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Michael Josephs, 34, used to work as a movement teacher for children who were neurodiverse at a school in Manhattan, he tells Daily Voice.
Meanwhile, Parkside Pups came to fruition in 2019 after Josephs rescued his own black lab Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, Willy, aka “the pup who inspired it all."
“I trained him very young in Prospect Park and we would be out there every single day,” says Josephs, who was raised in Easton, Massachusetts. “People started seeing how well I had trained Willy and how well I interacted with their pups and so they started asking me to train or walk their dogs.”
Josephs still had his teaching gig at the time and credits his wife, Clarissa, for helping get the business off the ground after the pair noticed a lack of a reliable dog-walking company around Brooklyn.
“I didn’t know much about starting my own business, but my wife and business partner, Clarissa, was in the business world and she really helped me build the business model for Parkside Pups…we saw that there was a need for a good dog walking company that had a solid business structure, but still always put the pups first!”
Turns out, it was pretty lucrative. Services have expanded to offer “pack walks” with up to four furry friends at once, as well as “solo walks” for more anxious pups. Boarding, petsitting, waste removal, and various training services are also now available.
But that’s not all that’s expanded; territories have too — and fast.
“We have already expanded our service area in Brooklyn and in the Financial District,” Josephs says. The business will soon make its debut in Monmouth County where he currently resides and is open to new locations “where there is a need,” he added.
What’s the final objective for Parkside Pups? Josephs wasn’t bluffing about putting the pups first:
“Our ultimate goal is to open a doggy daycare in NYC and a doggy day camp outside of the city,” he says.
Above all, Josephs says he’s incredibly thankful for the flexibility and financial stability Parkside Pups has enabled for himself, Clarissa, their son, Charlie, and of course, “the pup who inspired it all.”
“It has allowed us to provide financial security for our son, traveling opportunities, and most of all time with our son that is hard to have when you work a 9-5,” Josephs says. “While all of this is a huge blessing, we continue to work hard to make Parkside Pups the best it can be….focusing on reliability, safety, and fun for the pups!”
The pups are overwhelmingly grateful too, we’re sure!
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