Hudson Reporter Archive

Dog weddings and ‘bark’mitzvahs Pet People perform services for animals’ special occasions

Oscar waddles forward with a nervous gait. A fidgety look of trepidation is in his eyes, and his paws are quivering with anxiety. But all of these nerves are excused on this special day. After all, it is his wedding day.

Jonathan Schnapp is the Master of Ceremonies and the founder of Pet People of Jersey City. Schnapp is taking the niche for pet services to the next level.

“We are a complete pet service that provides dog walking, day care, transportation and special services,” Schnapp said recently. “Our special events include ‘barkmitvahs,’ weddings, birthday parties, and a pet taxi service.”

Schnapp has been in the pet care business for three years. Now, everyday folks as well as famous actresses seek him out to provide boarding or more elaborate services for their dogs.

History

Three years ago, Schnapp was working for a real estate firm in Manhattan. He had two pugs and a busy schedule. Every couple of months it came time to take his beloved pets to the veterinarian. As it turned out, Schnapp’s veterinarian was almost 30 blocks away and Schnapp did not have a car.

Schnapp tried taxis, but none of them would take pets. So he came up with the idea of a pet taxi. He started transporting animals around part-time. His clientele grew large enough that he was able to quit his job in real estate and open a pet services company.

Originally, he limited his services to dog walking and transportation. But when Schnapp moved to Jersey City he was able to begin a boarding service. He would pick up the pets in the morning and they would be able to run around in a cage-free environment all day. Then Pet People would drop the dogs off at their home in the evenings.

After a couple of years of the same dogs boarding every single day, special relationships were created. “We started out doing [dog] birthday parties and it kind of just grew from there,” Schnapp said. ” Then people started coming to me and telling me that their dogs were turning 13 or so and they would like to have some memories for their pets other than just birthdays. I thought up the special events.”

For the distinguished Jewish dog, a barkmitzvah is a must. The observance takes place in front of a temple with the dogs in yarmulkes. The service includes dog songs, prayers and blessings with wine. “It is a celebration,” Schnapp said.

Schnapp began having weddings, he said, because pet owners would come in and say, “I have two dogs, one male and one female, and I would like to have them get married.” The staff of Pet People was more than happy to oblige, and the dog wedding was born.

The wedding

The wedding is complete with a groom and bride who walk down the aisle to give their nuptials. The happy couple wear a bow and tie and wedding veil, respectively. After the ceremony, which takes place outside of a Jersey City church, the new bride and groom are whisked away in a dog limousine. The dogs immediately stick their heads out the window to give thanks to everyone, an audience that often reaches up to 30 guests. But the festivities don’t end there.

The limousine then heads to an elaborate reception, which includes a cake made of liver and dog treats, and dancing to some of the dogs’ favorite tunes. But as any wedding must end, the bride and groom leave the wedding under a shower of rice.

Next, the couple is taken by limousine to their honeymoon suite. A particular room is kept in the Pet People facilities as a place that pets can celebrate their first night of marital bliss. The decorations consist of fresh flowers, a four-post bed, and of course, a lot of privacy.

While all of the special services are available to the public, many celebrities have gotten into the spirit. Recently, actress Carol Kane had her dog, Oscar, married to a cute little pug. Others who have expressed interest in Pet People’s services are Tatum O’ Neil and Bernadette Peters.

Taxi?

For the less eccentric pet lover, Pet People also runs a pet taxi. This is a service for people who either don’t have a car or who don’t have time to take their pets to the veterinarian. Schnapp points out that “most taxis don’t allow pets, so people without cars are out of luck. So the pet taxi will come to your door. Then go to the veterinarian and back.” Another bonus of this service is that the owner can go with their pet or stay home. This feature is popular with busy businessmen and women whom don’t have a full day to use taking their pet the veterinarian.

So what does the future hold for Jonathan Schnapp and the staff of Pet People?

“I want to open up a pet camp,” said Schnapp “which has a bus that picks them up every day. I want to have activities which include swimming, pet games and road trips.”

But for now, Pet People will stick with the weddings and barkmitzvahs. So far, Schnapp is happy with the results. Out of the 12 weddings that he performed, there is only one reported dogvorce. In a world where one out of every two marriages is said to end in divorce, one out of 12 is not that bad. Maybe marriage really does belong to the dogs.

Pet People are a bonded and insured boarding, dog walking, transportation and pet service provider. Their services are available in Jersey City, Weehawken, Hoboken, Union City and West New York. For more information on any of their services, call Jonathan Schnapp at 432-6234.

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