Off-Leash Safety with Sniffspot

Soba; pet parent David Adams, founder of Sniffspot

One of my favorite apps for pup play is Sniffspot, a way to connect with people who will “rent” out their yard for your dog to have some off-leash play. If you’re like me, you worry about dog parks, dog aggression, attacks, car accidents, every possible danger you can think of about having a dog off her leash in a public space. My experience with dog parks was pretty negative, and furthermore, as an apartment dweller, I don’t have the luxury of a backyard. Sniffspot solves all of that -- and while it may sound like a cliche, the peace of mind is what truly sells me on this service. It’s also not that expensive -- I’ve spent anywhere from $4 for an hour to $12 for two. It all depends on the host.

The site has a fantastic blog (that’s reviewed by certified trainers) that I consult frequently, and you can trust the service because it goes through all the hoops for you - vaccines, vet the hosts, vet the guests, and even insurance for hosts and guests. 

Because I love what they’ve done, I reached out to the founder, David Adams, to find out what’s in store for Sniffspot and get to know him a little better. He and his wife are dog parents, and they’re very passionate about helping dogs get some exercise off leash, for both the physical and mental health of the pup. He came up with the app after walking 45 minutes daily to the closest dog park (and his dog was bitten there, so it wasn’t a great option). Meanwhile, his wife traveled with her dog, and discovered she couldn’t find any dog parks at her destination. So Sniffspot was born.

MPCC: What's your favorite thing about working with and for dogs?

SS: Hands down my favorite thing is the stories. Dogs are part of people’s families but it’s still really hard to be a dog in today’s world. Hearing the stories from our customers about how sniffspot has changed their life makes my day.

David’s other puppers, Toshii.

MPCC: Tell us a little bit about your dogs.

SS: We have two dogs in our family, Toshii and Soba. Toshii is a Husky-Pomeranian-Basenji mix. He’s generally the most gentle boy who loves sleeping on the bed but he has a super strong prey drive. Soba is our ball of energy Lab Pit mix. She loves everyone and is super outgoing. Despite having different personalities, they are great siblings. Even more so by the fact that they are step siblings - my wife Rebecca adopted Toshii before I ever met her and I adopted Soba before I met her. 

For me being a pet parent is about creating great memories for me and my dogs, I want us all to look back on our lives and love our time spent together.

MPCC: What's planned for the future of Sniffspot?

SS: Our main thing right now is adding more spots because that’s the main thing people are asking for. There’s a lot of room to add more spots, not just in Washington where we are based but all over the country and the world. I am also thinking about releasing more community features after coronavirus is over.

The app is free to download (iPhone and Android), and like David said, it’s got hosts everywhere! The most exciting thing has been watching the service grow. More and more dog-friendly people are opening up their backyards to pup parents. I give it two paws up, especially if your dog is reactive or shy, and still needs to get those zoomies out. MPCC approved!