Paws Up NYC

Mike is very helpful and gave me some good advice for my dog. I didn’t use his service but very thankful for his advice. If I’m in the Queens area, I’ll contact him again for his service!!!

Mike was a true professional from beginning to end. It was our first time leaving our cockapoo, Frankie, in someone else’s care and we didn’t know what to expect. His detailed questionnaire right from the start showed me how thorough he was! From the moment we dropped off our dog, he took a huge liking to Mike’s dog, Toby. Seeing how well trained and mannered Toby was assured me that Mike was great at what he does. We received daily videos of Frankie which were much appreciated! When we returned to pick Frankie up, he was happy, full of energy and well groomed! Would definitely board with Mike again, we couldn’t have been more grateful for his help!

This review is for the communication or the lack of it from the owner. I did not use his service because frankly I did not feel like ‘chasing’ after him and wait for his sporadic replies that came anywhere from 2 days to more than week. And from that to no communications AT ALL. Very unprofessional. Whatever his reasons may be, a short and courteous response would have been appreciated. He might have gotten good reviews in the past but none for quite some time. That should have been a red flag.

To start — I HATE to write a one star review — and to be honest — I have never been to this business — and therefore this review is about the communication and care I received as a potential customer — so please take it for just that.
I found Paws Up NYC on Unilocal — and was very excited about their services. I own a Husky Mix that we need overnight care for while we move across the country. I knew this was a busy time of year and reached out December 10^th, 3 weeks in advance about establishing a relationship and seeing if it was the right fit for overnight care starting around ¹²⁄₃₀. I was upfront about our dates and needs from my initial email. Mike promptly replied, sent the extensive pre-​requisite form, which we happily filled out, and we felt confident this would be a great option for our dog.
This morning, December 21 after several emails over 11 days Mike let us know that not only can he not schedule a meet and greet as previously discussed, but he also is not available to care for our beloved dog at all — leaving us with no established care a few days before we move across the country. This is totally unacceptable, incredibly inconsiderate and just bad business.
Had Mike stated in his first email that this was a busy time of year and he would not be available I would have more than understood and held onto his information for future use. However, to tell a potential client days before they are supposed to be using your services that you no longer are available after nearly 2 weeks of letting us think this was a sure thing (provided his meet and greet went well), and a few days before Christmas and our cross country move (both of which he knew) is just beyond my comprehension.
While I hope he is as wonderful as these reviews say with dogs, I am incredibly disappointed and frustrated at the way he chose to communicate with us, as well as run his business. And to top it off — his final email to us confirming that he was not able to take on our dog simply said ‘yes, that’s correct’ (in answer to our confirming he was not able to meet or care for our dog). No apology, not even a hello or a goodbye, three words. Happy Holidays to you too Mike.

We boarded our then 8 month old pitty with Mike for a week, while I was away for work. Mike was amazing, from the pre-​stay excel document to understand Bruno, to the videos and pictures he sent to me while we were away was amazing. Bruno came back with better manners than when I dropped him off! I felt so comfortable and was not worried at all about the his care while I was away. I definitely recommend this to anyone, and will be using his services again.

Mike is our go to person whenever we plan for ours and our dog Dash’s vacation. We have a super active white shepherd who can play ²⁴⁄₇. In the past we have boarded him at our vets clinic, which provides 3 walks a day. At the end of the stay, he would comw home still hyper. The difference when dash stays with mike is, when dash comes home, he finds his spot, falls down and naps.
As other reviews have stated, mike also provides videos of the pets which gives us a sense of security knowing our dog is having a great time!

Mike is definitely the next Cesar Milan. I left my 16month old very active and spoiled and hard to handle Beagle/​German Sheppard Sammy with him for exactly a week.
As this was my very first time leaving my pup I was worried how Sammy would adapt.
However, Mike sent me videos of Sammy and that allowed me to be at ease and enjoy my vacay.
Originally I was only going to leave my baby for 5 days, unfortunately the airlines screwed up and cancelled my flight 2 hrs beforehand. I panicked and immediately messaged Mike and mentioned I was stuck at my destination for another 2 days and didn’t pack enough food for Sammy.
Mike was very accommodating and understanding and fed Sammz only the brand I feed.
Sammy is much more calm and doesn’t pull on his leash during his walks anymore and stays by my side while crossing the street now.
I am very grateful to find such a sitter and will definitely be coming back to Mike.
I will also be recommending him to all my friends. And friends, friends, & colleagues.

