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It's A Dog's Life It's A Dog's Life loves our furry little feline friends too! Our daily cat visits are the perfect solution for any busy lifestyle that involves travel. Nominated for NAPP's Pet Sitter Business of the Year Award, It's A Dog's Life NY is a premium pet care & training service for New York City's most prestigious four-legged residents. It's a Dog's Life NY has been featured in the national and international press, including The New York Times, CNN's Larry King Live and the London Telegraph.
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In 2005, It's a Dog's Life NY was founded by Pet Expert and Certified Dog Trainer, Elena Gretch. Elena frequently appears on TV and in the news with topics ranging from animal care and dog training to pet lifestyle, and entrepreneurship. Elena's expertise has been featured in the national and international press, including the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, CNN and the London Telegraph.
From Wall Street to the Upper East Side, our team of pet professionals provides the finest in-home care available in NYC. Our team is certified, bonded and insured. We value formal education because it demonstrates a commitment to learning. Our employees have diverse backgrounds but they all share a passion for knowledge.
New Yorkers (and their pups) love It's A Dog's Life. Our educated, CPR certified, bonded and insured professional dog walkers are the best in the business. Training is essential for a healthy and happy dog. Training is fun and includes lifestyle fundamentals such as proper socialization and good manners.
Life is different in the concrete jungle so we created Urban Dog Development to help your pet thrive and succeed. City dogs are expected to be on their best behavior. Yet, they experience more challenges on a daily basis than their suburban cousins face in an entire year. Even house-breaking is a learning process for a city dog (apartment to hallway, elevator, lobby and then finally outside). Urban Dog Development is wellness training for your city pet. UDD addresses the unique issues facing urban dogs and their owners.
Reviews (12)
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Margaret Wolfson
Jun 10, 2021
I did two video training sessions with Elena who offered expert advice and activities. The only downside was the lack of outdoor training with my dog who is leash reactive. Hopefully, outdoor work will resume soon. Otherwise, excellent sessions.
Lisa Sigloch
Jan 02, 2021
Everything about Elena, Robyn and It's A Dog's Life has been WONDERFUL! My daughter and I are so proud of our well mannered and well trained pup. We started training with Elena when our pup was 3 months old and loved our experience so much that we are still scheduling occasional video sessions (during COVID) to say hi and check in. Elena helped us through some challenging life transitions which could have resulted in unhappy behavior from our pup. She reminded us (all) to use the skills and tools she taught us from day one and to be consistent. She is amazing and has made such a positive impact on our lives!
Pauline L.
Mar 27, 2018
I could not recommend IADL highly enough! Our pup Volk is a particular one, and every walker we've had somehow gets him to fall in love with them. Adrianna leaves notes every day with little anecdotes from their walks, and ensures that Volk is getting the best care. Not sure what we'd do without this wonderful team who makes our little fur baby their top priority. Thank you!
Sally S.
Jan 20, 2016
It is unbelievable how much just one 2 hour training session helped. I think I have the greatest dog in the world, but she did have her moments. Elena showed me how to behave when my dog started acting up and it has made all the difference. The training sessions were so helpful. And if possible have made me love my dog even more.
Alli S.
Oct 02, 2014
Elena and her walkers are great. They have been very flexible and accommodating with our schedule and with multiple apartment moves, and they have really trained our schnoodle puppy well with her walking, as well as some other skills. I had been referred to IADL by friends who have used the company for years, and we are just as happy with them. Strongly recommend.
Anna O.
Mar 12, 2013
It's a Dog's Life is wonderful. We have fostered a few dogs in the city and have used It's A Dog's Life for more then one of our pups. Elena, the owner, is great and always takes the time to speak with me in detail and to match our foster dogs with the perfect walkers. We recently had It's A Dog's Life stay with our dog for a week when we were out of town and we were so impressed by their service.

We got a number of updates each day, along with photos, and felt 100% confident that our dog was happy and well taken care of. I completely trust Elena and the walkers that work with her company. They will treat your dog great and will not let you down. Strongly recommended!
Eric S.
Dec 21, 2012
I have lived in the city for a long time and used a number of different pet services but this one is far and away the best. I am completely over-protective of my little pup and I struggle to let the little guy be walked by anyone but me.or be watched (when I am away) by anyone except a very close, immediate family member. Well, I will happily recommend IADL to anyone who is a neurotic and loving pet owner like me.

Our walker is so good and loving with my dog and she takes amazing care of him. Recently, I went away (reluctantly) and used IADL for a pet-sit in my apartment. Everything was done perfectly.from the dog's care to the way the apartment was maintained.to the daily updates I received. IADL is the best pet service in this city by a considerable margin. Kudos to Elena (the owner) and Sarah (our walker) for their service. I would recommend them to anyone without hesitation.
Anna O.
Mar 30, 2012
It's a Dog's Life has been excellent! We have been fostering an awesome puppy named Seymour, who is very big (75lbs), 11months old, and very energetic. We had been looking for a service that would be able to provide a dog walker who was comfortable with such a big puppy who is still working on his training. We were THRILLED when we found It's a Dog's Life.

