New York Walk & Train
917-843-4796; walkandtrain.com
Andrea Arden, dog trainer to celebrities like Anna Wintour and Robert De Niro, can only recommend one dog-sitting service with complete confidence: former pupil Colleen Safford’s New York Walk & Train. The agency offers three choices for overnight stays: in the customer’s home ($85), at a sitter’s house ($70), or, if the dog could use a vacation, a stay at Safford’s ten-acre upstate property, in Chatham ($65, pickup and drop-off complimentary). Anxious new clients can become acquainted with the sitters at “meet-and-greets” where Safford will outline a plan to ensure that the pooch maintains its routine (meal times, walk times, preferred sleeping spots) during the owner’s absence. A former Wall Street recruiter, Safford put each of her thirteen sitters—all women with college degrees—through a rigorous screening process that included mandated “postgrad” work in puppy classes. For customers who choose the country over the city stay, their pets can romp leash-free in the one-acre dog run. Worried about a runaway? Breathe easy. The area has six-foot fences and double gates.