If your dog is an integral part of the family and you’re constantly worried about him when you travel, the Bangalore based start-up Waggle has the solution for you. FWD meets the team behind Waggle.

If you ask dog owners they will tell you that having a dog is a one of the best experiences ever. Their loyalty, intelligence, devotion
and affection are incredibly rewarding. There’s nothing better than coming back home and being greeted by a happily wagging tail and wet sloppy licks. But a concern for most people when deciding to get a dog is what they will do when they travel. The existing option of kennels may not be the best solution for this problem. Meet Sameera Abraham, Arjun Mathai and their pet Zoe who are behind this exciting venture called Waggle.

Tell us about Waggle…
For those of us who treat dogs as our own children, it is a harrowing experience to leave them and travel. Their safety and well-being is our primary concern! After all, we wouldn’t leave our kids in a place where we are not absolutely comfortable. Waggle ( www.waggle.in) is an online community of dog lovers, where pet parents can find dog lovers to leave their dogs with when they travel, rather than in boarding kennels. The dogs get to be with a family where they get individual attention, love and care and are in an environment similar to their home. Waggle also sends regular updates about dogs via texts and images and the dogs get a barking holiday as well!

How does Waggle work?
Waggle provides a platform for dog lovers to sign up as hosts and enjoy the company of ‘Man’s Best Friend’ while their family travels. Hosts are verified by Waggle to ensure that they are genuine dog lovers, competent to take care of dogs and have had prior  experience in taking care of dogs.

What was the reason behind the venture?
When we had to travel in October 2012, we had no option, but to leave our Golden Retriever Zoe, with one of the boarding facilities in Bangalore. Zoe is a part of our family and she is never caged or treated like a ‘pet’. Although we never liked the idea of a boarding kennel, we had no other choice but to leave her in one. When we came back, we were extremely unhappy with the service as she was not looked after well.
The idea for Waggle came about as we wanted to find a better home for Zoe when we travelled. We wanted her to be in an environment where she was loved and taken care of just like we do for her. And if there are dogs for her to play with, even better!

Tell us about team Waggle…
Waggle was started by Arjun and me. We have a Technical team managed by Arjun and an Operations and a Marketing team managed by me. We’re based in Bangalore. We have dogs visiting us in office very often. We ensure that our team is passionate
about our work. Our team is small so each of us work beyond our designated roles.

What were your concerns at the start of the project?
Our biggest hurdle has been to familiarize people with the concept of ‘home dog boarding’. Since the concept is new in India, quite a few our customers were initially sceptical of leaving their dog with someone else. As more pet parents started using the service, we were able to overcome this. Also, we have a review system on the site which helps new customers view the feedback of other  customers witheach host.

What is your market potential?
With an increase in pet ownership across the country, the pet industry in India is witnessing a tremendous growth phase. By 2016, the expected spends on pets in India alone is pegged at $400 million. Our current customer base are the urban dog owners who considers their dog to be an integral part of their family and have a high level of awareness in pet care. We are currently present in the metros in India, and we hope to extend our services to Tier I and Tier II cities by the end of the year.

What are the requirements to be a good host?
To name a few, we’re looking for passionate, genuine dog lovers who are experienced in taking care of dogs they should understand and treat them like family understand them and truly enjoy their company! One can only be a host after they clear our verification interview which allows us to determine whether the signed up person is a genuine dog lover and has the experience and competence to be a Waggle host.

Can people who don’t have pets be a host?
Yes, they can, as long as they have had dogs before and have had hands on experience in taking care of their dogs. We have a blog, http://blog.waggle.in/ which has useful posts on tips for hosts such as how to take care of the guest dog, how to decide if the guest dog is right for you etc.

How has the response been?
We’ve had amazing reviews and feedback from both customers and hosts!  A large part of our customers come to us through word of mouth. We also get a lot of repeat customers. We even had a dog driven down to Bangalore from Hyderabad twice because his family was thrilled with the services and could not find a similar service there.

How do you think we should deal with the stray dog crisis in cities?
Stray dogs are a vital part of our community and they should be treated well. Through citizen awareness, sterilization and vaccination we can manage the situation. In Bangalore, many people feed street dogs. A well fed, sterilized and vaccinated dog will not harm anyone. If you can be respectful towards other beings, it says a lot about you.

What does the future look like for Waggle?
We are working on providing this service all through India at the earliest. We have had enquiries coming in from various cities.
We are in the process of recruiting and verifying hosts in other cities. Our primary concern is to ensure that in every city we
are present in, we have hosts who are passionate about dogs and well experienced in taking care of them.

Contact:
Customer Service Centre: +91.80.41701599
(Mon – Fri: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm)
24×7 Waggle Assistance Executive:
+91.968.6677.DO G(364)
Email: [email protected]