During the depths of the Great Recession, Angelo Biondo, owner of K-9 Powerhouse Kennel in Park Slope, was doing great business. Mr. Biondo rented out his guard dogs to developers who needed someone—or some animal—to watch over their stalled sites, but couldn’t afford a full-time human guard.

He told The Observer in 2009 that he charged $1,750 to $2,000 a month for the service—a steal compared to what a guard of the primate species would cost. “Brooklyn is the No. 1 area,” he said at the time, though neighbors near stalled sites guarded by Mr. Biondo’s dogs were not always so pleased—two dogs at a Robert Scarano site once escaped and bit a neighbor and his dog.

The market has since rebounded—there aren’t many stalled sites left to guard—but when the next crash inevitably arrives, Mr. Biondo won’t be around to rent out Great Danes and Rottweilers to unlucky builders. Read More