Living
Pets
New York City is pet country! Take a look at any major avenue or minor street and you’ll see, day or night, an impressive array of dogs and owners: sometimes you’ll wonder just who is walking who. If the regular walk-and-poop schedule doesn’t fit your lifestyle – or when it’s -10°C outside in the winter – you’ll find New York City is also the land of the hip, and more low maintenance, cat. Nor is it exactly odd to hear parakeets, canaries, or cockatoos crooning their songs in the morning, or even to learn that your neighbour down the hall is the proud parent of a rabbit or fish. The thing is, the more exotic the potential pet – lions, tigers, or bears! – the more likely you may be in violation of the city’s health code. To find out what the laws are, you can always read through it (www.nycacc.org/researchtools.htm?nychealthcode). If that’s a slog, call 311, the city’s one-stop-shopping phone number for governmental inquiries. Here, in the meantime, are some basics: ferrets are illegal, rabbits are not; some turtles are legal, crocodiles are not.
New York State law requires all owned dogs to be licensed (renewable annually – visit www.agmkt.state.ny.us and look at dog licence under the A-Z Index). In addition, the city’s health code requires all dog owners to place tags on collars whenever the pooch is paraded in public (you can download a terrific guideline at www.nyc.gov by searching for ‘dog’, ‘collar and ‘tag’). No matter what you do, don’t play dead: fines for violators can be steep, and prison time is not unheard of for those convicted of animal cruelty. Always remember the city’s ‘pooper-scooper’ and leash laws (see www.doglaw.com), or else consider cats, birds or fish, for which rules are less strict.
Unless you plan to shell out thousands for purebred dogs – and plenty do just that, or they attend world-class events like the Westminster Dog Show (www.westminsterkennelclub.org), usually held at Madison Square Garden in late winter – there are plenty of ways for you to adopt a pet.
Before acquiring your pet, consult your landlord (and re-read your lease) to ensure you can have the little fellow: each housing development and even some individual buildings may place restrictions on what you can have or how much, for example, it might weigh. People who own private homes can do as they wish, but obviously you’ll need to ensure, through proper leashes, that Fido doesn’t tear up the flowerbed next door. One good thing to do is to investigate local dog runs: the Parks Department (www.nycgovparks.org; search for ‘dog’ and ‘runs’) lists 19 in the borough of Manhattan alone, not including sections of Central Park. You’ll have to observe all the expected dog-run courtesies, keeping your dog leashed, cleaning up after it and stopping any dog-eat-dog pugilism.
From time to time, like all New Yorkers, you may choose to jet out of town, and there’s no shortage of dog kennels (visit www.citidex.com for just one list). To give your dog a day at the spa or to get it its regular grooming, visit Biscuits & Bath Doggy Gym (www.biscuitsandbath.com), New York Dog Spa & Hotel (www.nydogspa.com) or, if you’re a cat owner, maybe check out Peters Pets (www.peterspets.com), which caters to cats as well as dogs. Aquatic Creations in Williamsburg (www.aquaticcreationsinc.com) is where you’ll want to go when investing in fish – they can design and construct the watery abode of any fish’s dreams. Again, you’ll want to consult with city authorities regarding any fish you cannot have as pets, but you can assume piranhas are probably a no-go.
Birds, too, are a thorny issue – there’s been tremendous media attention paid in the last few years to the illegal trade in certain endangered species, so whether you’ve adopted a parakeet, a cockatiel or an African Grey, you’ll want to be sure the feathery flapper has some kind of official paperwork to go with all those squawks and charming mimicry.
Finally, there are hundreds of veterinarians and veterinary clinics in the five boroughs; www.thecityofnewyorkcity.com/veterinarian offers a pretty comprehensive list.
Pet Shops
As the saying goes, caveat emptor: let the buyer beware. Check out up-to-date sources like the pet issues of Time Out New York and New York Magazine that come out every few years, and use your instincts. If the parakeets sound like they have emphysema, don’t buy them there. Also see if the pet store offers a complete selection of food items, toys, and other necessities. Always read up on any pet before you buy one.
Pet Theft
According to the non-profit In Defence of Animals (www.idausa.org), five million pets are stolen in the US each year. So, be aware that the problem clearly exists, and don’t be reckless in terms of your animal. That said, don’t worry too much: in the urban thicket of New York City, animal thefts are relatively rare, although it can happen.
