BUSINESS - Leaders in Pet Sitting Services, Rover.com and DogVacay, Merge

(Courtesy Rover.com DogVacay)

Rover.com, the nation’s largest network of pet sitters and dog walkers, and DogVacay, a leading online and mobile pet-sitting community, are joining forces.

By combining resources, pet owners will have access to a network of more than 100,000 vetted and insured sitters, offering a range of services, in thousands of cities in every state across the U.S. and in Canada.

“Rover and DogVacay are both made up of dog people on a mission to enable everyone to experience the love and joy of a pet,” said Aaron Easterly, Rover’s CEO.

“Together, we can accomplish our goals quicker and make an even bigger impact. Plus, this partnership will enable us to pick up engineering velocity, bring new products to market faster and invest even more aggressively in building the best tools for our sitters and dog walkers.”

To date, millions of services have been booked through the companies, which generated over $150 million in bookings in 2016.

“Our goal has always been to make quality pet care accessible to everyone, and with Rover and DogVacay’s experience and expertise, we will continue to create the best solution for our host community, our pet parents and most importantly, our pets that we love as family,” said Aaron Hirschhorn, DogVacay’s CEO.

The combined companies expect to accelerate international expansion efforts.

Rover’s headquarters will continue to be in Seattle and led by Easterly as CEO, and Hirschhorn will join Rover’s Board of Directors.

DIGITAL - Pokemon Go Goes to the Dogs

The Pokemon craze has unleashed throngs of volunteers to step up and walk rescue dogs as they tap into the online antics.

And Phil Peckinpaugh, director of the Muncie Animal Shelter in Indiana, is stoked to see how the popular game has played out in terms of benefiting canines in care.

"I'm flabbergasted!" Peckinpaugh said on the CBC's As It Happens.

"I think it's just one of those things that is so simple. It's just a great fit — people love the game and they love dogs!"

The shelter posted a call out on Facebook for volunteers to take dogs along while they were on the hunt for Pokemon characters and soon found itself inundated with people wanting to help out.

Reaching an audience of nearly two million – the shelter saw people lined up to walk so-called “Pokemon dogs,” averaging about 70 would-be volunteers a day compared to the more typical one or two.

"I've never seen so many people out enjoying our city and getting involved with this animal shelter," Peckinpaugh said.

The family dog has also been subjected to more and longer walks as owners incorporate the game into their daily dog walking routine.

Social media has been flooded with memes as the tired pooches relax after their walks.

"It gives me a reason: I've got to take the dog for a walk. If I tell my wife, I am going to play Pokémon Go for a half hour, it wouldn't go over as well," William Kimbark, a 29-year-old market researcher from Long Island, told USA Today.

No doubt about it, Pokeman has proven a world-wide hit.

The smartphone-based augmented reality experience relies on GPS data to allow players to “capture” virtual creatures on their phones in real-world locations.

Police in some municipalities have warned players to use caution and common-sense when trying to “catch them all,” urging people to not play while driving, for instance.

Daily news reports show unfortunate incidents where the free-to-play game has become all-consuming and led to some odd and also unfortunate circumstances.

According to CBC, that includes “injuries, robberies, lost jobs, love connections, pleas from police, the discovery of a dead body and a $7.5-billion U.S surge in Nintendo's market value.”

Two men suffered injuries after playing Pokeman Go north of San Diego, California – both plunging several stories off a crumbling sandstone bluff.

“I think people just need to realize this is a game,” Encinitas Fire Department's battalion chief, Robbie Ford, told the Los Angeles Times.

“It's not worth your life. No game is worth your life.”

Dog owners are warned to not push their dogs past their limits and keep their walks within the dog’s capabilities.

Peckinpaugh is keenly aware of the cautionary real-life tales and concedes some distracted gamers could put themselves and dogs in harm's way.

But, he told the CBC, he says those risks are mitigated given volunteers are screened to ensure they understand their responsibility and play safely while dogs get to reap the rewards of tagging along.

“Obviously, the love of the dogs and wanting to be involved in the community is the number one priority," Peckinpaugh said. "The game is just a bonus!"

 

By Nadia Moharib

Nadia Moharib is an animal lover who has adopted everything from birds to hamsters, salamanders, rabbits, fish and felines. She has written about all-things-pets for years and was a long-time editor of a pet magazine in a daily newspaper which featured a Q & A column, Ask Whit, penned by her pooch (ghost written, of course.) The serial dog owner lives in Calgary, Alberta and most days can be found at a dog park picking up after her rescue pooch, Scoots.

