Hudson Urban Bicycles at Charles Street and Washington Street is popular with both cyclists and dog lovers. Neighborhood dog lovers stop by to pat and play with owner George Bliss’s sweet pit bull mix Moxie, bringing their own dogs and children. George told WestView News that he now has doggie customers, thanks to Joe Reilly who rents a cargo bike to take two to three small dogs to dog runs as part of his service.
Joe tells us that he was born and raised on West 11th street where he still lives. We interviewed Joe about his business by phone:
Joe Reilly: I serve customers from 23rd Street to Chambers Street. First I co-ordinate with my girlfriend Deidre Reilly (same last name by coincidence) who goes to the Laight Street dog run to wait for me to bring the dogs. I leave them with her and pick up dogs from the upper blocks and take them to the Leroy Street dog run where a helper is waiting to receive them. The dogs are secured in the cargo and I give them soft bedding. It’s about a 3-hour outing for the dogs as opposed to the usual walk of under one hour.
WVN: That sounds like a luxury service; you must charge a premium.
JR: I just charge the normal one-hour rate. I do it because I love dogs so much. I volunteer to help with rescued dogs. I was a carpenter by trade but switched to this business, which I love, nine years ago.
WVN: Do you have large dog clients as well?
JR: Yes, but they don’t go in the bikes; nor do older dogs who can’t stay out that long.
WVN: How do customers find you?
JR: Mainly by word of mouth. Plus I leave my card with vets and coffee shops.
You can reach him at 646-221-3489.
Your article about dog walker Joe Reilly doesn’t give the full story about him, in fact it’s misleading.
He’s been on the NYPD’s 6th precinct watch list for some years now for ongoing violations at the Leroy Dog Run on Pier 40. He says in the article that he brings “two to three dogs in his bike” when when in fact there are dozens of complaints from West Village Dog Owners of him bringing upwards of 10-12 dogs into the run in violation of the Park’s 3 dog per person rule. He has torn down and stolen signs in the dog run which have the park rules on them 26 times over the last three years. There are many dog owners who are afraid to come to the Leroy Run when he’s there with large numbers of dogs because they don’t feel they and there dogs are safe. In addition he has threatened dog owners who report him with physical violence.
The Hudson River Park Trust, the 6th Precinct and the Leroy Dog Run Association are in conversations about how to deal with his often criminal behavior at the run and his blatant disregard of park rules. When people saw this article when it originally came out they were shocked that West View would publish something so misleading without including additional sources. Perhaps an article about how frustrated the dog owning community in the West Village is with Mr. Reilly and what he really does with the dogs in his charge would be appropriate.
Thank You
2009 New York Post Article about Joe Reilly at the Leroy Dog Run. The full article can be found at this link.
http://nypost.com/2009/07/28/gone-to-the-dogs?iframe=true&preview=true
For their part, career walkers are not apologetic about defending their turf — from newbies and veterans alike. Last week at the Leroy Street dog run, pro walker Joseph Reilly clashed with civilian dog-run regular Paul Miller, who says he and his basenji, Buster, were once attacked by one of Reilly’s charges. He was upset Reilly had turned up at the run with 10 dogs in tow, apparently a frequent offense.
Miller said the rules of the dog run were recently changed specifically because Reilly and his large pack of pooches appear at the park daily.
“Three dogs, that’s all you’re allowed to bring in here at a time,” he said.
Reilly skirted the rule by hiring several assistants to help manage the dogs, including actor Jerry Dean and former Limelight manager James Flanagan. He says it’s not only “civilians” who have a problem with his style, but frequently the other dog walkers.
A survey of neighborhood dog walkers reveals issues with Reilly ranging from his attention span to suggestions of bad behavior, but none of his competitors would comment further, out of fear of making a difficult situation worse in the already cramped dog run.
“I’m competition,” he says in a gravelly voice. “They don’t have the kind of business that I have; wherever there’s money, there’s competition and conflict.”
In the long run, Reilly and many of the pros believe the weather will eventually wash away most of the new breed.
“By the time winter rolls around, most of the newbies will be gone,” says Ayanna.
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