BILLINGS — It’s a concept that’s new to Montana— an app that lets you book playtime for your pup in a complete stranger’s yard.
We all want the best for our pets, whether it’s taking them to the dog park or out for a stroll, but what if your dog doesn’t do well with other animals?
“I’d have to take him to baseball fields or way out in the country to get him out, off lead, where he could just roam and not find anyone else,” said Shepherd resident Ariel Dehart on Tuesday.
Dehart’s dog Nuk Nuk is deaf, making it hard for him to socialize with other pups. This inspired Dehart to sign up as a host for the app Sniffspot, an app that lets people turn their yards into private dog parks.
“We set it up to be like a lot like Air BnB, where if you have a dog, you want a safe space for them, you can download our app,” said the founder of Sniffspot, David Adams.
Adams first started Sniffspot in 2018, and it now has over 10,000 hosts all over the country. But it is just starting to gain traction in Montana.
Dehart is one of only two Sniffspot hosts in the Billings area. Anna Tetschner is the other.
“It’s been really easy. I just set out some dog toys and we’re working on some agility spots for the dogs to get out the zoomies that they have if they don’t have a big enough yard,” said Tetschner.
Here’s how it works: you go to the app, search for Sniffspots near you, book a time, and voila. The yard is all yours for you and your dog, in this case, for anywhere from seven to ten bucks an hour, with no distractions from other dogs or people.
“And it’s all fenced and so we don’t have to worry about anyone getting out or them seeing each other, so it’s really safe,” Tetschner said.
She’s only had three customers in the month she’s been doing it and has enjoyed giving pet owners without a yard a place to play with their pups.
“I just want to have a safe place for animals to be able to go and get out their energy, and be able to be safe,” said Tetschner.
Both Tetschner and Dehart are hopeful that the idea will catch on.
“It’s more of just awareness that we’re an available resource for people,” Dehart said.
You can download Sniffspot on Google Play or from the Apple store.