Mike watched my lab (Bella) since she was only a few months old. He watched her while I was at work everyday until she was able to be home alone. He gave me great pointers about training her and I credit him in helping me to raise my pup.
Now whenever I go on vacation, she stays with Mike. I never feel bad about leaving Bella behind. I know that she will have a lot of exercise, ample dog play, not be locked up all day, and be under the watchful eye of an experienced dog trainer. The place is always clean and the dogs are so obedient with him. He also sends me photos and videos! Who does all that?!
I am so lucky to have found such a great person and dog lover to care for my Bella. I rather leave her with him then my own family members! haha Now if he could only care for kids, I’d be all set!
Thank you Mike!

Mike is the best. Mrs Shankly loves her stays here when we need to leave town. We especially appreciate the videos Mike sends of Shanks playing around with other dogs. She always comes back happy. Highly reliable and recommended.

We don’t live near Mike but we drive out of our way to have him watch our dog Milo because we trust and like him so much. This is the second time we’ve used him but have recommended him to many of our friends. We don’t worry when he’s taking care of our dog and you won’t either! Highly recommended!

Mike is awesome. We let our high-​energy Weimaraner stay with Mike and Paws Up for about a week when we were moving out of one apartment and into another. He did not mind that our Weim was high energy. Mike was cool as a cucumber as our Weim clamored into his car, and honestly, Mike’s easy-​going nature put us at ease.
The cool thing? Is that Mike provided loving care to our fur guy and little did we know it would be the last time our Weim would board anywhere, as our he passed away at age 12, about nine months later. Mike provided us with photos and a video of our Weim in his care, enjoying his time with the other boarders, the video and photos we still enjoy looking at to this day. No other boarding service did that for us, and Mike did. (Okay, tears are welling up in my eyes now.)
Please look no further. Mike is the best.
Just call him. :)

Mike has been our one-​and-​only go-​to dog boarder for our now 2-​year-​old Lexi, a 20-​lb American Eskimo. Mike is nothing short of amazing and is everything you’d want of someone who is watching over your pup while you are away. We have brought Lexi to Mike since she was a pup of a few months old. We initially brought her to Mike thinking that he would not be able to take care of her as she usually was very defensive towards strangers and sometimes even other dogs. We could not have been more wrong and could not have put her in more capable hands. Mike sent us daily photos and videos of her which gave us peace of mind and that she was, frankly, really happy there.
So of course we’ve gone back to Mike time and again, even on very short notice when we had family emergencies. Lexi always returns home well exercised, clean, and happy. Each time we’ve always learned something new about dog behavior as Mike is extremely knowledgable and provides helpful advice and training tips to help us build our bond even more with our pup and work on unwanted habits. Thank you to Mike for all your hard work and for taking care of Lexi over the past couple years! We’ll see you soon!

Mike has been taking care of Merlin the Lab for over three years. I first tried a dog boarding business that could take in 50 dogs: I figured they would never be booked up. Except Merlin got kennel cough there!
I never worry about Merlin when Mike takes care of him, and that is priceless. Merlin is an 80-​pound high-​energy tank and he can get overexcited when he’s with other dogs, but Merlin is always calm when he’s with Mike! I think Mike takes in about 10 dogs max; I usually see 5 – 10 in the daily videos.
Boarding price is about the same as dog-​sitting businesses (rather than someone doing it on nights /​weekends for extra money), but that’s what Mike is: a professional. Whether I’ve booked a month in advance or a few days in advance, Mike always seems available, even in the summer when everyone in New York goes somewhere. He responds very quickly. He sends regular video updates of Merlin and the other dogs. Mike has a car and offers nearby pickup/​dropoff for a fee, which I’ve opted for most times instead of a livery cab or Zipcar.

Mike has taken care of our beagle Leia for almost 3 years. He is the only person I trust with our beagle for any extended time. He is incredibly attentive, and methodical, gives the dog a good workout every day, keeps track of any medicine (sentinel) or special need, and keeps us posted with daily updates for our peace of mind. My wife and I trust him implicitly, and our dog loves him. Worth every penny.
Javier.

Mike and Toby always make us feel extremely comfortable to leave our dog with their pack. With all of the video updates, we are able to relax and know that our pup is in good hands. When we arrive to drop off our dog, she gets so excited to see Mike… and she always comes home happy and well exercised. :0)
Mike is very quick to respond, professional, kind, and flexible. We have appreciated his availability, and anytime we need someone to watch our dog, Mike is the first person we like to turn to.

