00:00I'm Lucy Fink. I'm a video producer at Refinery29, but every so often I like to try other people's jobs.
00:06Today I'm with the owners of the Barking Meter to see if I have what it takes to be a
00:10professional dog walker.
00:11This is Lucy for Hire.
00:14I've had dogs as pets for my entire life, so when my followers asked me to try being a dog
00:19walker for the day,
00:20I thought, this will be easy.
00:23I quickly learned, however, that this job is not a walk in the park.
00:27I spent the day with Kara and Joey, the brother-sister duo that started their own elite dog walking service
00:33in 2007 right here in New York City.
00:36Hi, I'm Kara.
00:37And I'm Joey.
00:38And this is Luca.
00:39And this is Chewy.
00:41And we own and operate the Barking Meter.
00:43It started with a handful of dogs.
00:45I was the only dog walker for about three to four years.
00:49When Joey came on board, it was more of, great, you can take on another neighborhood and be a walker
00:54as well.
00:54And through that, we learned, wow, this can be something bigger.
00:57And we want to expand throughout the city and maybe even into Brooklyn.
01:01We now have a small staff that is out there every day working with dogs and following the schedules that
01:07we put in place.
01:08Many of the company's walkers are just working to make some extra side money while they pursue their dreams.
01:13But this side hustle is one of the most lucrative and secure job opportunities that I've ever heard of.
01:19Our walkers will start out at $15 an hour.
01:21They're immediately jumping into our benefits package, which includes phone reimbursement, monthly MetroCard, health insurance, and our big one is
01:29a 401k with company match.
01:31We also like to give a raise every six months.
01:34We think it's very important that people can actually live in New York City while working for TBM.
01:39So we really strive to make that happen.
01:41To be a dog walker for TBM means that you're probably walking eight hours a day.
01:46All weather, all terrain, snowstorm or a complete heat wave, they show up and they make sure the dogs are
01:52taken care of.
01:52So it definitely takes a certain kind of person that understands that this is someone's family member.
01:58I think Lucy's going to do pretty well.
02:00She grew up with dogs, but I think she's going to find it challenging to actually walk more than one
02:05at a time on the streets of New York.
02:07Your first challenge is training.
02:10We require all of our walkers to wear a belt.
02:14Okay, I thought this was a leash.
02:15I'm glad that I'm telling this before we put a dog in your hands.
02:18Good start.
02:19I want the pink one.
02:20You're going to add a carabiner because all the dogs are going to be attached to your belt.
02:23You're going to add a dog bowl to the belt.
02:25Then you've got your roll of bags.
02:27I'm like a construction worker right now.
02:29This is just a standard collar.
02:31This is what you refer to as a martingale.
02:34Should we come?
02:37It tightens when you give tension.
02:39This is a harness.
02:41There you go.
02:42Just like that.
02:44All right.
02:45This is some S&M stuff.
02:49We're a little kinky at TBM, but we like it doggy style.
02:53So does this hurt?
02:54It does not.
02:55Do you want to put it on my neck?
02:57Yeah, sure.
02:57That'd be great.
02:58This actually fits just like this on the dog.
03:00This feels like it's cute.
03:02Okay, yeah, you're right.
03:03It doesn't hurt.
03:03So if I say, Lucy, come.
03:06Yes.
03:06Good job, Lucy.
03:08And then two forms of leashes.
03:09You have a leash with a latch.
03:12The second form of a leash is a slip lead.
03:14If I need to cause tension in any way, it does that, and then it immediately loosens.
03:19To make sure I was prepared, Kara quizzed me on each of the items.
03:23Lucy, what is this?
03:24A classic leash.
03:27Slip lead.
03:27This is our harness.
03:32This is a Marvin Gaye Martingale.
03:36Yes.
03:37Not Marvin Gaye.
03:38Aside from the basic equipment that Kara and Chewy walked me through, TBM has an app containing
03:43each dog's address, profile, and specific instructions.
03:47I see here we've got the time of the pickup, the address of the pickup, notes from the customer.
03:53Don't forget to wipe its butt after the walk.
03:55Is that what it says?
03:56Yes.
03:57You have to wipe its butt.
03:58Oh my gosh.
03:58She has dingleberries sometimes.
04:00Be firm but gentle.
04:02Once I had my belt with my ring of keys, water cup, poop bags, and extra leashes, I was officially
04:08trained and ready to walk a dog.
04:10Your second challenge is a solo dog walk.
04:13My first walk was with a dog named Lexington.
04:16When I got to the apartment, I had to follow directions for entering.
04:19So first you gotta knock.
04:22Nobody's home.
04:24Wrong key.
04:28Here we go.
04:29Are you sure this is the door?
04:32I'm sweating.
04:33I know.
04:34Don't sweat.
04:35All right.
04:36There we go.
04:37I'm sweating.
04:38Hello, TBM.
04:40Lexington.
04:42Hi.
04:43I'm a new person.
04:45Once I made it inside, I had to make sure to check into the app.
04:48All right.
04:49Enter.
04:50Follow the proper instructions, use prong, and add tag collar during walk.
04:55She's slightly nervous on walks.
