A practical safety guide for dog owners and anyone walking dogs in a city I’m writing this after hearing about a deeply upsetting incident reported today here in Hoboken involving three off leash dogs that allegedly attacked a dog walker and one of the dogs in their care, leaving the client’s dog seriously injured and hospitalized. Situations like that hit close to home for anyone who spends time around dogs in a dense city. They are a reminder that what people often dismiss

If you live in Hoboken and share an apartment with a dog, you have probably wondered whether you are walking them enough. It is a fair question. In a town without backyards, where elevators replace fences and sidewalks stay busy, walks are not just exercise. They are your dog’s primary outlet for movement, tstimulation, and mental reset. After walking dogs throughout Hoboken since 2010, I can tell you that most behavior issues I see are not about a dog being stubborn or diffi

When I was a young dog walker, one of my clients brought home a Belgian Malinois puppy. Beautiful dog. Alert. Intense. Wired in a way that demanded engagement. They were cat people. They loved the idea of having a dog. What they were not prepared for was what that particular dog required. Within weeks, the puppy was living behind a baby gate in their bathroom because they did not know what to do with him. He barked. He chewed. He paced. He needed direction, structure, and wor

A Hoboken Dog Walker’s Perspective After 15 Years on These Sidewalks Hoboken is intense for dogs. Narrow sidewalks. Constant foot traffic. Other dogs every block. Delivery trucks. Scooters. Lobby doors. Street level windows facing busy streets. After 15 years as a professional dog walker in Hoboken, I have seen the same patterns repeat across breeds, buildings, and neighborhoods. Reactivity rarely appears overnight. It builds slowly through repetition in a high input environm

Fifteen years ago, I left film school. I was studying at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, making short films that looked creative but felt hollow. I could frame a shot. I could edit a scene. But I could not convince myself it mattered. So I walked away. At 21, I answered a Craigslist ad for a dog walker. I almost didn’t go. A week later I was holding the leash of a Saint Bernard puppy, trying to look confident while thinking I might get dragged down the block. I th

A complete guide to raising a happy Hoboken dog from a dog walker with 15 years of experience. Bringing home a puppy in Hoboken is exciting… and quietly terrifying. Between sidewalk hazards, parvo risk, potty training in a walk up, and figuring out how to work a full time job with a baby animal at home, most new owners feel overwhelmed within a week. I’ve been walking dogs in Hoboken for 15 years. I’ve watched hundreds of puppies grow up in this town. I’ve seen the ones who t