As dog ownership continues to rise across the U.S., a company called Sniffspot is offering a private alternative to public dog parks.
The company lets users rent out their backyards and private spaces so other peoples' dogs can frolic uninhibited. It was founded by CEO David Adams, whose dog, Soba, struggled to get along with other dogs at public parks.
"Either there were dogs there that were bullying Soba, or it was dirty, or there was some kind of issue with crowding, or something else that made it an unpleasant experience," said Adams.
The founder said some hosts make up to $4,000 a month in passive income on the app, and that includes larger organizations such as Muddy Paws Rescue in New York City, which rents out space for some extra cash.
"We had this room and were trying to figure out what to use it for," said Rachael Ziering, executive director of Muddy Paws Rescue. "It ended up being a really great thing for dogs who need the quiet space in the city, might not be great with other dogs, can’t go to the dog park."
Lil is one of those dogs. Her foster dad, Wayne Barbin, said it helps her because of her shy disposition.
According to a recent Sniffspot survey, one in seven dogs across the country have been attacked at a dog park, but public dog park regulars we spoke to think pups should be part of a pack.
Dog owner Karine Legizm said "dogs are dogs, sometimes fights happen, sometimes misunderstandings happen with dog owners, but it’s a great way for them to socialize."
Adams, meanwhile, said safety concerns surpass the need for socialization.
"It’s a pretty uncertain environment to be at a city dog park, while i think that they’re important for cities to offer free dog parks to people, I do think it’s good to have an alternative like Sniffspot where the emphasis is on safety."
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