Bringing Your Pet to New York City
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is part of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, oversees national rules for ‘importing’ your pet into the US. For an overview, visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov, and searching for ‘import’ and ‘pets’. Here, however, is a version from the horse’s mouth, as it were: ‘The CDC does not require general certificates of health for pets for entry into the United States. However, health certificates may be required for entry into some states, or may be required by airlines for pets. You should check with officials in your state of destination and with your airline prior to your travel date.’ For a complete list of restricted, banned or embargoed animals, visit www.cdc.gov again, and searching for ‘restricted’ and ‘animals’. To ship your pet out of the US, contact the embassy or consulate of the country you are planning to visit.
New York State law requires all owned dogs to be licensed (renewable annually – visit www.agmkt.state.ny.us and look at dog licence under the A-Z Index). In addition, the city’s health code requires all dog owners to place tags on collars whenever the pooch is paraded in public (you can download a terrific guideline at www.nyc.gov by searching for ‘dog’, ‘collar and ‘tag’). No matter what you do, don’t play dead: fines for violators can be steep, and prison time is not unheard of for those convicted of animal cruelty. Always remember the city’s ‘pooper-scooper’ and leash laws (see www.doglaw.com), or else consider cats, birds or fish, for which rules are less strict.
Unless you plan to shell out thousands for purebred dogs – and plenty do just that, or they attend world-class events like the Westminster Dog Show (www.westminsterkennelclub.org), usually held at Madison Square Garden in late winter – there are plenty of ways for you to adopt a pet.
Before acquiring your pet, consult your landlord (and re-read your lease) to ensure you can have the little fellow: each housing development and even some individual buildings may place restrictions on what you can have or how much, for example, it might weigh. People who own private homes can do as they wish, but obviously you’ll need to ensure, through proper leashes, that Fido doesn’t tear up the flowerbed next door. One good thing to do is to investigate local dog runs: the Parks Department (www.nycgovparks.org; search for ‘dog’ and ‘runs’) lists 19 in the borough of Manhattan alone, not including sections of Central Park. You’ll have to observe all the expected dog-run courtesies, keeping your dog leashed, cleaning up after it and stopping any dog-eat-dog pugilism.
From time to time, like all New Yorkers, you may choose to jet out of town, and there’s no shortage of dog kennels (visit www.citidex.com for just one list). To give your dog a day at the spa or to get it its regular grooming, visit Biscuits & Bath Doggy Gym (www.biscuitsandbath.com), New York Dog Spa & Hotel (www.nydogspa.com) or, if you’re a cat owner, maybe check out Peters Pets (www.peterspets.com), which caters to cats as well as dogs. Aquatic Creations in Williamsburg (www.aquaticcreationsinc.com) is where you’ll want to go when investing in fish – they can design and construct the watery abode of any fish’s dreams. Again, you’ll want to consult with city authorities regarding any fish you cannot have as pets, but you can assume piranhas are probably a no-go.
Birds, too, are a thorny issue – there’s been tremendous media attention paid in the last few years to the illegal trade in certain endangered species, so whether you’ve adopted a parakeet, a cockatiel or an African Grey, you’ll want to be sure the feathery flapper has some kind of official paperwork to go with all those squawks and charming mimicry.
Finally, there are hundreds of veterinarians and veterinary clinics in the five boroughs; www.thecityofnewyorkcity.com/veterinarian offers a pretty comprehensive list.
Pet Shops
As the saying goes, caveat emptor: let the buyer beware. Check out up-to-date sources like the pet issues of Time Out New York and New York Magazine that come out every few years, and use your instincts. If the parakeets sound like they have emphysema, don’t buy them there. Also see if the pet store offers a complete selection of food items, toys, and other necessities. Always read up on any pet before you buy one.
Pet Theft
According to the non-profit In Defence of Animals (www.idausa.org), five million pets are stolen in the US each year. So, be aware that the problem clearly exists, and don’t be reckless in terms of your animal. That said, don’t worry too much: in the urban thicket of New York City, animal thefts are relatively rare, although it can happen.
Bringing Your Pet to New York City
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is part of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, oversees national rules for ‘importing’ your pet into the US. For an overview, visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov, and searching for ‘import’ and ‘pets’. Here, however, is a version from the horse’s mouth, as it were: ‘The CDC does not require general certificates of health for pets for entry into the United States. However, health certificates may be required for entry into some states, or may be required by airlines for pets. You should check with officials in your state of destination and with your airline prior to your travel date.’ For a complete list of restricted, banned or embargoed animals, visit www.cdc.gov again, and searching for ‘restricted’ and ‘animals’. To ship your pet out of the US, contact the embassy or consulate of the country you are planning to visit.
