like people only have really small dogs or huge ones. My previous downstairs neighbors had a Great Dane, and this building is not even close to being something similar to spacious. He always looked like a sad horse staring out the window.

I Iive in close proximity to an outlet of Biscuits and Bath(-http://www.biscuitsandbath.com/) . The popular NYC based doggie day care and gym and I almost always stop and watch the dogs frolicking and playing for a bit its such a great stress-reliever.

Actually some dogs in NYC are quite the pampered lot. Some of them even sport designer togs and enjoy elite grooming services. There seem to be a ton of stores and online boutiques that cater exclusively to dogs in NYC like the http://store.thenewyorkdogshop.com/ and http://www.bitchnewyork.com/. In fact one dog lover who lives in my building also buys health insurance for her gaggle of small dogs. Pretty amazing considering many human New Yorkers currently dont have /can't afford health insurance.

I seem to notice that dogs do have a life of luxury in NYC, both by their owners, and by the pet stores themselves.

Cats also get a certain amount of respect as well.

Wow, uptowngirl! Health insurance for dogs is really...too much.

I used to have a Maltese in NYC. He was trained to "go" on a special kind of paper, and being a small dog, he didn't seem to mind the small space. We lived near the park and walked him almost every day. Although bizarrely, he never liked other dogs or nature - he wasn't even a big fan of Central Park. Rather, he liked strolling down Madison Avenue, seeing all the people (and being petted and called cute by all the people) and preening and showing off - such an NYC dog! Whenever we'd take him to grass/trees/etc, he'd pout and look annoyed until we brought him back to a more glamorous avenue!

@ajadedidealist your Maltese sounds like a proper toffee-nosed gent :)

@ajadeidealist Okay, have to admit that sounds really cute.

I have two 70 pound dogs that I brought with me when I moved here (hence, living in Brooklyn). It wouldn't be that bad at all except for that one of my dogs is really old. That's when things get really tough. He can no longer go to the dog park because he can't walk that far and I don't have a car in the city. Walking to the vet takes an hour and we have to call a car to go to the groomer. I also have to carry him up three flights of stairs every time he goes outside. It's really awful. I love them and obviously had to bring them with me. But, I would never have a dog in New York if I didn't already.
That being said, if I just had the young dog -- the only crappy thing about it is the constant back and forth to walk him and having to go out in a blizzard with the flu because he has to no matter what.

Aw, thanks @uraniumfish. He died in September of 2008 when I was living in Vienna - broke my heart that I couldn't be with him! Strange how much we miss our pets - I still love him so much! I could never replace him, but I am looking forward to a time in my life where having a dog is once more feasible.

@DBlack The reason I don't get even a small animal is because of the mess they leave behind. And the smell of dog food makes me gag, as well. But still, I really want one. If only there was some way to make them stop pooping.

@JenMac Assuming you have a rather regular sized BK apartment (not big), do you feel like it's not fair to your big dogs to have to live in such a small space?

All the dog owners in my neighborhood seem to be such good friends - I think having a dog in NYC, no matter what the hassles, makes you a better neighbor and I think having a pet in general makes you a happier person.

Apparently they help you live longer as well: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/live-longer-with-a-pet.htm

I have two chows. On the one hand, yeah, I don't feel like it's fair. I'm actually sending my old beasty to California with my parents so he can have his 11th hour in a yard with grass and cool stuff that dogs like. But, chows are pretty inactive dogs, so they don't need a ton of space. My apartment is pretty big for NY standards so they do alright. I also take them for walks a lot. And, I take the younger one running to McCarren park several times a week. If I had a giant house this breed of dog would pretty much do the same thing. . . which is follow me from room to room and sleep.

I always wonder what decision I would make when the time comes for my old one. On the one hand, I don't want him to suffer. On the other hand, not really into playing God for something I love either . . .

My mom had to put her dog down; it was one of the saddest things I had ever seen. But the vet convinced us that it was really the best thing... she was dying, and suffering audibly. It was painful to see the poor thing like that.

The problems are not the dogs, it's the people. Having been raised in NYC, more years ago than I wish to think of, dogs were welcome. Further, for those that do not really know about dogs, the comments stating that it is cruel to have a dog in an apartment, please become more informed. I have owned dogs and taken in strays my entire life. The truth of the matter is that dogs actually live LONGER lives in city environments than in the country. You simply don't get it and/or don't like dogs.