This assignment is to continue exploring our entrepreneurship opportunity.
People in the Gainesville area have to leave their dogs home alone while they are away at work or school.
Testing the Who: Are there others who have this need? Does everyone have this need?
Testing the What: What are the boundaries of the need? Do only certain breeds of dogs need care during the day?
Testing the Why: Does everyone work a full day and need dog care during the day? What about part time workers? Do you only sometimes need dog care during the day?
Interview 1:
Has a 1 year old terrier dog that likes to chew on things when left home alone. They have to make sure important things are put away so that they're not destroyed while they're not home. Chris believes he could benefit from a dog daycare/sitter, but is hesitant because of the costly commitment.
https://soundcloud.com/user-681102951/chris
Interview 2:
Has a 3.5 year old German Shepard dog, who destroys the house while home alone for extended periods of time. She wishes there was an alternative to leaving him home alone, but isn't aware of any way to care for him during the day. She wishes she could hire a pet-sitter.
https://soundcloud.com/user-681102951/kate-1
Interview 3:
Has a 12 year old mix dog, has a cat at home with her during the day so she is not alone. She does not tear things up. Owner doesn't believe she can really take her dog to daycare because the dog is not sociable with other dogs. Is content with leaving her dog home alone.
https://soundcloud.com/user-681102951/delores-1
Interview 4:
Has a 7 year old Lab mix that stays at home alone during the day. Owner says he is lucky to have a good dog that can be home for extended periods of time without destroying anything. Would consider a pet-sitter or daycare type business if it was convenient and didn't cost too much.
https://soundcloud.com/user-681102951/craig-1
Interview 5:
Has a 6 year old poodle dog that she leaves crated for 8-hours a day. Wishes there was an alternative but is very price conscious. The dog seems to be fine but may be bored. Used to leave a mess in the crate when he was a puppy, but does not cause any problems now. She has friends who utilize dog-sitters and day-cares. She doesn't want to drive dog to daycare because she has he hands full with all of her children.
https://soundcloud.com/user-681102951/julie
I learned that not everyone believes they have an unmet need for something to do with their dogs during the day. Some dogs, especially the older ones, are able to care for themselves for the period of time that the owners are away. Dog owners are wary of using day-cares or sitters because of the price. Most would be open to the idea of caring for their dog during the day at the right price point.
Maybe one way you can address the main objection of cost is to create a system where the dogs are visited for an hour, rather than the whole day. This would likely work better for pets who are kept in crates. As for the ones who tear up the house while their owner is away, perhaps some type of training can be part of the dog care, so they only need to be with a “sitter” for a short period, and when they are left alone the rest of the day, they will not mess up the house.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is an interesting idea to do more digging on, as it is a situation that many people find themselves in. I, personally, own one dog that is old enough to take care of themselves, for the most part, but when my family goes away on vacation, we still need a sitter to watch the dog. It seems that for younger pets, the need for care from an external source is higher when left unattended, but lower when the pets are older and more mature, evidenced by the interviews you conducted as well as from my own experiences with pet-sitting and the experiences of others that I've seen.
ReplyDeleteI think an opportunity definitely exists here. Many owners love their "fur" children, and feel bad leaving them home alone all day. Many people are concerned about the price of having a pet sitter all day. For the dogs that are crate trained, I wonder if an alternative could be to have someone to come over for an hour during the middle of the day for walks and play. Would probably be less expensive than having someone watch continuously.
ReplyDelete