‘Entitled’ dog owners are bringing their pooches everywhere — and pissed-off New Yorkers have had enough
New York City is going to the dogs — and Tamara, an NYC med spa owner, knows it better than anyone. She says she’s fed up with the growing chaos brought on by four-legged clients in the Big Apple.
Day after day, Tamara told The Post, she faces confrontations with customers who bring their dogs into her wellness sanctuary, leaving paw prints — and sometimes worse — on floors and furniture.
Though she’s a dog mom herself, Tamara feels that New York’s tolerance for pets has gone too far. Some clients even assume they can bring their non-service dogs into treatment rooms during Botox or filler sessions.
“It’s a medical procedure at the end of the day,” she said. “It’s frustrating because we have to be the bad guy. We have to explain that this is against code, could make other clients uncomfortable, and distracts the provider performing the treatment.”
Tamara’s experience reflects a wider trend across the city. Many New Yorkers, even those who love pets themselves, are fed up with leash-toting residents who bend the rules and bring their dogs everywhere.
Once mostly confined to public parks, non-service dogs are now showing up in supermarkets, small businesses, big-box stores, and even restaurants — some with dog-friendly menus. Incidents such as a corgi bite at a Williamsburg bakery are becoming more common, prompting a growing number of frustrated residents to push back against what they see as a “pets-first” culture with no signs of slowing.
“If a dog’s not making noise and just hanging out with their owner, that’s fine,” said Ana Hernandez, 35, from lower Manhattan. “But that’s not usually the case. There’s this sense of entitlement: ‘My needs matter more than yours. I want my pet with me, and I don’t care if you’re uncomfortable.’”
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