Fact: There are more than 90 million homes in the U.S. with pets.
Also a fact: Nearly 80 percent of those owners will be traveling with their pets this summer. And while it’s relatively easy to find out whether accommodations are pet-friendly, locating amenities like dog parks is a whole different animal.
That is, until a few years back, when the sharing economy gave rise to SniffSpot, which allows homeowners with yards to open them up to families with pets – for a fee.
Think Airbnb but just for dogs. And since only one rental can take place at a time, there’s no worry about aggressive dogs tangling with one another.
And for families traveling to sports destinations, and taking Fido with them, it just might be one of the biggest selling points for the host city.
The company was founded in Seattle in 2018 but is now used nationwide and accessed via an app. According to SeattleMet, “The concept may give gig-economy skeptics and non-dog owners alike pause at first, but it’s a long-awaited lifeline for those who have furry friends that don’t play well with dog parks.”
The property host sets the prices; those prices may take into consideration factors including (but not limited to) the cost of regular maintenance for the property (mowing, etc.), the cost of living in the area, and of course, the relative demand for the area.
“The yard rules vary depending on the rental location,” say reporters from On Milwaukee, “but most are pretty obvious: scoop up after your dog does her business; don't invite other dogs into the space unless it's identified as playdate friendly; respect the plantings and personal belongings of the hosts; etc. SniffSpot also helps humans locate nearby hiking trails, dog-friendly water areas, trainers, agility parks and more.”
SniffSpot, for its part, handles the bookings, sends notifications to the host and prevents double-booking of facilities.
Whole Dog Journal points out, “SniffSpot collects payments from the users (from $5 to $15 per hour, per dog) and distributes the payments to the hosts at the end of each month. The company also requires that users submit vaccination records and attest that the dogs have flea/parasite prevention on board and provides $2 million of liability insurance and $5,000 of damage protection to the hosts.”
Every owner of every dog-friendly yard is getting its day in this deal.
Another article notes, “Dog owners have the chance to browse by features like fully fenced yards, locales with more than half an acre – and spots with no other pooches within hearing distance or sight. Hosts can also list additional offerings: drinking water, chairs, poop bags, hoses, swimming pools, balls and toys, you get the idea.”
Other search options include indoor spaces, dog beaches and dog hiking trails, as well as a host of others.
Various participants have sweetened the deal by putting in portable toilets for owners to use, child-friendly amenities like swings and other attractions.
Some SniffSpot participants have generated impressive income; this woman reports that she made nearly $25,000 in dog bookings alone.
While travelers love the chance to book dog exercise in advance, apartment dwellers in some areas also find SniffSpot to be a desirable option. Dog trainers use them as well, since many need more space to work with dogs.
The economics of bringing along a pet are hard to argue with, since the alternative is expensive. The global pet boarding market is worth approximately $20 billion and will grow to $36 billion by 2031, says Dogster. And doggy daycare costs an average of $35 per day. Dog boarding costs an average of $40 per night, with a minimum of one overnight stay – and often, additional services count as add-ons, such as dispensing medications, providing special diets, etc.
Add into that the alternative: Hiring a pet sitter (35,000 pet sitters are recorded to be doing business in the US. alone) – the cost of which may include walks, playtime, overnight stays in the homeowner’s house, etc.
Something else to consider: Sports travel for families is on the rise, and one sector of that is RV travel, which allows the freedom to travel with pets. The ability to book a place to exercise the dog (which has the added attraction of being near the campground) increases the appeal of the app.
Of course, the flip side of the coin – flying with a pet – brings its own set of problems. Airlines are becoming far more discriminating about those claiming to be flying with “therapy dogs” (a ruse to try to not have to pay for a pet to fly, and/or to keep their pet out of the cargo hold). In fact, online businesses have sprung up, providing phony “certification” documents, as well as special dog bandannas, harnesses, vests and more. (It’s no secret that the transportation and hospitality industries not only recognize dishonest people who want to bring their untrained dogs onto planes, and into hotels and restaurants, and generally hate them.)
One app user hit a local blog spot to give a testimonial: “I gave the app a test drive, and after putting in my zip code, was matched with about a half dozen yards that were within 5 miles and over 100 available spaces that were within an hour's drive. All of the locations have photos, some have cute names like "Zoomies Yard" and "Underdog Park." … Like any rental on the internet, SniffSpot is gonna attract both reliable and unreliable hosts and users, but for several dollars, it might be worth a try. After all, a sniffing dog is a happy dog and a happy dog makes a happy human.”
About the Author