04:56If she pulls to the side, let her sniff for a couple seconds.
04:59If she doesn't do her business, keep her moving.
05:01Strap her in securely, and then take her outside.
05:04This is Lexington.
05:06She has a beard.
05:07She's cute.
05:08You ready, cutie?
05:10This way.
05:11We took Lexi for a long walk in Greenwich Village.
05:14It was a grueling 90 degrees outside.
05:16But when a dog's gotta go, they've gotta go.
05:19We might have a poo.
05:20Yeah, she'll poop.
05:21It's her poop dance.
05:22Good girl.
05:22You got some pellets.
05:25Three pellets.
05:26Three pellets.
05:26Get them all.
05:29And do we dispose of this in the city streets?
05:31That is pro.
05:32Just throw it in that guy's car.
05:33We're just gonna put it in trash.
05:34Well done.
05:35As cute and tiny as Lexi was, walking even one dog in a bustling city with distractions,
05:41Keep up, pumpkin!
05:42dangers, and strangers everywhere,
05:45Keeping on the lookout.
05:46Go for it, girl.
05:47For any creeps.
05:48is way more challenging than you'd think.
05:50Cara kept giving me important pointers.
05:53Keep your arms down and loose.
05:55Okay.
05:55Yes.
05:56So down and loose.
05:57Yep.
05:57And just as I was getting exhausted and felt that one dog was more than enough,
06:01I realized that the day was just getting started.
06:05That is a perfect walk.
06:06You got her to pee and poop.
06:07That's huge.
06:08So let's go bring her home.
06:09Yeah.
06:10It's what we call walking the shit out of our dogs.
06:13Your third challenge is a pack walk.
06:16TBM typically keeps their walks between one to four dogs at most.
06:20But Cara and Joey wanted to give me the most intense challenge possible.
06:24They gave me a daily schedule to follow where I was responsible for walking not one,
06:29not two,
06:30not three,
06:31not four,
06:32not five,
06:33but six dogs at once.
06:38All right,
06:39Sully.
06:41Good girl.
06:44Got two very different sized dogs here.
07:06This is the crew.
07:09Good job.
07:10There is a lot to think about here.
07:11First and foremost,
07:13a dog is somebody's child.
07:14This isn't just a fun little walk down the street with dogs at my side.
07:18I mean,
07:18I'm protecting their lives.
07:20This way,
07:20everyone on the same side.
07:21I had so much to worry about.
07:23First of all,
07:23these dogs hadn't all met before,
07:25so how would they react to one another?
07:27Certain dogs can't stand the heat for as long as others can,
07:30so I had to plan my route accordingly.
07:32But after some careful maneuvering,
07:34I think I had finally gotten the hang of it.
07:46We took a little water break.
07:47Let me show you how to do it.
07:50Just like this.
07:52You know?
07:53Did some more walking.
07:54Come on,
07:54Teddy.
07:55And ultimately had such a great time together.
07:58But sadly,
07:59all good things must come to an end.
08:01Your final challenge is returning the dog safely.
08:04Step one.
08:05Make sure you're dropping the right dog off at the right house.
08:09Step two.
08:10Follow the owner's instructions.
08:12Finn goes in crate.
08:14Please lock him in crate.
08:15All right,
08:16Finn,
08:16time to go in.
08:17Leaving a dog in the wrong place or outside of a crate could be a disaster.
08:21Good job,
08:22Finny.
08:23After dropping them off at home and carefully following directions,
08:26I had to write a detailed pup date for the owner.
08:31This includes what the dog's personality was like on the walk,
08:34any problems or praises,
08:36and yes,
08:37how their poops went.
08:39TBM offers way more than dog walking.
08:41It's truly a holistic approach to dog care.
08:44They offer a boarding service,
08:46training sessions,
08:47and can even bring your dog to and from grooming and vet appointments.
08:51This job can really tire a person out.
08:54At one point during the day,
08:55I felt so exhausted that I had to grab some snacks just to keep my energy levels up.
09:00Being a dog walker is an entirely different world from spending time with your own dog.
09:04As I learned,
09:05it takes dexterity,
09:07door opening skills,
09:08This is rough, Keith.
09:10I'm sweating.
09:11I know.
09:12Patience.
09:12You got a poo?
09:13And a ton of stamina.
09:15But by the end of the day,
09:16I think I had proven myself.
09:18Lucy was incredible.
09:21She loved the dogs.
09:22The dogs loved her.
09:23She paid attention to all the details that we need her to understand.
09:29And not to mention six dogs on a New York City block.
09:32I mean, come on.
09:33I can't even do that.
09:34Lucy, on behalf of all of us at TBM,
09:38you're one of us.
09:39This job was rough,
09:40but it was definitely one of the most rewarding jobs I've tried on this series.
09:44Let me know what other jobs you want to see me try,
09:47and we'll see you next time on Lucy for Hire.
09:49Hey YouTube,
09:50thanks for watching our video.
09:51Click here to watch another video on Refinery29,
09:54here to subscribe to our YouTube channel,
09:56and right here for my personal YouTube channel.
09:59Bye!
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