By Lindsay Peyton 

Dog owners on the hunt for a fun place for their pooch to play now have a new option with SniffSpot. 

The company’s founder David Adams, a Frelard resident, explained the premise: it’s like a vacation rental by owner service, but instead of short-term lodging, the site offers up fenced backyards for off-leash fun. 

Hosts offer up their yards for play dates. Most have their own dogs, so visitors may request the space to themselves for training sessions or they can enjoy the space with the owner’s dog who can serve as a convenient partner to practice socializing. 

He explained that hosts have the option to charge for their space or to offer it up for free or a donation. This gives them a way to make a little extra income, while meeting other dog owners. 

“Anyone who has a space can do it,” Adams said. The hosts simply enter a description of their spaces online. 

The guests create a profile and then search the map for nearby yards. Then, they either book a private party or a group session. 

Adams said that the option appeals to a number of dog owners. “Some are training a dog and need space,” he said. “Some have had bad experiences at public dog parks. Some have dogs that are shy.”

For whatever reason, dog-owners are signing up in droves. “It’s really something that’s never existed before,” Adams said. “We have an incredible amount of demand.”

The inspiration from SniffSpot came from a perfect storm of circumstances. 

Adams had recently adopted his dog Soba and was struggling to find enough outlets for his high-energy canine companion. 

The nearest dog park was an hour away. Adams only made the trek a couple of times a month. In the meantime, he walked Soba past a number of fenced yards that seemed like an ideal place to play, if the homeowners would agree to opening their fences. 

Around that time, Adams’ girlfriend Rebecca Sheppard was in Baltimore for work for a month. She brought her pooch along but struggled to find dog parks in the city. 

“My dog comes with me everywhere,” Sheppard said. “I called David and said, ‘I wish there was a yard I could just rent.’”

She wanted a place where her dog could play and where they could work on training exercises together. “Sometimes overcrowded dog parks are too much for me,” she said. 

Sheppard was looking for an alternative, and that was all the incentive needed to get Adams started on a new venture. 

He had already started the company 2nd Address, a marketplace for extended rentals after obtaining his master’s degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also studied business as an undergraduate at University of Michigan. 

His company was a success. He sold it three years ago and still serves on the board. The timing was right to do something new. 

“I like founding companies, but I don’t like running them forever,” Adams said. “I was thinking, ‘What’s next?’”

He launched a website based on his girlfriend’s idea, a simple site asking if anyone would be interested in hosting a play area in their yard or bringing their dog to play at a SniffSpot location. 

“A lot of people signed up,” Adams said. “So I moved forward.”

He said that a number of dog-owners are already using the site, including Sheppard. 

“It’s great,” she said. “You can go to a yard in the city or you can go out to a 10-acre farm on a weekend, bring your friends and your friends’ dogs.”

 It allows you to have a more positive dog park experience.”

Sheppard believes Sniffspot will appeal to dog owners for various reasons. “It allows you to have a more positive dog park experience,” she said. “It’s cleaner. Your dog is less likely to get sick. It cuts down on anxiety, because you know which dogs are going to be there and which ones will not.”

Adams’ current goal is to sign up more hosts. Ideally, he would like to have locations sprinkled across Seattle, so there’s one a mile from any home, making it a convenient option.

Adams is open to the idea of SniffSpot growing into a national company. “You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “I’m just going from the bottom up, one step in front of another.”

To sign up to host or for more information, contact Adams at david@sniffspot.com or 888-369-8447. Visit SniffSpot online at www.sniffspot.com or on social media at www.facebook.com/sniffspots/ or .www.instagram.com/sniffspots/

“I like founding companies, but I don’t like running them forever,” Adams said. “I was thinking, ‘What’s next?’”

He launched a website based on his girlfriend’s idea, a simple site asking if anyone would be interested in hosting a play area in their yard or bringing their dog to play at a SniffSpot location. 

“A lot of people signed up,” Adams said. “So I moved forward.”

He said that a number of dog-owners are already using the site, including Sheppard. 

“It’s great,” she said. “You can go to a yard in the city or you can go out to a 10-acre farm on a weekend, bring your friends and your friends’ dogs.”

 It allows you to have a more positive dog park experience.”

Sheppard believes Sniffspot will appeal to dog owners for various reasons. “It allows you to have a more positive dog park experience,” she said. “It’s cleaner. Your dog is less likely to get sick. It cuts down on anxiety, because you know which dogs are going to be there and which ones will not.”

Adams’ current goal is to sign up more hosts. Ideally, he would like to have locations sprinkled across Seattle, so there’s one a mile from any home, making it a convenient option.

Adams is open to the idea of SniffSpot growing into a national company. “You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “I’m just going from the bottom up, one step in front of another.”

To sign up to host or for more information, contact Adams at david@sniffspot.com or 888-369-8447. Visit SniffSpot online at www.sniffspot.com or on social media at www.facebook.com/sniffspots/ or .www.instagram.com/sniffspots/