Manhattan —

First-time businesswoman Doris Wade looked around her South Harlem neighborhood two years ago and saw a need: services for pets.

So she opened Posh Paws – the first of four pet-services businesses that have opened within three blocks on Frederick Douglass Blvd. in the past two years. The newest is Harlem Hound, a dog-walking and cat-sitting service that debuted in April.

“I’ve worked for animal care services before. They would never go beyond 101st St.,” said Oliver Rhee, the entrepreneur behind Harlem Hound. “It was as if there was an imaginary line that you just didn’t cross.”

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