An open letter to our supporters and our opposition…

For those who are not familiar with me or with Westchester Wags' story, please allow me to introduce myself and the company. My name is Jess McKinley and I am the founder and co-owner of Westchester Wags. I have loved dogs my whole life. From my first dog, a feisty little terrier named Roxie, to working with family to train police dogs, to volunteering at shelters, working at daycares, and being family and friend's first call for any dog care or questions, I have always loved and cared for dogs. Over the course of my life, I've dedicated myself to learning as much as I could about dogs and providing the absolute best care I could.

Fast forward to my adulthood. As a fresh college graduate with a scary new job and real responsibilities, I took the leap with my partner Brandon to bring a sweet little puppy into our home. From day one we were so in love with her and knew we would do absolutely anything to give her the best life we could. As we struggled with balancing work schedules with her needs, we were fortunate to have family and friends with older, well behaved dogs who could do what we couldn't for our girl: socialize her properly and give her the enrichment she needed. She didn't always like it and some of those poor dogs had a good bit of yelling to do before she got the hint. Rather than pull her away or shelter her from these lessons, we let her learn and in doing so learned so much ourselves. As much as we loved our dog, there were things we could never give her ourselves. No matter what we did, walks, treats, training, games, etc, she needed socialization. Dogs are social creatures. They need rich and interesting social lives. This was to be the first of many lessons, and boy have we learned.

Naturally, I thought the biggest issue I would face with her was her breed. Though I’d had a terrier in the past, I’d only worked with pit bulls in rescue environments. This was why I’d become so focused on proper socialization and training in the first place. She was so sweet and loving and I just wanted to make sure we could always give her these positive experiences.

Along came 2020. What a whirlwind year that was for all of us. Through it all, I had my beautiful girl by my side and could spend all the time in the world with her. Like many others, I struggled immensely with my mental health during this time. I was blessed to have an amazing support network, including our sweet Mala. After those many days spent with her, I knew I could never go back to an office again. This was a fortuitous realization as I would soon be laid off from my position handling supply chain management (a truly awful job to have during the pandemic) and left with nothing to do but hang out with my dog. At the time, I was lucky enough to have a few friends who'd brought dogs home during the pandemic or needed occasional care for their pets. Since I was available and had worked in the industry (and obviously loved dogs), it was a natural fit. Within a few weeks, I could already see this little venture turning into something more.

As most of my formal training was in traditional daycare settings, I was used to working with large numbers of dogs, many of whom had little to no training and struggled with proper socialization. We were trained to correct any growling or snapping right away, no questions asked. Humping, chewing, crying, barking, etc were treated as normal behaviors, not stress indicators. Dogs weren’t given space to learn and grow. They either had to handle all 30-40 dogs in the daycare room, or they failed and couldn’t join. They could never have toys or treats and all were confined to crates or kennels overnight as they couldn’t be trusted to sleep together.

While we saw some of these behaviors at first, it was never quite the same as what I’d seen before. Something was different here. I quickly realized that I had something now that I'd never had at those daycares: Mala! My sweet, lazy girl was suddenly surrounded by friends of all ages and sizes and I started to watch something truly amazing. Mala wasn't just playing with these dogs, she was teaching them. Much like she'd been taught by those older dogs before, she was now teaching dogs how to greet, how to play, how to socialize, and how to open up and relax. Rather than trying to force them to interact the way I thought they should, I decided to sit back, watch, and learn.

What I learned was that conventional wisdom about dogs, like "alphas", pack structure, behavior, etc, was all dated and wrong. Mala wasn't the alpha of the pack, she was an elder. She deferred to her elders and they corrected the younger dogs. Slowly, relationships formed. These were not based on fear or overexcitement. These were deep relationships based on respect and understanding. Those who don’t know dogs like us might think it is some hokey new-age, fur mom dribble, but I now know better. Dogs are extremely complex creatures. They need individual care and attention. Many dogs who “failed” out of traditional daycares were able to join us with no issue. We weren’t forcing them to interact or play. We learned to read them and meet their needs. 

