Tyler, with his dog Luna, says dog walking apps are convenient.

By Matthew Friedman

First, there was FreshDirect. Groceries delivered straight to the door – revolutionary.

Then there was Uber. Order a car service anywhere and track the driver’s progress – also revolutionary.

Now, another technology could revolutionize a crucial Upper West Side industry: dog walking apps like Rover, Swifto and Wag! have begun to get a toe-hold (or paw-hold?) in the neighborhood.

The apps offer on-demand dog walking and boarding services. They advertise convenience and modernity, emphasizing trust and safety just like traditional dog walkers while at the same time targeting those in need of a walk at any moment. A dog owner types in a location and a time, and as soon as a half hour later the dog is paired with a local walker.

A Wag lockbox outside an Upper West Side building allows walkers to punch in a code and access a clients’ keys.

Whereas with most traditional dog walking services owners are left in the dark as to the actual whereabouts of their dogs, the apps employ GPS technology to allow owners to track their dog’s progress, including the locations at which the dogs relieve themselves. (Yes, the pee and poop is plotted right on the app, like a treasure map where no one wants the treasure.) Owners, the companies say, can be sure that the dogs are getting the exercise promised.

The apps’ convenience seems to be their best selling point. “Wag! Is very easy to use and it works for my schedules,” said Tyler, walking his dog in Riverside Park on a recent weekday morning. Shira, a dog owner studying at New York University, said that she was a fan of Swifto. She used a traditional dog walking service for over a year, but after cancellations and generally poor service, she switched to Swifto. “The app is very reliable; they communicate well and are frankly the perfect company,” she said.

Many Upper West Siders have at least heard of Wag! or Rover and recall seeing Wag!’s walkers’ white shirts with bright green lettering or the telltale lockboxes located outside apartment buildings. While the apps have become favorites for some in the neighborhood, many are still suspicious. “There’s a personal touch from dog walking companies that you cannot get from an app like Wag! because you might never meet the person who is going to be walking your dog,” said Shaun, a dog walker for an established Upper West Side company.

Despite the apps’ offer of complimentary meet-and-greets prior to a first walk, the issue of companies’ image as impersonal is prevalent on the Upper West Side. Dog walkers and dog owners alike view the impersonality as a possible roadblock to the apps’ expansion. “My gut feeling is that a dog walker is different from an Uber driver since you want a trusting relationship with your dog walker,” said Simon Dyton, who was very hesitant when asked if he would ever consider using one of the apps for his dog, a Havanese named Rocket. Neighborhood dog owners said they relied on word of mouth to find a walker, and that friends’ referrals were much more trustworthy than a rating on an app.

Simon Dyton with his Havanese, Rocket.

“That doesn’t feel personal enough for me,” said Joshua, a dog owner, when asked if he would ever use one of the apps. “If they could guarantee the same person every day then I would look into it. I need a level of consistency,” he said.

Joshua with his two miniature poodles, Storm (left) and Remi (right).

The apps have not been taking much business from traditional companies, dog walkers say. “There is not an issue with the apps but instead one with the younger, more inexperienced dog walkers who undercut prices,” said Kate, the owner of Kate’s Happy Tails, a neighborhood dog training and care company. The apps charge as much or even more than typical Upper West Side dog walkers. Wag! charges 20 dollars for a 30 minute walk, while Swifto is 25 dollars for 30 minutes and Rover walkers can set their own prices. The going rate for a walk from a traditional service on the Upper West Side ranges from 10 to 20 dollars for 30 minutes.

“I haven’t lost any business to these apps,” said Victor, an independent walker who has worked with dogs in the neighborhood since the late 1990s. “My customers are very loyal,” he said.

One reason for the lack of competition between traditional dog walkers and the new apps is that the entities fight for different segments of the dog walking market. According to a Tech Crunch article, in 2015 Wag! reported that 95 percent of its customers had never previously employed dog walkers. “That metric implies, provided that it holds up as Wag’s user base itself grows, that the company is expanding the market for dog walking, not merely servicing the extant demand pool in a new fashion,” wrote author Alex Wilhelm.

“Right now these apps are different in that they do spot walks – if someone is in a bind they’ll get Wag! Any traditional dog walking service does more of a consistent, same walk every day, same walker every day kind of thing,” observed Ben Chaplin, the owner of Benterprise, a dog walking company he founded on the Upper West Side last fall. “Though companies like Wag! are trying to do more consistent walks, our core bases are totally different markets,” he said. The apps also might not appeal to potential walkers, Chaplin reasoned, because the number of walks in a day, and thus a walker’s income, can vary.

Ben Chaplin, owner of Benterprise Walks, with Jordy (left) and Bingley (right).

The apps face an issue going forward in regard to their boarding and pet-sitting services. As The New York Daily News and many other news outlets reported last month, boarding and pet-sitting for pay is illegal in New York City without a license. The contracted dog walkers and dog sitters for these apps may lack the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Small Animal Boarding Establishment Permit. The city has begun to crack down, in a move that could seriously harm the longevity of the apps’ boarding and sitting operations.

There are over 5,000 registered dogs on the Upper West Side, according to a recent dog density map cited by City Lab (and many more that are unregistered). With so many dogs, the on-demand apps and traditional dog walkers will likely continue to coexist. Or more fittingly: on the dog-loving Upper West Side, anyone who is caring for canines is barking up the right tree.

Photos by Matthew Friedman. Wag photo by Brennan Szabo.