Tag Archives: Pet Ride
Bring your dog to work to lower stress; Companies that allow pooches have happier workers
Health
A new study supports the stress-reducing benefits of bringing your pooch to work — to play with, look at, and pet while working.
According to a Virginia Commonwealth University study, having a dog at work not only reduces the owners’ stress level but also increased the level of job satisfaction for other employees as well. The study, announced Thursday, was published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management.
“Dogs in the workplace can make a positive difference,” said head researcher Randolph T. Barker. “The differences in perceived stress between days the dog was present and absent were significant. The employees as a whole had higher job satisfaction than industry norms.”
The study took place at Replacements Ltd, a service-manufacturing-retail company located in North Carolina, which employs approximately 550 people. The company has a dog friendly policy, similar to other companies such as Amazon, Ben & Jerry’s and Zynga, according to CBS News, with around 20 to 30 dogs romping through the office every day. The study took place over a period of one work week, and subjects completing both surveys and saliva samples to measure stress levels.
According to The Humane Society of the United States, there are numerous benefits to having dogs at work, including improved staff morale, worker productivity, and camaraderie among employees.
Numerous studies have shown that having a pet is a good investment for your health. One study found that having a pet lowered your risk factors for heart disease, and another found that dogs encourage more consistent walking and exercise.
Pet Airways – The first pet only airline
Travelling abroad or in the US can be quite a taxing operation with so many things to organise. For those travelling with pets this can be a lot more problematic. Apart from ensuring that your pet has had the right shots, has up to date health certificates etc, the safety of animals in transit is also a big issue. How it all happened
Pet Airways are leaders in the field of pet comfort and safety during long haul travel. The company was born after the founders, Dan and Alysa Wiesel, kept running into difficulty with airlines when trying to travel with their beloved dog, Zoe. There just seemed to be no suitable way for Zoe to fly with them whenever they wanted to go on vacation. Finally they gave up trying to convince human airlines to transport animals more responsibly and decided to take up the cause themselves. In 2008, Pet Airways was born.
Pet Airways is the first airline that caters exclusively for animals. With the exception of the pilots (obviously, LOL!) and pet attendants onboard, all of the passengers are of the furry variety. The beauty of this airline is that it’s run by pet lovers for pet lovers. Every conceivable occurrence has been thought of to ensure that pets arrive at their destination healthy and happy.
Locations
At present, Pet Airways operates domestic flights only and flies to and from the following cities: Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles/Hawthorne, New York, Omaha and Phoenix. If you need help finding reliable international pet shippers, feel free to contact us and we will point you in the right direction.
The plane
Pet Airways uses the Beechcroft 1900 as the plane of choice for flying animals around the country. This plane was chosen because of its impeccable safety record. The animals all travel in the main cabin of the plane, NOT in cargo and each pet has their own container. There is a climate-controller on board which ensures that the pets will neither be too hot or cold.
As with traditional flights, tickets are booked online. There are different size seats to accommodate the various frames of animals who may be travelling: your pet can only travel on a given flight if the correct size seat is available. If there isn’t a seat available on the day you want to travel, you can either choose a different day or be put on their waiting list just in case another pet drops out.
Pets are checked every 15 minutes during the flight, or as needed and have regular potty breaks. Everything is done to ensure that they are not distressed at any point during the flight.
Fares
As with all niche/boutique enterprises, you must expect to spend a bit more than you would on human airlines. Fares start from $149 per animal per flight, but keep an eye out as they sometimes have sales.
It’s great to finally see the issues of animal safety during flights being addressed in this way. It’s a relief to have the peace of mind that while your pets are out of your sight, they are being looked after by people who love them as much as you do.
Pet transportation by Pet Chauffeur can help Taxi your pets to this location.
United Airlines policy bans transport of certain dog breeds
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Military pet owners no longer are able to transport several popular dog breeds on United Airlines when changing duty stations thanks to recent amendments to the airline’s pet policy, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday.
English bulldogs, pit bulls and American Staffordshire terriers are among the 10 breeds banned by the carrier, according to United’s website.
The policy change was enacted when United merged with Continental Airlines on March 3 and adopted Continental’s PetSafe program.
United’s adoption of the PetSafe program caused quite a stir last month when it was determined that military families would be forced to pay much higher fees to transport their pets on the federally contracted carrier. Following thousands of complaints, United waived the fees for military members.
However, there will be no waiver to the breed restrictions, United spokeswoman Mary Ryan said.
“United does not accept certain breeds of dogs based on previous transport-related situations … Additionally, United reserves the right to refuse any animal that displays aggression or viciousness at the time of tender,” she wrote in an email.
