A new site has launched in Dallas for you to find a temporary home for Fido when you’re away. Dog Vacay lets you search for a local pet sitter – by type of home, price range, location, and level of dog experience, to find the perfect person to take care of your dog when you leave town. Not only is it a better alternative to kennels and burdening friends and family with pet sitting duties, it can be much more economical. I personally would much rather have my dog at a house with animal lovers then boarded up at a kennel all weekend.
“DogVacay.com, introduced March 1, compiles dog boarders across the United States and Canada who will house, feed and water your pup in their homes for a fee. Hosts are vetted through interviews and reference checks, and some claim professional credentials like pet CPR. Dog owners can schedule a meet-and-greet session beforehand, which in some cases includes meeting the dogs that live with the host full time. The site also sells insurance and offers GPS-enabled dog collars for those seeking extra assurance.
Average rates are $25 to $30 a day, but that varies depending on the home. A spot in an apartment can cost as little as $15 a day, and placement with a professional dog trainer in a large home with plenty of outdoor space runs $75 a day.” – NY Times
allas pet lovers can make some extra needed cash while doing what they love in their free time. If you have some extra time, you can make a profile as a “host,” determine your daily rate to take in a puppy, and start finding clients right away. It’s also a great opportunity for people who love the companionship of a dog but can’t afford to have one full time.
The idea came to the founders when they traveled for their honeymoon a few years ago and came home to their dogs Rocky and Rambo who seemed traumatized by their kennel stay. They decided there had to be a better solution, so they offered up their home to friends and neighbor’s with pets, and–one year and 100 dog boardings later– they gave up their jobs to start Dog Vacay.
They teamed up with Mike Jones, the former CEO of MySpace to create an online community, and since their March launch, they’ve raised $1M from First Round Ventures, and have more than 9,000 applicants sign up to host in L.A and New York. They are launching the company city by city and plan to be nationwide by the end of the year.
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