What sets us apart from traditional dog care is this new approach. In all my years of dog care, I have never seen anything like this pack. We spend so much time with each new dog in the pack to teach them how to read and respect the other dogs boundaries and that they will, in turn, be respected. The results have been truly spectacular. We have over 150 canine clients, all of whom can be interchanged into any group with no issue. We’ve taken dogs who are so nervous they just shake, drool, and pee their first day and we’ve turned them into happy, confident adults. We’ve taken dogs who bark and lunge on leash and taught them how to relax and enjoy walks again. 

All of this is possible through the pack. Our pack has become its own living, breathing entity far beyond us. We are there to help ease the new dogs in and set clear boundaries for those who need it. Our dogs are just as well behaved at the park as they are on hikes, in the car, or hanging out at the house with us. We are blown away every day by how amazing our dogs are. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without our amazing clients. You are all so dedicated to your dogs and we see it every day. Our clients, canine and human, are sweet, loving, and determined to continue learning and growing every day. We consider ourselves so lucky to have you all. 

Now onto the ban. As you understand, the pack is how we operate. We are not just dog walkers. We don’t take the dog, make sure they potty, and take them home. We have invested so much time in learning about dog behavior and socialization. I personally research and read studies, articles, and expert opinion on dog behavior and socialization. We have adjusted our services to be primarily hikes. We take the time to pick trails that work best for each individual in the group. We take some dogs for strenuous hikes, some for casual sniff walks, some for training and enrichment, and some go out for play time. These varying approaches help us provide the proper care for each dog and give them what they need every day.

It should go without saying that a ban on our services is absolutely devastating to our business model. To date, we know of only one trail that definitely allows dog walkers/packs and that trail crosses multiple streets in every town it goes through. If we are removed from that trail, our last resort will be to walk directly on the street.

The town of Greenburgh is telling us that we can simply walk fewer dogs. As I described above, our service is built on the pack. Learning to calmly interact with the group and read the other dogs for clues on behavior is baked into the service and we can’t just drop that. Moreover, we made the decision two years ago to bring employees into this business. This was not a decision we made lightly and we knew that we had a duty to our pack and to anyone that came in to provide a living wage. I have seen the consequences of hiring people for minimum wage. The owners make out better but the dogs suffer. I will never allow that to happen to the dogs in my care and I have far too much respect for my employees to provide anything less. As a small business, we take great pride in our dedication to both our clients and our employees.

The town has also suggested that we simply buy or rent land. Some of our long term clients know all about the struggles we’ve had with this. Not only are pet care businesses restricted from almost every commercial setting (we are typically classified as light industrial), we have dealt with discrimination from realtors, restrictions from the towns, disinterest from property owners, and objections from local residents. While I wish we had the profit margins to just magically save up and go put cash down on a piece of land somewhere, this is simply not a practical option, especially given the current market. This also presents a number of logistical issues for our business as we typically keep dogs closer to their homes to reduce time in the car.

Unfortunately, being a blue collar worker comes with disrespect and disregard for us and our time. The town of Greenburgh does not see us as human beings who deserve to work normal hours and make enough to pay our bills, live comfortably, and save for the future. They tell us we should just buy property as if we are sitting on piles of gold. Let me assure you that I am most often sitting on dog hair and a prayer. I am willing to accept the disrespect that comes with my career because, at the end of the day, I know that I have improved the lives of countless dogs and their owners. I am not willing to accept this disrespect for my dedicated team of walkers, my clients, many of whom are also small business owners, and my amazing dogs. I consider so many of my client’s dogs to be my own and I am truly honored that our clients have chosen us to take care of their dogs. 

