Even with all the bright lights in Manhattan, home is still where the heart is. The challenges start when your heart has been given to a big dog who has the same endless energy of New York City. How do you cope with having a dog like that in a tiny apartment?

Pups at play in the park.

For answers, we turned to Chris Turi of New York City based Bark Ave. Launched in 2010 after working long hours as a stockbroker on Wall Street and a trader in Midtown, Turi had a puppy himself when he founded the company with his friend Dylan Freed.

“I had a hard time finding a dog walker, and the woman that I ended up hiring to walk my dog worked alone. I called up Dylan and told him that we were going to start a dog-walking company,” Turi said.

According to Turi, having a small apartment, even a studio, isn’t a challenge with a large dog.

Waiting for a best friend to come play.

“Large dogs actually have a lower energy level. They need about a hour of exercise a day, and then they just sleep the rest of the day away,” he explained.

City parks have off-leash hours, between 9PM - 9AM, so many dog owners find themselves bringing their dogs to the parks during those hours to run out that energy. Another option is to take a dog running or biking with you to get the exercise that the dogs need, though that might tire you out more than the dog.

And Turi warns, “The bigger the dog, the less good it is for them to run for extended periods of time. It’s not great for their joints,” he said.

If you do find yourself working the hours that Turi did on Wall Street and don’t like the idea of Fido lounging at home all day by himself, Turi launched a new concept as of this month: Hotel Bark Ave.

 Hotel Bark Ave: located at 143 E103rd St in Manhattan.

With 1,500 square feet inside and another 1,500 square feet outside, Turi says that the dogs chase each other from one end of the Hotel to the other. Then they sleep for the rest of the day. Like the saying goes, “A good dog is a tired dog.”

Surrounded by their buddies, the dogs have a great opportunity to socialize if their owner is away for the day at work or on an extended holiday. In the future, Turi is planning for Hotel Bark Ave to also feature dog training classes.

Turi explained that all dogs are evaluated before being becoming a member of the Hotel Bark Ave.

“We observe the dogs for a day, to see how they interact with the other dogs. If they get along well with others then we extend a membership opportunity to them,” he said.

However, if the dog is too aggressive with the other dogs, that dog will get pulled and placed in a separate area until their owner is able to pick them up. Those dogs wouldn’t be offered membership at Hotel Bark Ave.

Turi’s goal is to provide a safe, fun environment for dogs. Big or little, they are all welcome. So if the debate is if to get a pup, let size not be the determining factor in terms of the amount of work the dog will take. Landlords might feel differently, but once they find out just how sleepy Fido is after a day at Hotel Bark Ave, who knows: they might even be signing up their own dog to play with yours.