People with dogs know that fur or not, pooches are a part of the family. So when it comes to dog friendly places - coffee shops, parks or shops - how do you go about finding them? Enter Slobbr, a local startup developing “the Angie's List for dog owners.” I spoke with Michelle Fournier, founder of Slobbr and a resident expert in the Boston dog scene, and the conversation naturally drifted from straight business facts to the evolution of our city’s dog community.
First things first: Slobbr lets users pin down all of locales and activities near them that will welcome their pets. It’s ideal for people who recently moved, or just for folks who are trying to become more ingrained within their local doggy ecosystem. The venture, which raised more than $65,000 in their Kickstarter campaign a year ago, is currently in the middle of beta testing. In addition to hashing out different technical obstacles, the venture is also using this time to get as much feedback from dog owners.
Fournier used to own and run Durty Harry’s - a dog grooming and retail boutique that had storefronts in Charlestown and Brookline that earned the nickname “Cheers for Dogs” - until she sold the business in December. From her time there, she’s learned all the ins and outs of Boston’s dog community, both from pet owner and business owner perspectives.
In terms of startups in the dog industry, Fournier believes Boston is a strong hub. She pointed to local ventures like 2 Dogs Treats and Baroo, which have taken off in our city the past few years. That’s not a freak accident, according to Fournier. The dog industry is supportive in general, and the entrepreneurs in this space in Boston look out for one another.
“We are here to help each other out… We’re not direct competitors,” she told me. “Our services complement each others, so we always work out of the greater good of the industry.”
I think the passion has always been there, but these places are giving people the license to go out and get the dog they’ve always wanted.
As part of Fournier’s market research for Slobbr, she’s had to check out other places throughout the country and see what they’re dog communities are like. So how does Boston compare to the rest of the U.S.? Turns out, we do share some commonalities with our counterparts throughout the rest of the country’s urban areas. Fournier explained:
I’ve had the fortune of traveling around to some major cities and scoping out their dog friendliness. The common thread nationwide is that a dog community is a dog community. It’s the same behavior reflected within the community: that passion for their animal, that passion for their community, that passion for their neighborhood dog park and their neighborhood brick and mortar. They’re going to go to their Durty Harry’s over Petco whenever they have that option. That is the commonality.
Additionally, she said that every dog enclave throughout the nation has a “dog park mayor” who brings neighborhood owners together. They’re the person who organizes outings, meetups and park playdates. And Fournier shared that we’re no exception. “Within Boston, we have factions of that all over the place, from Brookline to South End to South Boston,” she stated.
Why has the dog scene in Boston been booming in recent years? Fournier maintains that real estate, particularly the numerous residential complexes popping up throughout the city, has something to do with that growth. She said:
It is becoming increasingly, increasingly easier to find a place that allows dogs, especially if you look at what’s going on with that whole gentrification of Washington Street Area, the Ladder District. This where Baroo comes into play and they’re killing it. They keep building these luxury units and everyone has a dog in these buildings...When you’re talking about the overall gentrification of the city - look at Charlestown with HarborView and Medford 275 - there are so many of these developments that are dog-friendly now… I think the passion has always been there, but these places are giving people the license to go out and get the dog they’ve always wanted.
But we still have strides to make as a city, specifically in the realm of dog friendly parks where our pooches can freely frolic. Right now, spaces where you can take your dog off leash and let them play are limited. According to Fournier:
It’s like the underground railroad. Dog owners have to help each other out and spread the word, "You can go down to this one and go over here, but not there." It’s an issue as far as the city’s friendliness towards dog parks. In a perfect world, it would be lovely to see the two worlds come together and say, "Let’s set these off-leash hours and here are some waste bags that can be stocked down at the parks." The whole issue is cleaning up. The reality is 95 percent of dog owners clean up after their dogs. The 5 percent who don’t just make it - no pun intended - a shit show for those who do.
In the meantime, Fournier hopes Slobbr could be the tool to direct dog owners to the short supply of outdoor spaces where their pets can go crazy. By connecting people to dog friendly areas and businesses, Slobbr will ideally further foster the Boston dog community, as well as those in cities throughout the rest of the U.S.
Featured image via Eric Sonstroem, CC BY 2.0.
