Companies have been creating pet products aimed at helping dogs who are left home alone, but these products aren’t always the best solution for every dog. Treat dispensing toys, video chats, and activity monitoring collars are great, but what about dog’s that need more activity and stimulation?
Doggy daycares have been popping up all over the place recently, and now one website is trying to connect pet owners with sitters in their area who will watch their pet while they are out of town or at work. DogVacay has launched its website which allows hosts to sign up to watch other peoples’ animals and also lets pet owners search for hosts in their area.
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Hosts can input information like their location, availability, and their rates. Each host sets their own rate, but the average fee is about $20 a day. Also, all monetary transactions go through DogVacay so no money is exchanged between hosts and their clients. The money must be paid online before any services are provided.
DogVacay CEO, Aaron Hirschhorn, says that many people do not know doggy daycare is available or they don’t have an available, affordable option in their area. The website brings these services to all dog owners with internet access and many times their services are cheaper than larger chains and local boarding or daycare facilities.
Hosts can offer any service they choose including dog walking, daycare, overnight care, and long term boarding care for people who are traveling.
They can pick and choose which animals they care for and are under no obligation to accept requests from pet owners. Booking is all done through the website, so hosts don’t have to worry about keeping up with requests or contacting pet owners themselves.
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The company provides $2 million of liability insurance that covers not only the customers’ pets, but also any pets in the host’s home as well. So far over 130,000 applications have been received from people that are interested in being hosts in the United States and Canada, and just over 20,000 have been accepted.
They typically choose hosts who are home full-time and most of the time they have pets of their own. DogVacay is based in Los Angeles and they employ almost 90 full-time employees. The company is not trying to take business away from doggy daycare facilities, but simply connect dog owners with hosts that can provide their pet with one-on-one care in an area where such services may not be available.
