As a dog owner and former oil and gas consultant Mark Lester often faced a difficult dilemma.
Near the end of a busy day the young professional would often find himself choosing between leaving work and shirking his professional duties or getting the job done at the expense of his puppy Howard’s evening walk.
Lester tried hiring dog walkers through Kijiji, but found the response time too lengthy for his fast-paced, unpredictable work schedule.
“Half of them didn’t even call me back,” said Lester. “It was kind of an archaic process.”
But even if the non-responsive walkers had answered his plea, there would be no way for Lester to know if they had actually shown up and taken his golden retriever around the block.
So the millennial started thinking of a better system – one that would provide flexibility and peace of mind to owners.
Taking inspiration from recent service-on-demand successes, Lester and his business partner John Minchin created an app called Spot, which is being hailed as the Uber or Airbnb of dog walking.
Spot, which launched in St. Albert this week, allows dog owners to make a request for future or ASAP walks. Once the request has been made, the app will notify all walkers in the area. Those interested can accept the walk.
Users can review a dog walker’s profile and ratings and have the option to set up ASAP, single or recurring walks.
“For people like me whose lives aren’t planned out to a T every single day, it gives more flexibility. I can be late from work one day, press a few buttons and have a walker sent to my home,” said Lester.
The app also gives owners reassurance by allowing them to monitor their dog’s walk and ‘other’ activities.
Using the GPS tracker in the walker’s phone Spot shows what route your pooch took, as well as the length and duration of the walk. Walkers submit a report at the end of the walk informing owners of any bowel movements or anomalies like grass-induced puke.
Lester admits it might seem a little strange at first to let a complete stranger into your home to walk your dog, but assures that all walkers have been vetted through in-person interviews and police checks and are insured with up to $2 million in liability.
Most walkers also have a background in dog walking, training or sitting, said Lester.
Spot recently expanded into the Edmonton region. There are currently 10 walkers serving the region – two of which specifically serve the St. Albert area. But Lester says he will hire as needed once he gets a sense of the demand.
The Spot founders are using Alberta’s metropolitan areas as a test bed before looking to launch in Canada’s big cities like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
“I think people like to feel more connected to the service providers that they’re working with,” said Lester about the app’s potential.
Spot is available for free download for both Android and iOS systems.
