Know Your Neighbor: Jonathan Spivak, Dog Walker/Pet Sitter, North White Plains
The old saying that when one door closes, another opens certainly applies to Jonathan Spivak.
Shortly after moving to North Castle 19 years ago, Spivak launched an Armonk house cleaning business that served the area after his girlfriend at the time was cleaning houses for another company and Spivak thought he could do better.
The business was successful for 10 years – until the full brunt of the Great Recession hit in 2008.
“For about 10 years, it was amazing. Then it was disaster,” Spivak said. “We’re right in the crosshairs because it’s the first thing you get rid of. You don’t need your house cleaned. You’d like it, you don’t need it, and the husbands are like, ‘That’s it.’”
However, many of Spivak’s house cleaning customers had pets, particularly dogs. He was often asked by them if he knew of any service available in the area that could take their pets on a walk or make sure they had some company or were fed while they were at work or out of town. So, he started helping his customers out with dog walking.
By last year, with his house cleaning business on its way to extinction, Spivak’s entrepreneurial juices began flowing again. He launched Jonathan’s Pet Services, where in addition to dog walking, he provides pet sitting – spending time and playing with the animal – and cat, bird and fish care, which includes feeding and cleaning bird cages and litter boxes.
“The regular customers are people who commute into the city,” said Spivak, 50, a North White Plains resident who has two children. “They’re at work and they want their dog taken out for a midday walk. Then there are people who go away for vacation or weekends. I can either do walking or I can sit in-house.”
For Spivak’s customers, the typical walk is 25 minutes. If a park or dog run is close enough, he can go there for no extra charge. The areas from where he draws much of his customer base is similar to the communities that he previously served cleaning houses, including White Plains, North Castle, New Castle, Pleasantville, Bedford and Pound Ridge.
He’ll walk any breed at any time of day. Spivak said that some of his customers work odd hours and may want to have their dog walked at night. It doesn’t matter if it’s blistering hot or bone-chilling cold, Spivak said he’ll make sure he’s there.
“This is a labor of love. I thoroughly enjoy it. They’re really my customers, so to speak,” Spivak said of the pets.
Spivak’s love of dogs goes back to when he was growing up in White Plains. His family always found a home for a few, particularly dachshunds, which is his favorite breed.
A White Plains High School graduate, Spivak worked for his father, a restaurateur, after finishing school. For 18 years, he operated the cleaning business until last year.
Not only has Spivak followed in his dad’s footsteps as a businessperson, but as a volunteer as well. He is a member of the Armonk Fire Department, which he joined shortly after moving to town in 1997. Spivak’s father was a fireman when serving in the Coast Guard and volunteered in White Plains years ago, before that city moved to a professional department.
“We always loved firetrucks, we always loved (the 1970s TV show) ‘Emergency!’ That was the gospel,” said Spivak, who loves sports, particularly the Rangers. “Firematics was a big part of being in my home. I couldn’t wait.”
Operating his dog walking and pet sitting business has another advantage for Spivak – he’s able to spend more time with his son and daughter, who are five and seven years old, respectively. Although there’s an unpredictable nature to his schedule, Spivak is close by, and if he needs to, can take one or both of his children with him on a dog walk.
Like any businessman, Spivak is hoping to expand the reach of Jonathan’s Pet Services this year.
“I need to grow this business,” he said. “I’ve got to get this growing soon. I’ve been working really hard. There’s a lot of competition out there.”
Jonathan Spivak can be reached at 914-760-4102.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/