Dogs now have an app that lets them rent places to run, fetch, chase, and do the outdoor things they love so much.
But until our canine friends develop opposable thumbs and learn to use smartphones, their human companions will have to make the arrangements for them.
That’s the general idea behind Sniffspot, a platform that’s been described as Airbnb for dogs. People who have yards, fields, or other spaces for dogs to run and play list their properties on the app. Dog owners search the app for nearby places to take their best friends and then reserve and pay for the use of a space for a set period of time.
As with properties for rent on Airbnb, the spots listed on the app come in many varieties and offer different amenities. Spots range from small and simple fenced-in backyards to spots with water features and swimming pools, agility courses, private canine hiking trails, and indoor dog parks. There are even spots that specialize in small dogs.
Spots are rented at prices that typically range from $5 to $15 per dog per hour — though some definitely exceed that range.
The app lists more than 25 spots in the Toledo area.
A haven for reactive dogs
Though Sniffspot is available to all dogs, its website prominently announces “Reactive dogs welcome. Many of the spots we list are designed with sensitive dogs in mind.”
The company blog also features numerous articles about reactive, anxious, and fearful dogs.
A spot located in Milan, Mich., exemplifies the company’s commitment to and understanding of anxious canines.
“We offer our 18-acre fenced-in area,” the description reads. “We specialize in reactive and fearful dogs. We understand the challenges of having a dog that is scared and how important [it] is to have a place in which you can relax and enjoy him/her/them instead of being hypervigilant and looking for triggers 24/7. ... Here you will see no triggers (but a chicken or turkey here and there, which would probably add to the enrichment experience).”
An awareness of the particular needs of sensitive dogs is baked into the company’s origin.
Sniffspot was founded by David Adams and his wife, Rebecca Sheppard. Ms. Sheppard’s dog, Toshii, is “dog selective,” meaning that he gets along well with some canines, but not with others. He could not be safely let off leash if other dogs were present.
Frustrated with the situation, Ms. Sheppard texted Mr. Adams.
“There has to be a better way,” she texted. “I wish there was an app where I could find places to let Toshii off leash.”
That remark resonated with Mr. Adams, who has a background in peer-to-peer businesses. He had previously launched Homesuite, which he describes as being “like Airbnb for monthly furnished housing.” He put up a website and started crowdsourcing yards for Toshii to play in. Sniffspot has grown from there.
Karen Johnson, who recently moved from Florida to Perrysburg, was delighted to have found a Sniffspot spot just two miles from her house. She describes her dog Sophie as a rescue mix with a terrier disposition.
“We named her after Sophia Renoso, who plays shortstop for the Florida Gators,” she said. “Nothing gets by her — and nothing gets by our Sophie.”
Sophie, however, is afraid of other dogs, which makes it difficult for her to use public dog parks.
“We live in a subdivision where we’re not allowed to fence off big portions of our yard,” she said. “When we found Sniffspot, it was just wonderful.”
Sophie has come to be a regular at a spot owned by Brittany Hurst, who lives on Reitz Road in Perrysburg. Her backyard is fenced in and has a large pond in its center. Ms. Hurst has planted prairie grasses around the perimeter. There are also lawn chairs and tables for the use by human companions.
Sophie just loves it.
“When we drive down Reitz Road, she get so excited that she can’t stand it,” Ms. Johnson said. “It’s such a gift to us. We take Sophie on leash to the Metroparks, but for her to be able to run loose takes it to another level.”
Another one of Ms. Hurst’s customers, Heather Dinklage, has a 4-year-old German shepherd/poodle mix named Franklin.
“Franklin has a lot of extra energy — and he is a very smart dog,” Ms. Dinklage said. “He needs a lot of mental stimulation or he gets in trouble around the house. He has webbed feet like a poodle, so I was especially interested in Brittany’s place because it has a pond. I do take him to Glass City Metropark sometimes, but Sniffspot allows him to be in a place where he can enjoy the water.”
She is also glad that Franklin gets the extra stimulation of smelling other dogs, experiencing other locations, and playing with toys he doesn’t have at home.
This is exactly what Mr. Adams had in mind when he started the company.
“People ask why it has such broad appeal,” he said. “Dogs really need off-leash exercise, but the way the world has evolved, you can’t do that anymore. Leash laws, cars, and high population density leave few options for dogs to be dogs.”
An idea grows in dog-land
Mr. Adams grew up in Columbus and attended the University of Michigan, where he graduated in 2009 with a degree in business administration. From there, he moved to India to take a job running and improving financial systems in the Kolkata-area office of a United States-based nongovernmental organization that combats human trafficking. After that, he relocated to Seattle, where he took a job with Microsoft.
After several years with the company, he worked with various Seattle-area start-ups before co-founding Sniffspot in 2018. He currently lives in Salem, Mass., but notes that his company operates remotely and asynchronously.
Mr. Adams knew he wanted a memorable and descriptive name for his new venture.
“Back when I started the company, I was really just experimenting — this was going to be just for fun,” he said.
He made lists of dog-related words and combined them in every way he could think of. One of the factors that led him to naming the company Sniffspot was the availability of the internet domain name.
“I snatched it up for $11.99,” he chuckled.
As with many startups, Sniffspot did not take off at first — but when it caught fire, it burned hot. At one point, the customer base was growing by a factor of 10 every year. It has slowed since then.
“Over the last few years, we’ve had positive cash flow,” Mr. Adams said.
The company currently has 27,000 active hosts listed on its site.
“We estimate that there are 6,000 public dog parks in the U.S.,” Mr. Adams said. “There are 50 million dogs in the U.S., and most of them don’t have access to the kind of exercise they need. We have a long way to go in terms of adding more hosts.”
Becoming a Sniffspot host can be surprisingly lucrative. Mr. Adams said that many people don’t realize how much they can earn.
“We have hosts earning over $3,000 a month,” he remarked. “We’ve had people earning over $10,000 a month — and this is passive income.”
Ms. Hurst said that in July and August, she made about $1,300 per month from renting out her backyard through Sniffspot, though business has been slow in the winter. When her yard and pond aren’t being used by Sniffspot customers, they are thoroughly enjoyed by her own three dogs, Max, Nikko, and Zoey. She’s considering fencing in her front yard so she could offer two spots to rent out.
Mr. Adams admits that he’s dreamed of taking his company public someday and fantasized about ringing the bell on Wall Street.
“But we’re still very early as a company in terms of that kind of growth,” he said. “We’re still concentrating on expanding our user base. We don’t have any significant competitors. The main thing we compete against is doing nothing. A lot of people don’t even walk their dogs. That’s our main competition.”
First Published February 21, 2025, 12:34 p.m.