The restriction is troubling for servicemembers and their families because those traveling on official duty are often booked to fly United at a reduced cost to the military. They are then responsible to pay to transport their pets. Prices for pet shipping companies in Japan vary depending on pet size, weight and destination but can reach upward of $4,000 for a large dog that is banned under the policy.
Pit bulls are a popular breed of dog among servicemembers.
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Tiffany Jackson of the Okinawan American Rescue Society said she has personally rescued about 20 pit bulls in the past three years that were abandoned on the island. Now because of this policy change, she fears there with be more, she said.
Jackson owns two pit bulls. She said the dogs she sees come through, even after abuse, are loyal, loving, and are good with children. She has traveled from Okinawa to Germany and back on official orders with her dogs with no problems.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said when she heard about the restriction. “It’s sad what’s done to them.”
Mary Seward-Yamada, who runs Camp Canine Okinawa, a service that arranges pet transportation for troops, said pets left behind by their American owners in Japan are usually euthanized quickly unless they are rescued.
“Pit bulls get bad press,” she said, calling United’s policy discriminatory.
Seward-Yamada said these breeds have been singled out by airlines before. Delta has a similar restrictive policy, according to its website.
Experts say there are options for servicemembers.
Patriot Express flights — while often inconvenient and unreliable — charge anywhere from $110 to $336 to fly a pet from Europe and the Pacific. And Seward-Yamada said she recommends Japanese commercial carriers to the States because they have the best service.
Servicemembers and their families are not the only ones affected by the restrictions, however. A petition was started on Change.org about a month ago to overturn the breed restrictions and has more than 34,000 signatories to date.
“Dangerous dog policies should be implemented with reference to each individual dog’s behavior, not their ‘breed,’ ” wrote one signee. “These breed-based policies have been shown over and over again to be ineffective.”
Ryan said that determination of breed, age, weight, and other specifications of the pet in question is confirmed by the pet’s health certificate, which must be done within 10 days of travel.
More information is available on the United Airlines website.
Stars and Stripes reporters Travis J. Tritten and Charlie Reed contributed to this report.
By Matthew M. Burke
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 22, 2012
Pet Chauffeur Tries to Adapt to Tough Economy
The recession has not been kind to the pet industry. While their finances are in flux, pet owners are less likely to splurge on toys or grooming, and fewer vacations spell empty kennels at the boarding house. In fact, prospective owners are less likely to take on the financial burden of a new dog or cat to begin with.
As you can see in the video above, David Lang, owner of a Manhattan business called Pet Chauffeur, is keenly aware of these challenges. Fifteen years ago, Mr. Lang noticed that the subway system’s vast ridership included few dogs. Passengers can bring small pets on board in carrying cases, but owners of larger dogs cannot travel with their pets by subway, bus or taxi. Sensing he could fill a void, he founded Pet Chauffeur, a taxi service for animals, in 1996.
From his home office on East 36th Street, Mr. Lang coordinates a fleet of four orange-and-blue minivans and a staff of 12 dispatchers and drivers. Customers have the option of riding along with their pets, but many choose not to, leaving the drivers to learn their dogs’ idiosyncrasies first-hand. And dogs are not the only animals getting a lift: Pet Chauffeur has transported everything from leopards to bulk shipments of lab rats. But dogs are the most frequent riders, and Mr. Lang says the most popular destinations are veterinary clinics, grooming salons and boarding kennels.
The bulk of Pet Chauffeur’s $1 million annual revenue comes from its business in New York City, but its vans have traveled as far as Florida, and the company also coordinates the shipping of animals by air. Because many of his customers live in Manhattan’s tonier neighborhoods, Mr. Lang hopes to sell ad space on his vans to luxury retailers. “I got vans running up and down Fifth Avenue all day long,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want their perfume on top of a Pet Chauffeur?”
Despite these plans, Mr. Lang is wary of expansion. He used to run a boarding service and a pet supply retail Web site, both of which failed to weather the recent recession. He now concentrates all of his effort on transportation and has adapted his company to the new economic context in two ways: first, he targets high-end customers. In 2008, he came to the conclusion, “now’s the time to get rid of the people who don’t want to pay for our service anyway, and up the price, and go with the high-end people that want our service.”
Pet Chauffeur’s other post-recession adaptation is to collaborate with competitors. If Mr. Lang is unable to arrange a pick-up for a customer, he will refer that person to other companies Because the pet taxi industry represents such a niche service, Mr. Lang said, he’d “rather see someone go with the other guy than not go at all.” Mr. Lang added: “Anyway, we’ve got the best service, so they’ll come back to us in the end.” 
At an Indoor Pet Spa, Why Let the Dogs Out?