If the town wants to uphold their 3 dog limit, they will need to justify it to all of you. You have seen that we can handle packs of 6-8 with no issue. You have now read and understand how our approach to dog care is based on the pack and is built on mutual respect between us, our dogs, and you. You know just as much as they do that their limit is based on “we said so” and no concrete evidence. While we want the ban on our company lifted, it will do no good if we are still arbitrarily restricted to 3 dogs. Rather than reversing the ban, we want to urge Greenburgh to do something amazing: set the standard.

Westchester Wags is fully licensed and insured with a team of trained staff. We urge the town of Greenburgh and Westchester County to establish a professional licensing program for pet care companies to ensure that anyone walking groups adheres to common sense regulations. Our proposal is as follows:

• In order to open a professional pet care business, a prospective walker must show that they have been employed by a licensed company for at least 2 years. This could be a daycare, a trainer, another walker, etc. 

• Business owners must maintain proper licensing and registration with the state, county, and town.

• Business owners must have at least one licensed veterinarian sign off that they have shown basic competency and maintain a professional relationship with this vet for advice and guidance with medical or pathological issues.

• All dogs which will join on walks must have a special license showing that they are old enough to join the pack, properly vaccinated, and have been fully evaluated and passed by an appropriately licensed company. This will ensure that packs are not vectors for disease or a risk to themselves or others.

• Businesses will pay a yearly fee to use approved parks. We suggest that at least two flat and easily walkable trails be available as well as two rugged and more difficult trails for those dogs who need or want the challenge. Alternatively, some parks could be designated as not for dog walkers, allowing dogs primary use of some trails and children primary use of play spaces.

• Dogs should be kept a minimum of 100 ft from any playground or area where small children may be present. Dogs should be kept as far as possible from wildlife, at least 100ft.

• Dogs must be kept on a leash of no more than 6ft. Dog walkers should always carry at least one backup leash.

• Dogs should have at least two connection points available or in use. This means every dog will have a collar and a harness or two collars.

• Walkers must have leashes attached to a clip or dog walking belt to reduce the chances of dropped leashes and loose dogs.

• Packs should never be more than 6-8 dogs per person and dogs displaying excessively antisocial behavior should be removed immediately.

• Dog walkers are expected to pull completely off (or as close as possible) any trail to provide at least 12 ft of space as they yield to other park goers.

We are always open to suggestions as we continue to learn and grow. We hope that these common sense regulations are enacted to allow us to safely resume our work and promote a positive and constructive environment for other individuals looking to start their own venture.

If you have taken the time to read all of this, I thank you for your time and consideration. Though I’m often drowning in the amount of work I’ve given myself, I wake up every day and count myself one of the luckiest people on earth. Not only do I get the joy of spending every day with my own dog, I also get to spend time with an absolutely amazing group of dogs and their parents. Taking the time to speak with you all every day is truly a highlight and you are some of the best co-workers I’ve ever had. Your support means so much to me personally. 

As I reflect back on the last five years of running this business, I could never have imagined all the support we’d get on this. You may see me as a young adult running a business now, but just know that deep down is a little girl who could never have imagined all her dreams would come true like this. Just to be in the great state of New York is its own special reward. To be surrounded by the beautiful nature of the Hudson Valley, the ridges and valleys of Westchester, the flowers in the spring and the changing of the leaves in the fall, is so wonderfully amazing. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could ever run my own business (with the help of an awesome team), doing what I love the most, and have so much love and support from my clients and the community. To see the passion and determination of our clients to right this wrong has me close to tears as I write this. 

I truly thank each and every person who has taken the time to make noise and help us fight this fight. We will not back down and we know that you won’t either. Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we work through this mess. I sincerely hope this reaches the town, the county, the state, and whoever else needs to see it and they understand just how wrong their understanding of this situation was. We have always treated your pets like family and we see now how strongly family sticks together. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making my wildest dreams come true. We will not let them shut down another small business with pointless rules and regulations. Thank you. We’ll see you on the trails!

With the deepest gratitude,

Jessica McKinley, Co-Owner, Vice President, and Head Trainer of Westchester Wags