Kazi bid Bhundhumani goodbye and moved on to the next participant, with his 4-year-old corgi Loki, named for a favorite Marvel villain, trotting alongside. Kazi repeated his go-to questions.
If you think this sounds like a meet-cute, think again — unless you’re talking about meeting cute dogs. This was a doggie speed-dating event organized by the peer-to-peer dog-sitting service Pawrents, which seeks to disrupt the kennel industry by linking up pet owners with reliable caregivers.
San Francisco is home to around 150,000 dogs, according to 2022 figures from Animal Care and Control, which relies on estimates from the American Veterinary Medical Association. Around 22% of San Francisco voters are dog owners, whereas 17% have kids, according to a survey conducted by The Standard. The city is home to luxurious pet pampering parlors, doggy diners, and never-ending dog-park drama.
But where it falls short for some pet parents is overnight care. For years, Wag Hotels, a pet boarding company, and Rover, a pet-sitting and dog-walking app, were the go-to options for people leaving town and leaving behind their pets. But these options can be hard on the wallet — $70 to $170 a night, plus tax. Meanwhile, recent controversies over the quality of care of some of these options — Wag Hotel, for example, is being sued, with owners alleging animal neglect and even death — have left some dog owners hunting for alternatives. Enter Pawrents, which launched a year ago and has grown into a 1,600-strong Facebook group, with around 700 paid members within the wider Bay Area.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