By Julie V. Iovine
11/19/2000
“DON’T overlook the pet industry. It’s big!” said David Lang, the owner of Pet Chauffeur, as he swiveled around at a red light and pointed a digital camera at the two Labradors drooling in the back seat of his bright orange minivan. ”Can I put them on my new Web site?”
Four years ago, Mr. Lang was the delivery guy for a pet store. Today he operates a five-minivan livery service with six drivers on call to drive the city’s most well-heeled dogs to their increasingly hectic weekly rounds of acupuncture, swim therapy, massage and grooming appointments. Pet Chauffeur even drove a miniature schnauzer to Atlanta recently for a man who refused to put his pet on an airplane. The dog’s trip cost $1,736. The man flew.
If the word of advice for ”The Graduate” in 1967 was ”plastics,” in 2000, think ”dogs.” There are 55 million pet dogs in the United States, and 43 percent of owners celebrated their dogs’ birthdays with a wrapped gift. So says an American Animal Hospital Association 1999 Pet Owner Survey that also found that 84 percent of pet owners referred to themselves as their animal’s mom or dad.
On Wednesday, Mr. Lang was dropping a couple of dogs off at the opening party for Biscuits and Bath Doggy Village at 227 East 44th Street. It’s the latest in extreme dog services that have many dog-lovers panting for more, and the rest of the population aghast. ”A lot of people are deluding themselves that animals have the same agendas and appreciations as themselves,” said Dr. Nicholas Dodman, the author of ”The Dog Who Loved Too Much” and ”Dogs Behaving Badly,” both published by Bantam. He noted that turning pets into surrogate children is the natural outcome of younger couples’ delaying reproduction and empty-nesters’ trying to keep a few warm dependent bodies around. ”The fact is that pets are now regarded as family, and people want to do anything they can for them,” he added.
But for every $450 cashmere dog sweater with a Gucci logo, and every bottle of Oh My Dog perfume now on holiday display at Saks, there also seems to be a new enlightened veterinary office or health center like Bonnie’s K9, which opened this fall in Chelsea offering underwater massage to ease the pain of dogs with cancer. The new Biscuits and Bath Doggy Village treads the line between excess and amenity. Petophobes, steer clear.
Housed in a former carriage house, the Doggy Village is a Health and Racquet Club for dogs and cats. Annual memberships start at $1,000. Lunch is available for both humans and dogs.
The village spreads over five floors, each with a greensward of AstroTurf the size and length of two bowling alleys. ”Why not have a wonderful place where people can play with their dogs freely and learn to be a better parent?” said Sandy Zuchert, the co-founder, with her sons Robert Zuchert and John Ziegler, of the 28,000-square-foot facility that cost $1.3 million to renovate.
The decor is Pet Provencal, possibly in honor of the French, who treat their dogs like full citizens of the state. There are white-washed picket fences around the plastic greens, bleached red-tile floors, blue-and-white striped awnings, a cafe around a gazebo, and strategically placed cement sculptures of dogs and cats in playful postures. The 30-foot lap pool in the basement is decorated with hand-painted tiles featuring ducks. On a tour, the two Labradors didn’t notice the birds. ”But did you see the cabana where we’ll blow-dry the doggies’ hair by hand?” Ms. Zuchert asked, as she bent over to greet one of the Labs with a mouth-to-mouth kiss reminiscent of a similarly riveting one in the movie ”Something About Mary.”
Though Ms. Zuchert, 62, compares the place most often to Central Park without restraint laws, it is also a day care and overnight boarding facility. Cats are kept in a neonatal-like ward with cages overlooking an aquarium and a wicker rocking chair. Ms. Zuchert calls it the ”kitty condos.” Drop-off dogs are taken outside every two hours to relieve themselves. While the two Labs were terrified of the steep stairs and their claws grated on the tile floors, they bounded happily out onto the turf. The indoor pool was another story. There was no way they were going to take a dip — too claustrophobic and redolent of chlorine for a couple of outdoor dogs with webbed feet.
Doggy Village is to a kennel what Ian Schrager’s Hudson is to Midtown hotels. Social chemistry will be everything. The restaurant on the top floor is meant to be a scene. Les Deux Magots in Paris it’s not, but there are intimate little tables with metal chairs gathered around a gazebo where humans can buy snack meals for themselves and organic treats for their pets while they all watch each other frolic. There are plans for book readings, parties and ”lectures for children on neutering,” Ms. Zuchert said. Animal education by way of puppy-training classes and behavior modification courses will be promoted in a big way. A veterinary doctor will be on the premises, available by appointment.
