I'm Lucie Fink.
I'm a video producer at Refinery29, but every so often I like to try other people's jobs.
Today I'm with the owners of The Barking Meter to see if I have what it takes to be
a professional dog walker.
This is Lucie for Hire.
I've had dogs as pets for my entire life, so when my followers asked me to try being
a dog walker for the day, I thought, "This will be easy."
I quickly learned however, that this job is not a walk in the park.
I spent the day with Kara and Joey,
the brother sister duo that started their own elite dog walking service in 2007,
right here in New York City.
Hi, I'm Kara.
And I'm Joey.
And this is Lucca.
This is Chewy.
And we own and operate The Barking Meter.
It started with a handful of dogs.
I was the only dog walker for about three to four years.
When Joey came on board, it was more of, "Great, you can take on another neighborhood and be
a walker as well."
Through that we learned, wow, this can be something bigger.
And we want to expand throughout the city,
and maybe even into Brooklyn.
We now have a small staff that is out there every day working with dogs and following
the schedule that we put in place.
Many of the company's walkers are just working
to make some extra side money while they pursue
their dreams.
But this side hustle is one of the most lucrative and secure job opportunities that I've ever heard of.
Our walkers will start out at $15 an hour, they're immediately jumping into our benefits
package, which includes phone reimbursement, monthly metrocard, health insurance.
Our big one is a 401k
with company match.
We also like to give a raise every six months.
We think it's very important that people can actually live in New York City while working
for TBM, so we really strive to make that happen.
To be a dog walker for TBM means that you're probably walking eight hours a day.
All weather, all terrain.
Snowstorm or a complete heatwave, they show up and they make sure the dogs are taken care of.
So it definitely takes a certain kind of person that understands that this is someone's family member.
I think Lucie's gonna do pretty well.
She grew up with dogs, but I think she's gonna find it challenging to actually walk
more than one at a time on the streets of New York.
Your first challenge is training.
We require all of our walkers to wear a belt.
Okay, I thought this was a leash.
I'm glad that I'm telling you this before we put a dog in your hands.
Good start.
I want the pink one.
You're gonna add a carabiner because all the dogs are gonna be attached to your belt.
You're gonna add a dog bowl to the belt.
Then, you've got your roll of bags.
I'm like a construction worker right now.
This is just a standard collar.
This is what you refer to as a martingale.
Chewy come!
Thank you.
It tightens when you give tension.
This is a harness.
There you go, just like that.
Alright, this is some S&M stuff.
We're a little kinky at TBM, but we like it doggy style.
So does this hurt?
It does not.
So — Do you want to put it on my neck?
Yeah, sure.
That would be great.
This actually fits just like this on the dog.
This feels like it's cute.
Okay, yeah you're right, it doesn't hurt.
So if I say, "Lucie, come."
Yes, good job, Lucie.
And then two forms of leashes.
You have a leash with a latch.
The second form of a leash is a slip lead.
If I need to cause tension in any way, it goes that and immediately loosens.
To make sure I was prepared, Kara quizzed me on each of the items.
Lucie, what is this?
A classic leash.
Slip lead.
This is our harness.
This is a Marvin Gaye.
Martingale.
Yes.
Not Marvin Gaye.
Aside from the basic equipment that Kara and chewy walked me through, TBM has an app containing
each dog's address, profile and specific instructions.
I see here we've got the time of the pickup, the address of the pickup, notes from the
customer, alright.
Don't forget to wipe its butt after the walk.
Is that what it says?
Yes, you have to wipe its butt.
Oh my gosh.
He has dingleberrys sometimes.
Be firm but gentle.
Once I had my belt with my ring of keys, water cup, poop bags and extra leashes, I was officially
trained and ready to walk a dog.
Your second challenge is a solo dog walk.
My first walk was with a dog named Lexington.
When I got to the apartment, I had to follow directions for entering.
So first you gotta knock.
Nobody's home.
Wrong key.
Here we go.
Are you sure this is the door?
I'm sweating.
I know.
Don't sweat.
Alright.
There we go!
I'm sweating.
Hello, TBM.
Lexington, hi.
