Slobbr
Discover dog-friendly places
Company Information
Slobbr addresses the long time challenge facing dog parents; the need to access and engage with accurate, up-to-date information on all places Dog Friendly.
For Slobbr CEO and co-founder, Michelle Fournier, this need presented itself daily when customers of her two Boston area, award winning dog boutiques, Durty Harry’s, would regularly ask for pointers on where to find dog friendly parks, beaches, restaurants, hotels, retail and more.
For Jonathan Lagasse, Slobbr’s CTO and co-founder, the need for Slobbr presented itself after adopting his first dog. Like most NYC dog people, Lagasse spent time at his local dog park, but found the experience inconsistent, never knowing which dogs, big, small, friendly or not would be at the park. To address this issue Lagasse created the NYC park focused App, PawParks.nyc, which aimed to exchange park check-ins for a kibble donation to a local shelter.
Today’s Slobbr is the combined vision of Fournier and Lagasse; melding Fournier’s extensive dog industry and client expertise with Lagasse’s technical savvy, experience, and contacts. The result is an app that aims to truly let you Live Life With Your Dog.
Over the past decade, the pet industry has not only shown to be recession proof, but has experienced significant year over year growth. From 2006 - 2016, the total industry spend nearly doubled growing from $35 billion to $63 billion, with forecasts showing another growth surge over the next 10 years with Baby Boomers and Millennials leading the charge in dog spend categories.
At the center of this industry is dog ownership with nearly 77 million dogs in over 54% of homes nationwide. Recognized as not only a companion, but family member by nearly 98% of dog parents, there is no arguing that for the US, sharing your life with a dog has become the new norm.
The massive growth in direct dog service industries such as grooming, walking services, and daycares coupled with the growing acceptance, inclusion, and legislation for dogs at restaurants, hotels, pubs, beaches, parks and more speaks to a new dog friendly expectation. In fact, The Animal Planet staple, The Puppy Bowl, drew more than 10 million viewers and accounts for the largest portion of the Networks total Advertising revenue for the year.
Slobbr is out in front of this movement, and set to become the premier source of information and conduit of all things dog friendly for the dog parenting community. Slobbr is the only company in this emerging space proactively responding to an identified void in the marketplace, creating a new category and poised to satisfy millions of dog parents nationwide.