September Isn’t Just Back-to-School Season. Your Pet Feels It Too!

September in NYC is kind of like January, except with better weather.

Kids are back in school, Summer Fridays are over and vacations are winding down. Suddenly everyone is back to a much more structured routine.

And while the humans are adjusting to the return of “real life,” there’s usually someone at home who didn’t get the memo.

Your pet.

For a lot of NYC pets, summer looks and feels very different from the rest of the year. Kids of all ages are home, parents may WFH frequently, and entire families travel with the pets in tow. People are simply around more.

Then September arrives and everybody disappears. From your pet’s perspective (especially Fido!), that can be a pretty dramatic change.

Back to School Means a New Routine for Your Dog

A dog who got used to having people around throughout July and August may suddenly be home alone for most of the workday.

Even dogs who have historically been perfectly comfortable alone can need some time to adjust. You might see more barking, restlessness, destructive behavior or simply a dog with a LOT of energy when you finally walk through the door.

Take a look at what your dog’s weekday actually looks like once everyone is back to school and work.

• How long are they alone? 

• When are they getting exercise? 

• Are they getting anywhere near the same amount of interaction they had all summer?

For many dogs, a regular midday dog walk helps break up that suddenly much longer and quieter day with exercise, stimulation and a familiar person.

September Brings Changes to NYC Pet Care Teams

September doesn’t only change your schedule. It changes ours too!

Every year, NYC pet care teams go through their own version of back-to-school season. Some dog walkers and pet sitters literally go back to school! College and graduate programs start again and class schedules change. 

Other people make bigger life changes in the early Fall and move to another neighborhood, another borough or out of New York altogether. It’s also a common time for folks to change careers, find new means of employment (a hot summer of dog walking is not for the faint of heart!) or retire altogether. 

At the exact same time, more clients start needing regular weekday dog walking because they’re heading back to work.

And almost everyone wants roughly the same midday window.

That combination makes late summer and September a major hiring and training season for many pet care companies. We may be replacing teammates whose schedules have changed, adding staff to accommodate increased fall demand, or doing both at once.

For clients, that can mean seeing some new faces on a pet care team as everyone settles into their fall schedules.

But “new” shouldn’t mean unprepared.

How We Get New Teammates and New Pets  Ready

When we hire new teammates, there’s a lengthy training process that must be completed before they’re expected to take on visits independently. We’ll get much more into how we hire and train our NYC dog walkers and pet sitters in our next post, but training the employee is only one half of the equation.

When a new client starts with us, our managers typically begin the relationship, taking on the initial meet and greet and first week or so of walks.  This gives us a chance to get acquainted with both the pet and their people and to understand things like behavior, routines, preferred visit timing, building access and any other special concerns.

Once we have a feel for the pet, we can decide which teammates are the right fit and then make the intro and start training. For dogs, that often means side-by-side walks with a manager or teammate who already knows the dog. It allows for a slow, safe introduction while the new caretaker learns how that particular dog walks, what to watch for and what makes the visit go smoothly.

We also maintain a detailed information sheet for every pet in our  operating software. Teammates can read through walking instructions, routines, personality notes, feeding details, access information and other important specifics well before their first visit.

So by the time someone handles a visit independently, they are fully prepared.

That’s especially important during September, when new clients, changing schedules and new team members can all be happening at the same time.

Why Consistency Matters

We’re big believers in consistency. Pets learn their caretakers, and vice versa.

Over time, we know which dog needs encouragement in the rain, which one gets nervous around certain dogs, which route works best and which piece of sidewalk garbage needs to be spotted before the dog sees it.

That familiarity helps make care safer and less stressful.

At the same time, having a pet care team means your entire schedule doesn’t depend on one individual never getting sick, taking a vacation or changing their availability.

People’s schedules change. Teams change. Especially in New York. The important part is having systems in place so your pet’s care stays consistent even when the people providing some of that care occasionally change.

And Don’t Forget About the Cats

September also tends to kick off a busier season for travel. Work trips pick up, Fall weekends get booked and, somehow, Thanksgiving starts feeling much closer than it should!

So while your cat may be largely unimpressed by the whole back-to-school situation, fall is also a good time to make sure you have a dependable NYC cat sitter before the busy holiday travel season arrives.

Make Your Fall Pet Care Plan Before You Need It

If September means your household is going back to school, back to the office or simply back to a busier routine, your pet’s schedule should be part of that transition too.

That might mean establishing regular midday dog walks, adding puppy visits while your puppy is still building up to longer stretches alone, or lining up a trusted cat sitter for upcoming travel.

And if you already use a dog walker or pet sitter, giving them as much notice as possible about your new fall schedule helps their team prepare too.

Your dog doesn’t know that September means school schedules, meetings, soccer practice and commuting again. They just know everybody used to be home. And now you’re not.

A little planning on both sides of the leash can make that transition much easier.