Would You Park Your Dog In This Temperature-Controlled Sidewalk Dog Kennel?
A local startup, Dog Parker, has hit the streets of Fort Greene with a beta test of their pay-by-the-minute dog kennels and in their past few weeks on-site at in front of Baguetteaboudit (270 Vanderbilt Avenue) and Fort Greene General Store (218 DeKalb Avenue), they seem to be getting positive feedback.
Keith Goldberg, 50, owner of Baguetteaboudit, told the New York Post that responses have ranged from “‘Wow, great,’ to, ‘Seriously?’ to, ‘Do they have one for kids?’ ”
The business is the brainchild of neighbor Chelsea Brownridge, who said the idea came to her naturally since as a dog owner, she often found herself leaving her furry friend Winston at home during outdoor walks in Prospect Park — typically a dog-friendly activity — because she’d stop for sit-down breakfast with her human friends along the way.
“I ran into this problem dozens of times,” said the 31-year-old former nonprofit worker, who doesn’t feel safe tying Winston up outdoors. “It was a bummer because it was a nice day and he wasn’t going to be able to go outside.”
But with the white-and-teal-green, Lego-like, radio-locked, temperature-controlled, web-cam-monitored dog kennels, pet owners can now keep their pooches safe and comfortable during errands and meals out.
The cost? 20 cents per minute, $12 per hour, and $25 for a year-long membership.
Beta testers are currently all accounted for, though, so it’ll be a few months before Dog Parker — and its app, which will allow you to reserve a kennel 15 minutes in advance — opens to the public.
The two locations will expand to eight this month, and then 100 by spring 2016.
Dog Parker is also getting positive feedback from fellow merchants, like Fort Greene General Store’s Adrianna Spence, who told us that when one of the company’s owners came and talked about the business and their beta test, she jumped in to help because “as a small business owner myself, i just like to support local businesses and try to connect with one another’s efforts.”
Goldberg agreed, telling the Post that he’s “just happy to have another service I can offer my customers.”