INTERVIEW: Kathleen Burns, Research Poster Scholarship Applicant

Kathleen Burns (Katie) is a Masters of Science student in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. She completed her undergraduate degree in Applied Human Nutrition. Katie loves animals, especially Tucker, the dog that she walks. Katie is performing research on veterinarians’ perceptions and their counseling approaches regarding dog walking.

InfoStream (IS): What prompted you to research the beliefs that veterinarians have regarding dog walking and how they discuss it with clients?

Katie Burns (KB): My advisory committee members and I have an interest in getting humans and animals active together. Dog walking is a great way to get dogs and their owners active! One way to promote dog walking is by discussions during veterinary appointments. Veterinarians can positively influence the physical activity levels of dogs and their owners through counseling and discussions on dog walking. There is a gap in the literature regarding veterinarians’ practices regarding dog-walking counseling and their perceptions of dog walking. With veterinarians’ ability to influence dog walking we were interested in understanding their current practices regarding dog-walking counseling and to understand their perceptions on dog walking. How veterinarians view dog walking influences whether or not they discuss and promote in appointments. If we can gather information about this then we could better involve them in dog-walking promotion!

IS: What are the goals of your research?

KB: The goals of our research are to understand current veterinarians’ practices of dog-walking counseling. This would help others in the future to better involve veterinarians in dog-walking interventions. Ultimately, we want to highlight the benefits of dog walking and recognize and reduce the barriers that veterinarians face when discussing dog walking with owners. This would help to improve and increase the discussions of exercise and dog walking in veterinary appointments with owners and may help to get dogs and their owners more active!

IS: Based on your data collection so far, what are the main barriers that are preventing people from walking their dogs?

KB: As perceived by veterinarians, a main barrier to dog walking is the owner’s busy schedule. Some participants described that owners are quite busy and it can be difficult to fit dog walking into their schedule. A dog’s behavioural issues, for example leash reactivity or aggression toward other dogs, were identified as barriers to dog walking as well. A dog’s behavioural issues can be difficult to address and can make owners nervous or hesitant to walk their dog. Interestingly, dog walking can help reduce problem behaviours in dogs, including aggression, so it is important that this barrier is addressed!

IS: How do you think these barriers would be best addressed/overcome?

KB: To address an owner’s busy schedule I think that veterinarians could provide dog owners with tips or handouts on how to fit dog walking into their schedule. For example, some tips could include incorporating multiple short walks into the owner’s schedule or making daily dog walking a family activity. Behavioural issues can be difficult to manage as there are many types of aggression and reasons as to why a dog may be aggressive. To address these behavioural issues, it is important that dog owners discuss their dog’s aggression issue with their veterinarian, as they can assist owners in the management of behavioural issues. By consulting with a veterinarian owners can begin to manage and reduce behavioural issues which may ease anxieties when it comes to dog walking.

IS: What do you see as the main benefits to taking your dog for a walk?

KB: There are so many benefits of dog walking for both the dog and owner! There are physical benefits as well as social and mental benefits of dog walking. First of all dog walking has many physical benefits for the dog including maintained agility, physical stimulation, improved physical activity level, weight loss and weight maintenance. It also has social and mental benefits for your dog which include socialization, enjoyment, discovering new smells and sights. Dog walking can also help reduce and prevent boredom, destructive and aggressive behaviour. There are also several benefits for the owner, which include increased levels of physical activity and a higher likelihood of meeting the daily physical activity recommendations. Dog walking also encourages dog owners to interact and develop relationships with other dogs and other people and presents an opportunity for the dog and owner to bond with one another!

IS: Once your research is complete, how do you think your discoveries will help veterinarians, dog owners, and their dogs?

KB: Our research can help to increase awareness of the benefits of dog walking and can highlight some of the barriers that veterinarians may face when talking to owners about dog walking. Veterinarians may use this information to recognize and overcome some of the barriers to discussing dog walking with owners. By recognizing and possibly overcoming some of these barriers related to dog-walking counseling, veterinarians may be able to better promote dog walking among owners in veterinary appointments. Our research also highlights the many benefits of dog walking which can be used to increase awareness of the benefits of dog walking among veterinarians. If veterinarians are aware of the benefits of dog walking they may be more likely to have these discussions with dog owners.  