My furbaby, Shabu, can be a handful — he barks at any sort of noise, runs around like crazy, and hates when anyone who has given him attention starts walking away. HATES. But outside of his annoying issues, he’s awesome, and let’s face it, our pets deserve as much love and cuddle-​time as possible.
My friends recommended Mike of Paws Up NYC after he took care of their dog, who had aggression with other dogs, including mine, due to not being socialized when younger and snapped whenever another dog got within 5 feet. After two weeks of Mike taking care of her, their dog had no problem with dogs. Because my usual dogsitter was on vacation, I decided to use the time to try Mike out, and I’m glad I did!
When I returned, Shabu was noticeably calmer indoors, so right away I knew Mike had done some training with him during his staycation. While Shabu doesn’t have command issues, he does have behavioral issues and Mike had some (free) advice and suggestions that helped a ton; I believe he also tried to work with him on those issues but it’s difficult because the permanent home is different from a temporary home. Regardless, it has helped to an extent for sure. Since then, I’ve been bringing my dog to Mike since he lives a bit closer as well.
He really takes the time to get to know your dog’s habits and quirks, meanwhile integrating them into the pack slowly (with new dogs) so as not to spaz any of them out. He can teach your dog basic commands or any new tricks if you’d like (there is a questionnaire that you fill out). The best part of the entire thing is that he keeps you updated the entire time with videos and photos so you don’t have to freak out and worry how things are going.
Not only is he great with dogs, he is very genuine and easy-​going and makes you feel relieved with leaving your pup behind. I highly recommend Mike for anyone in the Queens area (or further if you are ok with traveling) for daycare, boarding or training.
As for daily/​weekly rates, it is on point with others in the area, so there is absolutely no excuse not to head to Paws Up. Now if only he could take care of my cat-​dog*…
*Cat that thinks and acts like a dog — not a half-​cat, half-​dog mythical creature

My puggle isn’t the easiest to take care of. A few years back I boarded him at a very reputable place (not @ pawsup), only to receive news that he’s been bitten by a pitbull on the first day (of 14 day stay). He survived with internal bleeding plus 6 tubes attached to his body. Since then he’s never the same with other dogs. Any place that takes good care of pups wouldn’t let an injury this large occur. I digress. My point is, this causes quite a bit of problem when I need to go out of town. I’m always perpetually worried about where to board him and what would happen if I leave him out of my sight.
When I first met Mike 3 – 4 years ago this all changed. Mike has a way with dogs. Every time I drop my dog off with Mike, my dog would scurry over with so much excitement — the kind I never see at dog run or at any other boarding place. He’s able to rehabilitate my dog over the years to be more trusting of other dogs. He has a process for introducing dogs into the pack that ensure peaceful existence among all members. Burton now walks better, is more obedient (AND HAPPY — this is important. he’s not obedient because he’s fearful, but he’s actually happy!)
I truly appreciate the videos he sends while I’m away. It makes me feel close, and know that my dog is in good hand. In the summer time there’s pool parties. Sometimes I get videos of doggies marching up and down the stairs. It’s really fun to see him train the pups while boarding.
Besides me, I don’t think my puggle loves anyone more than Mike at this point. I am eternally grateful for Mike’s love and care for my dog. Such a wonderful place. I highly recommend.

Mike has taken care of our chocolate lab and multipoo for a few years now. He is excellent, caring and professional. We get updated pics and videos while we’re away and feel totally at ease. Please note we never went away as a family before we met Mike. Excellent sitter.

Mike and his wife were wonderful to our pitbull, Aphrodite. They were always in contact with us during our trip. Pictures and videos featured Aphrodite and her new made friends. She was returned to us happy and full of life. We’d definitely use Mike again.

I’ve never posted a Unilocal review before, but Mike, of Paws Up NYC, deserves public praise. He’s been taking care of Rufus, my basset hound, for nearly 2 years now, and he’s the greatest. I can’t recommend him more for a worry-​free boarding experience. Rufus can be a bit of a handful, but Mike’s expertise and care helps him acclimate and, based on the video updates we receive, enjoy his stay (and that helps me enjoy my vacation!)
Mike is pleasant to deal with, his rates are fair, and he’s conveniently located in central Queens.