
Wag, the ‘Uber for Dog-Walking,’ Is Drawing Uber-Like Scrutiny - coloneltcb
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-16/wag-the-uber-for-dog-walking-is-drawing-uber-like-scrutiny
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jedberg
Here's why I'd never invest in the Uber for dog walkers: Once someone finds a
walker they like, they'll just do a deal with them. Dog walking isn't like
needing a ride. Usually when you need a ride, you need it now, and you don't
care who provides it.

With dog walking, it's usually at a scheduled time each day, and you care a
lot about who is providing the service.

Dog walking is not a good candidate for the Uber model.

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iskander
Dog boarding, on the other hand, is pretty irregular. So rather than Uber I
think the correct analogy should be AirBnB.

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Bartweiss
Yep; it's a way better case for a coordination website. That site is Rover,
which to my knowledge is doing just fine. (Wikipedia suggests they cleared $30
million in revenue last year.) They offer dog-walking too, but are probably a
bit safer because the boarding offer is a good incentive to just stick around
and use one site for everything.

(Rover also provides insurance on each deal, a very un-Uber approach that's
actually more protective than most low-tech arrangements.)

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sbilstein
It's been a mixed bag with Wag. The app quality is not great, buggy and major
usability issues...but also the walk report card warms my heart.

I was worried about trusting my dog to strangers but it wasn't too bad with
Wag. Overall most of the people were decent but I'd occasionally get some
really bad walkers who wouldn't fill out the report card, or walk the dog for
90 minutes instead of 30. My partner and I decided doggie daycare was the
better bet. About $35 a day to have our dog just hanging out with other pups
is worth it...especially when the quality of walker is so variable with
services like Wag.

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brianwawok
My dog got abused at doggy daycare. Paid to play, but instead locked in a cage
all day, and multiple shock collars put on his neck to try and get his barking
to stop (not approved by me).

So not sure this really applies to wag vs not.. but double and triple check
the references of your doggy daycare..

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Bartweiss
Jesus. I've always been a bit paranoid about this; at the moment I'm sticking
to my vet's dogcare program, which seems more reliable.

This would be a nontrivial concern for me with Wag. Uber rides have plenty at
risk also, but at least I'm present for those. (And in one case, I have in
fact gotten out early for safety's sake.) Coordination services are that much
less convincing when the buyer and seller aren't both present.

~~~
brianwawok
Ya exactly.. with Uber it's just yourself for risk.

Wag is one stop closer to "I trust you with something import to me, don't
break it". I guess the ultimate test would be "uber for babysitting".. some
stranger stops by and picks up your kid and takes them to the park.

Where you value your pets varies a lot by culture. But I value them much
closer to my children than myself.. which would make Wag a nogo for me.

Edit - Not to make you paranoid, but my event happened at my vet. Turns out my
vet abused 100s of dogs. No criminal charges. She is under review to MAYBE
have something happen to her license. Or maybe have some additional oversight.
After abusing and killing many animals.

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jaclaz
Random idea, but here (Italy) it is common enough for hunters to have dogs
fitted with a GPS locator when they go in the woods hunting, those are often
costly, but there are simpler/cheaper versions intended for use where there is
good coverage of cellular networks.

I wonder why - since this service is so innovating/high tech - they don't
simply provide their pet walkers with a number of such devices, I believe they
cost (at end-user level) in the 50-80 Euro range, maybe 100 for more
professional versions.

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cpwright
We tried the Whistle 3 for our do. It only wants to update every 10 minutes
unless you're in "track mode" at which point is every 60 seconds. A dog can
cover a lot of ground in that time; so it's OK if the dog just wandered out of
your yard; but not useful if he's taken off after a deer (particularly because
our local park has marginal cell service).

The ones hunters use are only about a 2.5 second delay.

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ryanwhitney
I've used Rover a couple times. Don't ever use Rover. But if you do, be sure
to vet the person as you would a random craigslist ad offering to walk your
dog. They do no screening, and any qualifications that appear cannot be
trusted.

My dog survived with a handful of punctures after being attacked by an off-
leash dog at a park. The rover walker neglected to inform me, even when asked
if anything happened.

You want your dog walker watching your dog, not their phone to tap a button
every time your dog pees. Hire a professional.

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ProAm
I wouldn't trust most Lyft/Uber drivers with my dog. That is a entirely
different level of trust.

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minimaxir
In fairness, becoming a Wag Walker has more vetting (pun present on original
page and likely intended) and requires taking exams.

[https://wagwalking.com/dog-walker](https://wagwalking.com/dog-walker)

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toomuchtodo
I'm unsure if I should laugh or cry that more vetting goes into a dog walker
than an Uber driver.

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CamperBob2
Well... I can demand that the driver pull over and let me out if they turn out
to be some kind of reckless bozo. Or worst comes to worst, call the police. A
dog has no such option.

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PatientTrader
This business model will fail horribly. Unlike Uber where you provide rides
from random people at random locations each time. Dog sitting/walking is a
pretty consistent endeavor. Walkers/Sitters will just build up a clientele of
about 5-10 consistent dog owners and go to them directly. They bypass the app,
removing the fees that they otherwise would have to pay to the company.

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iskander
I use Rover quite a bit. I have some "usual suspects" for dog walking / dog
sitting but they're not always available.

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DonHopkins
Richard Nixon trusted Checkers with the wrong dog walkers, and look where it
got him.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_(film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_\(film\))

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SurrealSoul
Any 'X but for Y' company deserves scrutiny

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amelius
Can't we just build a "X for Y"-framework that allows Y-people to do their
work more efficiently while profits are distributed fairly?

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a2tech
Weirdly, I'd be a lot more careful when selecting a dog walker than a person
that has me in a (potentially) locked car.

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DonHopkins
Uber for Dog-Walking??! Good lord, what a horrible image. I sure hope they're
not sexually harassing dogs!