There will be agility classes — the latest update on show-off Frisbee throwing to golden retrievers in bandanas. It’s a workout: dogs race through a course, part steeple, part military obstacle. They slalom, they jump, they balance on see-saws, run through tubes, over ramparts, under bars and burst through something that looks like a collapsed parachute. The two guest Labs watched in muted horror, their tales stiff, while a visiting vizsla went berserk with anticipation. Andrea Arden, a professional dog trainer who will be conducting the classes, said any able-bodied dog can learn in a few months. Six group lessons cost $300.
Doggy Village is a vastly expanded version of the Zucherts’ Biscuits and Bath Gym at 1535 First Avenue and the Biscuits and Bath boutique, a much smaller operation focused on grooming at 255 East 74th Street. But it was Ms. Zuchert’s son John who started the ball rolling in 1990 with a dog-walking business he ran after graduating from high school. ”I was modeling and acting at the time and kind of neurotic about my dog,” Mr. Ziegler, 29, said. One day he tailed the dog walker to see if she would go to Central Park, where she was supposed to go. (”Don’t you ever follow your dog walker?” he asked.) Instead, she took his dog into a nearby building. ”I knew I could do much better than that,” Mr. Ziegler said. Last year, Biscuits and Bath Gym listed 800 paying members.
Part of the business is a nonprofit rescue fund. Stray dogs and cats on death row at the Center for Animal Control and Care will be brought in monthly for visits and cleaned up in the hopes of finding the animals homes. ”You go into the shelters and the animals are terrified and running around,” Mr. Ziegler said. ”Who’s going to take these dirty cyclones? Here, they’ll look clean and smell good. It’ll give them a chance to meet someone who really wants them.”
There were several homeless dogs at the opening party on Wednesday. A television crew milled around the cafe’s gazebo in anticipation of a ”wedding” to be staged between two former strays, Max and Cinder. The bitch wore an outfit donated by Vera Wang. Bruce Hammer, an onlooker who keeps his dog on Long Island, appeared touched. ”I foresee not just dogs getting married,” he said, ”but people getting married who meet while watching their dogs right here.” Unmoved, the two Labs yanked their leashes and headed for the door.
Driving Spot Around Town
By Adam Pincus
04/05/2007
David Lang is the owner of a pet transportation service and he does not stop moving. In his Long Island City office, he is taking calls on his cell phone or giving orders while scrutinizing the drivers’ schedules laid out in marker over a wall.
“I love it. It keeps you going. It is quick-paced,” he said.
Lang, 38, runs Pet Chauffeur Ltd., located at 36-03 13th St. in Long Island City, which has been helping animal owners transport their furry loved ones about the city and beyond for some seven years now.
His business, one of a handful in the city that offer transportation services for animals, sprang up because pet owners have found it difficult to hail a cab if the driver sees that a dog or other animal is going to be sitting in the back seat.
He got the idea for the service after delivering medicine and food from veterinarians to pet owners and getting requests from the vets to bring the animals back to the clients. He was also inspired by an uncle who made a small fortune in the pet food business in New Jersey.
He is looking to grow the business, but wants to be sure he is ready for the growth.
“I have vehicles that I am not satisfied with,” he said. “And in New York people give you one chance. I want to make sure I am ready for this.”
His business has expanded to a full-service pet supply service, from food and toys, which are available online, to boarding. He even organizes the shipping of dogs, cats, birds and reptiles. The first floor is packed with shelving for food that the company sells online.
“We are hoping to move out and hold it all in a bigger warehouse,” he said. The current building will then be converted to house more animals. “We are looking to make the whole building a kennel,” with space for 50 to 70 animals.
He now has a fleet of seven vans providing about 60 rides on a given day. On a recent day, most of the rides were in Manhattan, but he said they do frequent runs to the Queens airports.
“We go to Florida quite often. Also California, Virginia,” he said, adding that things get crazy during the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. The company has had a number of interesting passengers.
“We took chimpanzees. They were for a commercial. From JFK to a hotel in Manhattan,” he said.
Although many customers use his service to travel to the vet, other use it to make appointments at doggie spas or even doggie parties.
He said he provides some services that other carriers refuse, including transporting animals on stretchers.
The prices for the transportation service start at $27.50 for the first 40 blocks, but there are no extra charges for the owner. The standard charges rise as high as $165 for picking up a pet at Kennedy Airport.
They house as many as 20 dogs and other animals at their Queens location at any one time.
Behind the three-story house – where he lives with his wife Val, as well as a rottweiler, two cats and some fish – is a dog run with dog houses, toys fenced in with a wall of cartoon paintings of famous hounds such as Pluto and Spike from Tom and Jerry fame, and felines such as Garfield and the Cat in the Hat.
The prices for five days of boarding start at $140 for a small dog and rise to $250 for a 74-pound dog for the same time period. More information can be found on the Web site at www.petride.com.
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