I'm a new person.
Once I made it inside, I had to make sure to check into the app,
Alright enter,
follow the proper instructions,
Use prong and add tag collar during walk.
She's slightly nervous on walks.
If she pulls to the side, let her sniff for a couple seconds.
If she doesn't do her business, keep her moving.
Strap her in securely and then take her outside.
This is Lexington.
She has a beard, she's cute.
You ready, cutie?
This way.
We took Lexy for a long walk in Greenwich Village.
It was a grueling 90 degrees outside, but when a dog's gotta go, they've gotta go.
We might have a poo.
Oh, yeah she'll poop.
That's her poop dance.
Good girl, you've got some pellets.
Three pellets, get them all.
Uh!
And do we dispose of this in the city streets?
That is pr — just throw it in that guy's car.
We're just gonna put it in the trash.
Well done.
As cute and tiny as Lexy was, walking even one dog in a bustling city with distractions,
Keep up, pumpkin!
dangers and strangers everywhere,
Yes. Keeping on the lookout
Go for it girl. for any creeps.
Is way more challenging than you'd think.
Kara kept giving me important pointers.
Keep your arms down and loose.
Yes, so down and loose.
Yup.
And just as I was getting exhausted and felt that one
dog was more than enough, I realized that the day was just getting started.
That is a perfect walk.
You got her to pee and poop.
That's huge! So let's go bring her home.
It's what we call walking the shit out of our dogs.
Your third challenge is a pack walk.
TBM typically keeps their walks between one to four dogs at most.
But Kara and joey wanted to give me the most intense challenge possible.
They gave me a daily schedule to follow where I was responsible for walking not one,
not two,
not three,
not four,
not five,
but six dogs at once.
Alright, Solii.
Good girl.
Got two very different sized dogs here.
This is the crew.
Good job.
There is a lot to think about here.
First and foremost, a dog is somebody's child.
This isn't just a fun little walk down the street with dogs at my side.
I'm protecting their lives.
This way, everyone on the same side.
I had so much to worry about.
First of all, these dogs hadn't all met before, so how would they react to one another?
Certain dogs can't stand the heat for as long as others can,
so I had to plan my route accordingly.
But after some careful maneuvering, I think I had finally gotten the hang of it.
We took a little water break.
Let me show you how to do it.
Just like this, you know?
Did some more walking, Come on, Teddy.
And ultimately had such a great time together.
But sadly, all good things
must come to an end.
Your final challenge is returning the dogs safely.
Step one: Make sure you're dropping the right dog off at the right house.
Step two: follow the owner's instructions.
Finn goes in crate, please lock him in crate.
Alright, Finn.
Time to go in.
Leaving a dog in the wrong place or outside of a crate could be a disaster.
Good job, Finnie.
After dropping them off at home and carefully following directions, I had to write a detailed
pupdate for the owner.
This includes what the dog's personality was like on the walk, any problems or praises,
and yes, how their poops went.
TBM offers way more than dog walking.
It's truly a holistic approach to dog care.
They offer boarding service, training sessions, and can even bring your dog to and from
grooming and vet appointments.
This job can really tire a person out.
At one point during the day, I felt so exhausted that I had to grab some snacks just to keep
my energy levels up.
Being a dog walker is an entirely different world from spending time with your own dog.
As I learned, it takes dexterity, door opening skills,
This is a rough key.
I'm sweating.
I know.
Patience,
You gotta poo?
And a ton of stamina.
But by the end of the day, I think I had proven myself.
Lucie was incredible.
She loved the dogs, the dogs loved her.
She payed attention to all the details that we need her to understand.
And not to mention,
six dogs on a New York City block?
I mean, come on.
I can't even do that.
Lucie, on behalf of all of us at TBM, you're one of us.
This job was ruff.
But it was definitely one of the most rewarding jobs I've tried on this series.
Let me know what other jobs you'd like to see me try, and we'll see you next time
on Lucie for Hire.
Hey YouTube, thanks for watching our video.
Click here to watch another video on Refinery29, here to subscribe to our YouTube channel,
and right here for my personal Youtube channel.
Bye!
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