When it comes to finding a place to call home, New Yorkers’ pets take precedence — and they’re putting their best paws forward.
Local empty-nester pet owners and New Yorkers without children are eager to place Fido’s comfort over proximity to transportation access or buzzy bar and restaurant scenes.
While pet amenities in the city’s luxury real estate market are far from new — such as pet spas and doggy daycare opportunities — residents and developers alike are increasingly putting animal comforts more on par with their own.
Take Princess, a 12-year-old poodle mix whose special needs prompted her owners to move twice in one year.
Her devoted parents, Amar Polepalle, 35, and Priyanka Polepalle, 31, both work in medicine, and moved from Connecticut to a lease takeover in Long Island City’s Jackson Park area over the summer — but quickly realized their first choice of apartment wasn’t a good fit.
Most importantly, the apartment’s location above bustling Queensborough Plaza — a major Queens transit hub — didn’t suit Princess’s suburban sensibilities.
“She doesn’t like high-energy things,” Priyanka told The Post. Plus, the 12-year-old feels more comfortable walking on grass than concrete. “She doesn’t like puppies, she doesn’t like toddlers. She wants more chill environments. We could tell she was stressed out.”
Indeed, as those from suburban or rural areas can face major adjustments when moving to a city like New York, their pets also feel the brunt of the transition.
“When we were living there, it was really loud and chaotic, and Princess was having a hard time adjusting from her suburb life to that, so that’s when we started looking to move somewhere else,” Priyanka added. “It was a really busy intersection with trucks and buses and the trains are very loud with the 7 train of the ground. I think you could tell she was overstimulated, overwhelmed. She at baseline is not a huge fan of loud noise.”
And after just two months, the Polepalles were back on the house hunt, and Princess’s preferences came first. Instead of proximity to a transit hub, they now searched for wide open, quiet spaces for Princess.
The Polepalles picked out a two-bedroom penthouse in Long Island City’s new Malt Drive development. The seasoned lap dog now enjoys multi-exposure views of Manhattan and Brooklyn from her 25th floor perch. Moreover, the quiet waterfront location perfectly suited Princess, Priyanka said. There are no more noisy trains and lots of grass — although an ACL tear has kept her walks confined to her puppy stroller.
The Polepalles report that Princess is on the road to recovery, eager to live out her golden years in luxurious peace and quiet.
Previous estimates have pegged New York City’s pet count at roughly 1.1 million, and surveys find that the canine population is particularly spoiled.
More than half of New Yorkers spend more on their dogs’ health and grooming than their own, according to a 2025 survey by Forbes Advisor.
Dog ownership in New York City spiked more than 40% in 2020, according to the city’s public licensing data, especially so as many locals were homebound during the pandemic. Even a cursory search of the city’s pet-friendly apartments supply reveals that developers have taken note.
For instance, One Williamsburg Wharf in Brooklyn hosted a well-attended “Santa Paws” party, featuring a festive photo booth and a paw print ornament station. Residents at One Wall Street in the Financial Districts have taken advantage of puppy reiki at the building’s “Canine Club” pet spa and social events with custom-painted pet portraits.
An entire industry of pet concierge services has taken up space in newer developments, with on-premises pet care, doggy daycares with agility equipment, overnight boarding and blueberry puppy facials for a fee.
At Waterline Square, a luxury development on the Upper West Side, residents have access to a private pup club designed by sought-after dog whisperer — and Anna Wintour’s dog trainer — Colleen Stafford.
Meanwhile, some locals still prefer the basics.
Ripley, an 11-year-old Beagle and Bulldog mix, recently began splitting his time between his home in Albany and a sleek condo in Hell’s Kitchen with his owner, Chris DiStefano, who heads a construction firm.
DiStefano purchased their Manhattan home at 547 W. 47th St. last summer. He said the building’s outdoor dog run was a major draw.
“It’s perfect for his lifestyle,” DiStefano said. “Truthfully, I didn’t look much further when I was looking for an apartment.”
The laid-back Ripley visits the building’s eighth-floor dog run with DiStefano multiple times a day, but prefers to soak up the skyline views on his stomach over running sprints. DiStefano called the turf-covered perch a “game changer” in helping his country dog adjust to city life.
Like so many new buildings, the 96+Broadway condominium on the Upper West Side carved out room for a highly designed self-serve pet spa.
The addition, and the building’s proximity to Manhattan’s best green spaces, was enough to entice Brooklynites Liza Logounova and Nikolay Koblov to move there in June.
The empty nesters’ smart and spoiled Australian Shepherd, 4.5-year-old Bowie, came with a checklist of needs for his active lifestyle. The building’s easy access to Central and Riverside parks was a boon to the high-energy herding dog, his owners said, and the pet spa was much-needed for his monthly grooming sessions.
“It’s paradise for him,” Logounova told The Post.
As an added perk, Bowie can soak up sun on his building’s rooftop patio, with Hudson River views that most two-legged New Yorkers could only dream of.
Pet perks aren’t only confined to the most luxury buildings, however.
Peaches, a 6.5-year-old Korean Village Dog, makes ample use of the amenities at The Hartby, a Stuyvesant Heights apartment building where 30% of units are rent-stabilized.
Peaches and her owner Caitlin Hudecheck are a package deal. When Hudecheck and her fiancé applied to the housing lottery for a one-bedroom at The Hartby, they made sure it has pet-friendly bonafides.
Hudecheck said the building’s green-tiled pet spa was a big perk for Peaches, who’d grown wary of baths in her old apartment’s cramped shower.
“Peaches sheds a lot, so being able to give her baths and brush her in a place that’s not my little living room is great,” Hudecheck said.
Hudecheck added that Peaches is getting more baths in her new home than ever before, and she’s no longer scared of her own apartment’s bathroom.
“A lot of our neighbors have learned her name, and she’s always excited to hear it,” Hudecheck said. “She’s still coming out of her shell every day, but she’s a little sweetie.”
The post NYC empty-nesters and tenants without kids are seeking homes with pet-centric wellness perks — like puppy facials and social events appeared first on New York Post.
