UPPER WEST SIDE — A premium pooch palace is coming to the Upper West Side, but don't be distracted by its state-of-the-art facilities or celebrity client list.
Spot, a new doggie daycare, grooming and training service opening on West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, is reportedly home to Manhattan's largest private dog park — complete with a therapy pool — as well as two clean, well-lit daycare rooms coated with soft flooring to protect paws and joints.
But to founder Mitch Marrow, Spot's real selling point isn't the top-of-the-line physical space, it's his highly trained team of dog care professionals.
Many are licensed veterinary technicians, and the team is led by "Head of Canine Protocols" Brewster Smith, an animal behaviorist who maintains a strict no-barking policy at Spot. Smith trains Spot's dog handlers to keep their canine clients relaxed and quiet by establishing themselves as the alpha dogs.
Dogs are pack animals who look for a leader; they get nervous when they can't find one, said Smith. On Wednesday in Spot's private dog park, Brewster showed off his animal calming skills, squatting down and circling a finger in front of an excited dog named Bree to quickly re-focus the canine's attention. Bree immediately stopped waggling.
Smith, who's worked with dogs for more than a decade, said he's seen doggie daycare facilities where fights break out between dogs, and staff are told to bring ear plugs to drown out the sound of barking. Spot strives for the opposite: a calm atmosphere where dogs feel safe.
"I don't yell at the dogs," Smith said. "I don't believe in that. If we're yelling it means we've lost control, not the dogs. You don't put out fire with fire."
Marrow said most people don't believe him when they hear about Spot's no barking policy, but he noted that he's never had a noise complaint from neighbors at Spot's other locations in Chelsea and TriBeCa. The Upper West Side outpost will be Spot's flagship, with a 5,000 square-foot interior, and a 5,000 square-foot backyard park coated in AstroTurf where dogs can romp freely.
Marrow, who owns a 220-pound St. Bernand named Reggie and a 165-pound Bull Mastiff named Hank, started Spot because he wasn't satisfied with New York's selection of doggie daycare facilities. Crowded with incessantly barking dogs, they left pets stressed and exhausted at the end of the day, Marrow said.
"They made me so uneasy," said Marrow, a onetime NFL defensive end who worked for a Wall Street hedge fund for 12 years after a back injury ended his football career. "There are severe behavioral issues that can occur when you leave your dog in that environment."
Spot's goal is to provide a stress-free environment by following specific protocols. Owners aren't allowed to bring dog beds or toys from home, for example, so fights over territory don't erupt.
Aside from the daycare, Spot provides grooming, dog walking and training services. It also has a country site in Putman County for long-term boarding. Spot has attracted a long list of celebrity clients, including Mariah Carey's five Jack Russell terriers and Howard Stern's bulldog. Spot's most expensive package is a platinum membership that comes with unlimited daycare and a bath every two weeks. It costs $850 a year, plus a $600 monthly fee.
"It's all very fancy, it's a nice backyard, but it's the training of the people and how they take care of the dogs that really matters," Smith said. "It's not about the glitz and glamour."
The grand opening of Spot's Upper West Side location at 105 W. 72nd Street is scheduled for Sept. 21.