Dog owners can use this information to understand that their veterinarian can provide them with information about dog walking and can help them to overcome some of the barriers to dog walking that they may face. They can also use this information to recognize the many benefits that dog walking has for themselves and their dog, including physical, mental and social benefits.  By recognizing these benefits owners may be more inclined to take their dog for a walk!

IS: Do you have plans to share your findings with veterinarians? If so, how will you accomplish this and what information would you share?

KB: Yes, I hope to publish my findings in a veterinary journal to disseminate them to veterinarians. I have also already shared my main findings with the participants in my study and I hope that they will share this with others in the veterinary profession. I want to share information about all of the benefits of dog walking as well as the role that veterinarians can play in positively influencing dog walking among owners and their dogs.

IS: Is there anything else you would like us to know?

KB: No, but thank you for the opportunity to share more of my research with you!

Raising the bar of professional pet services in Canada

Karen Ramsden

InfoStream Guest Author 

In 2012 Langara College introduced the first certificate program for Professional Dog Walker Training at the public post-secondary level in Canada. This formal recognition provides graduates of the program with additional expertiseand credibility to start their career as a dog walker, to grow their current business, or to utilize this knowledge for interacting with their own pets. 

When Langara first explored the program’s potential it was clear that there had not been a set of defined criteria by which this industry was monitored. Our objective was to create a program requested by dog walkers, demanded by pet owners, and ultimately required by lawmakers.  

Students learn the essential components of dog walking,including specific techniques, pet first-aid, and legislation and by-laws. They are introduced to animal learning, canine behavior, and science-based concepts of behavior change. Ultimately they discover that there is more than just loving dogs and holding a leash; there is a protocol to ensure they conduct themselves in a professional manner, one that is respectful of the dogs in their care, other park/street users, and the environment. 

In early 2014, Dr. Rebecca Ledger was brought on as lead instructor for the program. Her extensive knowledge in the area of animal behavior and welfare ensures that students can expect to be inspired, energized, and equipped to become successful in this exciting industry.

“This program is an innovative milestone that reflects the growth of a mindful pet-owning society," said Dr. Linda Turner, Manager of Health & Human Services, Langara College. “It provides a unique training opportunity for animal caregivers and pet owners. We are honoured that this program has been selected as a finalist at the 2014 Urban Animal Summit Awards.”

To date there are over 80 graduates from the Professional Dog Walker Program, and in 2015 Langara College will introduce a professional development series leading to an Advanced Dog Walking professional certification.

For more information: www.langara.bc.ca/cs

Pet Check automatically updates Pet Families

New Mobile App Provides GPS Tracking and More for Dog Walks


Dog walking customers in California can now find out exactly what time and where their dog was walked. Pet Check Technology is the first and only software and mobile application solution for the dog walking industry to provide both dog walking companies and dog walking customers with 100% transparency of when and where their dogs are walked.

With Pet Check Technology dog walkers simply scan a barcode when they arrive and depart their client's home using their mobile device. Customers receive an email alert each time the barcode is scanned, and can track the walks online using GPS mapping at any time during or after the walk. The technology is available to dog walking companies to offer their clients.

According to the 2009/2010 American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey, there are 78 million dogs in the U.S., and many of their owners work long hours and must rely on dog walking services.

"As a long-time owner of a successful dog walking company, I saw first-hand how much my clients love their dogs, so I wanted to ensure that they could be fully-confident in the dog walking that they were paying for," said Pet Check Technology founder Doug Simon. "Pet Check Technology is thrilled to launch in the dog-devoted state of California, and we look forward to providing all dog walking customers with the peace of mind of knowing that their pets are truly receiving the care they deserve."

Sarah Hoffmann has recently started using this new service. "I work long hours, and knowing exactly what time my dog was walked is both reassuring and helpful in planning when I have to come home from work," said Sarah. "When my dog walker started using Pet Check Technology, going to work became a little easier because I had more control of my dog's well-being, and it gave me peace of mind to know that my dog walker was spending the full amount of time that I paid for with my dog and that she wasn't just walked to the corner and back."

Pet Check Technology is the first and only business management solution combining mobile barcode technology, email alerts, GPS tracking, online scheduling and automated billing options for the dog walking business owner.

Pet Check Technology will soon be available nationwide. For more information
SOURCE Pet Check Technology