A new breed of companies in New York City is catering to some of the city’s wealthier dog owners – offering spaces complete with dog trainers, organic pet food and curated experiences for humans. “It's kind of a magical space because everyone there is a dog person,” said Liam Underwood, co-founder of Dog PPL, a members-only club in Santa Monica that is opening a Williamsburg location this spring. Some of these dog clubs offer amenities like coffee shops and bars; another promises to “foster a deeper connection between you and your dog.
” One has a year-long waiting list. Private spaces for dogs are not new – doggie daycares have been operating in the city for decades – but these clubs offer new luxury amenities (such as triple filtered dog water) in addition to programming geared to help humans socialize. Dog PPL, for example, hosts a country music festival every spring, DJs on Friday nights, and has organized pottery classes to make your own dog bowl.
Happy Tails in Tribeca offers a cafe, multiple themed rooms for pups, and self-grooming stations (where owners can easily groom their dogs). And at the SoHo Grand, the pioneer of luxury dog clubs in New York City, they offer a fenced outdoor street level park, festooned with hydrangeas, open daily from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. “You are not just dropping off your dog and leaving them here, we want to create an experience for the dog and for the human,” says Teddy Tawil, co-founder of Happy Tails in Tribeca.
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