Dating can be a real dog eat dog world.
Casey Isaacson, one of the co-founders of Dig, a new dating app for dog lovers, said she needed someone who could keep up with her -- and her energetic dog.
Her sister and co-founder Leigh Isaacson recounted how it played out in one relationship: “He tried to be a dog person at the beginning of the relationship, but by the end he didn’t even want it in his apartment -- clearly they were not aligned.”
For many dog owners, it's important to have a partner who embraces their cuddly fur friend.
Leigh, a former investigative TV reporter in New Orleans, starting looking up statistics and found that 55 percent of single adults in the United States are pet owners. What that meant to her was that if you were going to get in a relationship with a pet owner, you had to be on the same page.
Knowing this, the two sisters set out to build an app that gave them opportunities that speak to two important aspects in their lives -- dogs and love.
“There’s a shift in dating apps,” Leigh said. “You’re constantly swiping three to four apps at a time. Dig is more of a niche dating app, with a major compatibility factor attached to it.”
Dig launched on iPhone in February 2017, and it expanded to Android last month. The sisters have not raised any venture capital funding, instead relying on local press, hyperlocal events and word mouth as they’ve launched in New Orleans, New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco.
The app launched in Austin in early November with a party at WeWork Barton Springs. And the startup says it has partnered with several dog-centric businesses and organizations in Austin, as well as WeWork offices in all the communities they launch. The Austin event, for example, had a $5 ticket option that benefited Austin Pets Alive!, as well as information and samples from local pet businesses and organizations.
Isaacson says the most important feature of the Dig app is that it allows users to plan a dog-friendly date once they match with another Dig user. You can search by dog size and type.
Isaacson said she has a big, high energy dog, and wouldn’t search for someone with a small dog. Those who don’t have dogs can even find someone who they want to get a puppy with in the future. In addition, the app has some standard dating app features, including the ability to search for people by distance and age.
The app is getting attention in the crowded dating tech sector. Dig dates have been featured on local news broadcasts in New Orlean and Boston, and Casey herself has gone on a few dates in New York through Dig.
One thing both Isaacson sisters are trying to do is listen to users in order to improve the app.
“Dog owners in different areas have different needs when it comes to dogs,” Leigh said. “Someone in New Orleans might want a hunting dog that can ride in the back of a pickup with them, while a woman in New York City might want a little chihuahua that can fit in her bag on the Subway. Not only that, but some dogs may have certain sleep patterns, while others may be hypoallergenic.”
Austin will be an interesting test market for the sisters because it is highly-rated on a variety of lists featuring dog-friendly cities. Leigh wonders with everything owners can do with their dogs in Austin, if Dig will be welcome addition, or if it will get lost in the shuffle.
No matter, the sisters are excited about Dig’s launch in the 512. After Austin, they plan to launch one city a month in 2019, including Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami.
Leigh says it’s about real relationships with Dig users.
“We had two users go on a date and watched their dogs fall in love,” she said. “The conversation became so much easier between the two humans."
