Dog dads and moms all over Denver can breathe easy today. The on-demand dog walking app, Wag, has arrived in Denver.
Wag allows users to book insured, bonded and certified dog walkers for their furry friend in as little as 30 minutes. Each walk comes complete with a pet picture or video, a pee and poop report and a walk map that can be tracked in real-time.
The going rate for walks is $20 per half hour, but calm down, future Wag! walkers, the Los Angeles Times reported that the company keeps up to 25 percent.
Co-founders Jason Meltzer and Joshua Viner are California-based entrepreneurs with a pretty darn good track records in starting up successfully. Seltzer founded Surfdog LA, a well-known Southern California dog walking business. And Wag! CEO Viner was fresh from selling his dating service, ChirpMe, when he founded Wag Labs Inc.
Shortly after the January 2015 launch, Wag raised $2.45 million in initial funding from Greylock Partners, RRE Ventures and Structure Capital, among others.
Viner drew inspiration for the app from personal experience. Working as a tech entrepreneur, he felt too busy to own a dog. Now, in part thanks to Wag, he owns two and considers people like him — busy pet owners — to be his primary user base.
Aside from helping pet parents, Wag has philanthropic aspirations, as well. The company plans to partner with Denver animal shelters to find homes for lost and abandoned pets by offering free walks to new pet owners.
Denver will be the tenth market for Wag, following the likes of Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. For now, Denver users will only have access to Wag! walking, but spokesperson Channing Barring said the team hopes to roll out the grooming and sitting services offered in other markets, soon.
Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
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