Home > Out of the Cage! > November 2004 > An Alliance Supporter: The Dog Run – NYC: Creating Positive Change for Dogs In and Out of the Shelter

An Alliance Supporter

The Dog Run – NYC: Creating Positive Change for Dogs In and Out of the Shelter

Earlier this month, New Yorkers of both human and canine persuasions turned out in force for the Dog Culture Fair, a first-time-ever fundraising event for the Mayor's Alliance. The event, sponsored by The Dog Run – NYC — a one-of-a-kind doggie day care and service center in Manhattan's Chelsea district — raised more than $2,000 for the Alliance. Among the featured attractions were a pet photographer, a pet communicator, food vendors, a pet massage therapist, and a raffle that awarded a grand prize of a weekend lodging for four — and the dog! — in a luxury Affinia hotel in NYC. Hosting the event were Stacy Alldredge and Mary Connelly, co-founders of The Dog Run – NYC.

From the time she was 12 years old, Stacy Alldredge knew that her relationship with animals was special. As a child, she bonded strongly with animals, and understood instinctively that they needed to be protected. Long before it was fashionable, Stacy became a devout vegan and a member of the Anti-Vivisection Association (AVA), an early animal rights organization.

After trying on several different professions, Stacy finally returned to the one career that brought her true satisfaction — working with animals. As an advocate for animals, she lent her voice to the growing animal rights movement. Eventually, she turned her sights to animal services, including day care, training, and holistic care. Aspiring to create the most dog-friendly environment possible, Stacy and her business partner, Mary Connelly, opened The Dog Run – NYC on January 1, 2004, in Manhattan's Chelsea district.

"I wanted to fill the need for a place where dogs really have a good time," Stacy explains, "but also provide a day care and service facility that doesn't require its canine clients to have multiple unnecessary vaccinations and medications to participate."

Offering dogs a good time, indeed, The Dog Run – NYC is a multi-services facility with a broad range of services. These include cage-free, supervised day care, obedience training classes and one-on-one training, puppy mixers where puppies learn to socialize and develop confidence, grooming, hydro-therapy (the only such program in NYC), in-home massage for non-ambulatory dogs, nutritional counseling — and even private parties for dogs and their people. Birthday parties are the most popular, and the pool — the only one of its kind in Manhattan — is clearly an added bonus for those dogs who love to swim. Recently The Dog Run – NYC hosted a Bark Mitzvah, and the dog wore a yarmulke!

"The dogs have a lot of fun here," says Stacy. "Unlike at many day care facilities in the city, our staff members actually play with the dogs." While many of The Dog Run – NYC's clientele — which on a given day numbers no more than 25 — romp in and out of the heated pool, even the non-swimmers enjoy abundant activity.

Part of the Solution

Stacy and Mary's keen attention to ensuring the health and well-being of dogs doesn't end with their client list. Helping rescued and shelter dogs prepare to join adoptive households is an important part of their mission, as it has been for the past 20 years. "I want dogs to have good homes, and I want shelters not to be necessary," Stacy declares. "I want to be part of the solution."

To that end, Stacy offers temperament testing at no charge for shelters and rescue groups. "Too many dogs are adopted and then returned because the adopter was not prepared for the reality of a particular dog, or any dog, for that matter," she explains. Temperament testing can help uncover certain behavioral problems and allow those problems to be addressed before a dog is adopted into a new home. It also can help shelter staff determine what kind of home a particular dogs needs.

The Dog Run – NYC and Who's Walking Who (the obedience and behavioral services that actually comprise a separate company) offer scholarships for dogs from a shelter or foster care to its basic obedience classes because, as Stacy explains, "we know that a dog that is even slightly trained is much more adoptable than an untrained dog."

When the Mayor's Alliance was seeking a space to film a DVD about different dog breeds (which will be distributed to shelters and rescue groups to assist in breed identification), Stacy and Mary were thrilled to offer their facility for the project. "We had Bullmastiff rescue, Maltese rescue, Poodle rescue, Italian Greyhound rescue, and many more groups here for the filming. It was great," recalls Stacy.

Stacy and Mary both believe adamantly that educating people is crucial to turning the tide on issues like pet homelessness and irresponsible pet ownership. They never pass up an opportunity to speak out in favor of spaying and neutering; to dissuade people from purchasing a dog from a pet store or breeder; or to discourage them from breeding their own dog.

For Stacy, caring for animals is a matter of respect. "Every animal should be treated with love and respect, as should every human. Animals are not here for people to eat, wear, or kill. We are their caretakers. It's up to us to be there for them."

If you'd like to find out more about day care or other services offered at The Dog Run – NYC and Who's Walking Who Obedience and Behavioral Training, you can visit Stacy and Mary at their Chelsea location, 136 Ninth Avenue, between 18th and 19th Streets. Phone: (212) 414-1551 or (212) 414-2500. Or visit them online at www.whoswalkingwhodogtraining.com.