Mycity.dog is coming to yourcity.now. The site that started life two years ago as Omaha.dog, an online list of local dog-friendly businesses, places and events, has been upgraded for national use.
“The new site has advanced filtering,” says co-founder and web developer Jeannie North. “You can search by categories and geolocation on your mobile device and it will show you the dog-friendly businesses around you.”
The site was born out of Jeannie’s frustration with trying to find a restaurant with a patio where her doodle (a poodle mix), Rue, would be welcome during a trip to Boulder, CO.
“We had heard Boulder was really dog-friendly and we thought we could take her pretty much anywhere,” Jeannie said. The reality: At the Pearl Street shopping and restaurant area after a day of hiking with friends, a security guard warned them that they could be fined $250 for having a dog on the premises.
Jeannie, who describes herself as a “start before you are ready” person, started designing the original website that night in the hotel room. She and co-founder/best friend Leah Thrasher launched the site two weeks later. Social media responses in the vein of, “When are you going to bring this to my city?” told them they were on to something. Event appearances, from basic dog meetups to Omaha FURshion Week, the first-ever dog fashion week, have helped to fuel the growth.
“We would like to be in at least 10 major cities, with users in the thousands,” Jeannie says. “Right now we have around 100 users who have an account, and 2,000 visitors to the site per month. I would like to see 10,000 visits a month. I think I would consider that success as a start.”
If Jeannie and Leah have their way, soon everybody and their dog will know where the fun is.
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Kindra Foster
Kindra Foster is a professional freelance writer and editor. Her services include marcom substitute writing and travel writing. For more about Kindra, visit her professional writing website and her travel chronicle, Roadworkwriter.