The owner, Elena, worked with us to find the perfect Dog Walker who would understand Seymour's needs. We were paired with Jenn and she has been absolutely amazing with Seymour. When we first met she paid close attention to exactly how we had been training him, and was extremely sensitive to working with him in similar, positive ways. Jenn leaves me detailed notes after every walk telling me exactly how Seymour did and Seymour is always as happy as can be after he sees Jenn.

I fully trust Jenn with Seymour, and know when she is coming to walk him, or dog sit for him that I do not have to be worried at all because he is in such great hands! I also would like to mention how wonderful It's a Dog's Life has been with our hectic schedule. It is often that we need an extra walk here or there, or a dog sitter to come stay with Seymour, and the owner, Elena, has truly been wonderful in trying to accommodate us as often as possible. I am sure all of their dog walkers are as wonderful and as caring as Jenn, and I highly recommend their service.
Yvette S.
Mar 28, 2011
Moving back into the city after living in the "burbs" took a lot of getting use to. Downsizing from a 3 bedroom home to a one bedroom apartment on the upper Westside and finding an amazing dog walking service. I was referred to It's A Dog's Life by a business associate and the only thing I can say was that outside of moving back to the city, selecting It's A Dog's Life as a service was the best thing I did in a very, very long time.

My walker, Shaun, adores my dog Chance and he treats him like his own pet. My neighbors continually tell me about Shaun and how he treats my pup. My work schedule can be unpredictable at times and when I need an extra walk for Chance, Elena and her team are very accomodating. Hands down, It's A Dog's Life is the BEST dog walking service.

I have referred everyone of my neighbors that has a dog to Elena's team because they are the best. From sending me a picture of Chance during this walk to leaving me a daily status report. For anyone moving into the city and is in need of a dog walking service RUN DON' T WALK to It's A Dog's Life. Trust me they are worth it!
Yaf B.
Feb 20, 2011
I strongly recommend IADL! I am absolutely paranoid when it comes to my dog and go to great length to make sure he is not only safe but has a great time on his walks. Elena also being an expert dog trainer makes it even better as I know he will keep and continue to learn good manners. Elena's level of service is one of the best I have experienced! Don't hesitate on this one! Your dogs will thank you! :
Kate L.
Feb 25, 2010
Elena and her team are fantastic. When I first spoke to Elena after picking up my puppy she was incredibly helpful and offered a lot of tips and advice. Following our conversation, I scheduled a training session. Elena has an amazing way with dogs. After a few private sessions with Elena, my 3 month puppy old puppy is completely housetrained and knows how to sit, lie down, stay and come. Elena uses positive reinforcement and has a depth of knowledge and research around the philosophy of her training style, which has proved to be incredibly effective.

She does more than just train Lyla in our sessions. she teaches me what to do, addresses all of my questions and concerns with thoughtful answers and advice and discusses all of the things that a dog owner in the city should know. She is really passionate about what she does and it shows. On the walks, Patrick (the walker) practices Lyla's commands and feeds her.

One of my favorite aspects of the walking service are the daily reports. Following the walk, I get an email with a detailed report on how Lyla did and a picture. As I am sitting in a meeting or at my desk, I smile with pride as I read how she did and see her sweet face. Elena has also been very accomodating. There have been a number of times when I needed a walk at the last minute and everytime Elena reponded promptly and was able to work something out for me. Elena's prices are a little higher than average, but the level of service warrants a higher price. If you are looking for the best service for your dog, I highly recommend Elena and her team.
Renee T.
Jun 10, 2008
I've been using the team here for about 6 weeks now and I'm very happy with them. We have a French Bulldog and were very wary of using a walker since the whole idea was new to us. Elena, the owner, put us right at ease and was very sympathetic with our situation. She has been incredibly helpful with our transition to New York and it was great to find a woman like her right away!

She has very high standards for her clients and walkers. Your dog needs to be up to date on shots, be licensed, and not be aggressive. And I like that they only walk one at a time at a heel. They even practice the dog's commands (mine are in French) while on the walk. When it was raining they just played inside for the walk time so our little guy got social time.

We started with Donna, our walker in the East Village, then when we moved to Battery Park we were assigned Lisa who is great as well. Each walker leaves a report card on how the dog did, what his functions were (pee, poo, etc) and then they wipe paws and give a treat upon returning home. They have been able to accommodate my schedule and even got us in touch with our Realtor who found us a great place! I'm very happy and so is our little Frenchie.