On Assignment: Man’s best friend is king at Hoboken Unleashed

Clockwise from top left: Employees call Lenny, a Siberian Husky with one blue eye and one brown eye, the “alpha dog” at Hoboken Unleashed; though he looks friendly, Sam, a Samoyed, is kept in his stall as he doesn’t play well with other dogs; Jack Bauer, a Yorkshire Terrier; Elvis “The King,” a Basset Hound, in his cage. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dog handler Arcely Aguilar, 48, uses a floor scrubber/wet-vac to clean up after the dogs at the medium dog run. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Hobs on the play structure at the medium dog run. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Rob Berberabe, 28, of Jersey City, plays with the big dogs. Day care dogs get a total of five hours of play time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. while overnight dogs get an extra half hour in the early morning and at night before bed. Though the dogs generally get along, fights do break out from time to time. For minor fights, dog handlers spray the dogs with a bit of water. But for fights that could turn dangerous, dog handlers are armed with citronella spray, Berberabe said. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dan Szwed, 24, of Jersey City, with the small dogs during playtime. Szwed, who has three dogs of his own, said he will be adopting Jonas, a dog fostered by Hoboken Unleashed from Liberty Humane Society. HU often fosters dogs from LHS to help with crowding at the Jersey City animal shelter. Co-owner Mike Stigliano said, “We take dogs who have been there for a while and give them a vacation to be able to run around and play with other dogs.” (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dan Szwed cradles Zoe at the small dog run. Asked what he likes about his job he answered, “I get paid to play with dogs.” (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dan Szwed with the small dogs during playtime. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dog handler Mitul Shah, 20, of North Bergen, places blankets inside the small dog cages. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Mitul Shah with Jackson inside the big dog run. Shah loves to work with the big dogs. “I was a little scared of dogs at first coming into work because I got bit as a kid (nine years old),” he said. “But what better place to get over my fear (of dogs) than at Hoboken Unleashed.” (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Tango, a Labrador Retriever mix, barks from inside the big dog run. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Sam peeks out from inside his stall. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Small dogs squeeze their faces through a space in the gate of the small dog run to take a look at a visitor. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Michael Ocasio, 20, of Jersey City, fills the water bowls inside the small dog cages. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Michael Ocasio prepares meals for the dogs from food brought by their owners. Hoboken Unleashed recommends owners to leave food for their own dogs to prevent an upset stomach. One dog prefers having the dry and wet food mixed (bottom right) “or else he won’t eat,” Ocasio said. Bottom left,  Ocasio slathers peanut butter on a toy, a special treat for one of the dogs. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Sami Shaikh picks up his dog, Ziggy, a Border Collie, who stayed for five days at Hoboken Unleashed, as another owner brings in her dog, Elvis, a Basset Hound, for day care. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

From left to right, assistant manager Laura Pycik, and dog handlers Rosario Tinta and Dan Szwed welcome dogs as they are dropped off by their owners at Hoboken Unleashed. The center receives an average of 70 dogs a day, according to Pycik. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Mitul Shah uploads photos of the dogs on the Hoboken Unleashed’s Facebook page so their owners can see them. Webcams are also set up in the dog runs and are turned on an hour twice a day so owners who are at work can watch their dogs play. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Mitul Shah takes Kona for a 20-minute walk. Some of the dogs get walked outside when requested by their owners. Shah said he wants to study veterinary medicine. “I can write this off as experience for school,” he said of working at Hoboken Unleashed. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Hoboken Unleashed co-owner Mike Stigliano gives Cooper, a three-year-old black Labrador retriever, a bath. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dan Szwed blow dries Cooper’s hair. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Co-owner Mike Stigliano plays catch with Axel in the courtyard. Axel is co-owner Peter Lin’s dog. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dogs play in the courtyard. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Co-owner Mike Stigliano sprays the artificial turf in the courtyard with a solution of diluted bleach and household detergents to sanitize areas where dogs have gone to the bathroom. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Co-owner Mike Stigliano plays with the small dogs in the lounge. Boarding dogs may sleep in the lounge overnight, subject to availability, for an additional charge. “One of the things that sets us apart from other pet care centers, is our drive to constantly evolve the business and make the experience easier and more enjoyable for the customers and the dogs. It’s hard work, but we enjoy doing it!” Stigliano said. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

A television is kept on for dogs who sleep in the lounge overnight. It is usually tuned to Animal Planet. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Hoboken Unleashed offers plenty of space for dogs to run around. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Assistant manager Laura Pycik, 25, of Jersey City, and co-owner Mike Stigliano, of Hoboken, hang with the dogs in the lounge. Ironically, Mike says he does not have a dog, but has a cat “that I’ve trained as a dog. It can fetch and jump on my shoulder like a parrot. So, really, I have a dog, cat and bird in one. I’ve always loved dogs but never had the perfect opportunity to own one. I’m like the fun uncle to these dogs which I see everyday.” (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Assistant manager Laura Pycik with Sarge, a French bulldog. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Sean Ruane, 21, of Jersey City, gets doggy kisses from pit bull Ella during a play session. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

The staff feeds the dogs in their cages. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Dan Szwed gives Indy, a beagle, his dinner. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Jackson gives 19-month-old Stella, a sloppy kiss as he and his canine brother, Cody, gets picked up from Hoboken Unleashed by their owners Jeff and Amy Lage. Stella calls the two dogs, “Dodos.” (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Michael Ocasio prepares to load dogs into the Pet Taxi to transport them back to their homes. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Michael Ocasio secures dogs in cages inside the Pet Taxi to transport them back to their homes. Hoboken Unleashed also offers taxi service to take dogs to the vet when their owners don’t have time to do so themselves. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)

Sean Ruane mops the floor of the lounge. “For most of my shift, I will be cleaning,” he said. “But of all the minimum wage jobs I’ve had, this is by far the best.” (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal)