Business Matters: Sniffspot Is ‘Airbnb for Dog Parks’
Dogs love Kris and Mark Kuhn’s back yard.
“They do,” said Kris Kuhn of Maple Grove. “They can get up to high speeds and get their ‘zoomies’ out when they need to.”
It’s no wonder why their yard is one of the top-rated locations on the app Sniffspot.
For the uninitiated, Sniffspot can best be described as Airbnb for dog parks.
“It’s been a really great experience for us,” said Mark Kuhn.
Mark and Kris have been Sniffspot hosts since 2021. For $10 an hour, other dog owners can essentially rent their back yard in Maple Grove and use it as their own private dog park.
And yes, their yard has all of the amenities that people would want for their furry friends, treats included.
“Good, safe, fully fenced-in type dog parks are rare,” said Mark. “So this provides a safe environment for anybody who wants to give their dog a chance to have a good time.”
Sniffspot host Kris Kuhn and her dog, Miley.
Launched in 2017
This concept was made possible thanks to David Adams, Sniffspot’s Massachusetts-based CEO who founded the platform in 2017.
“It’s just grown and compounded over time, and now we’ve got about 30,000 active hosts across the U.S. and around the country,” said Adams.
By contrast, Adams says there are about 6,000 public dog parks in the United States, and not all dog owners want to use them.
“They’re not controlled, they’re not managed, you can’t control what dogs are there, they could be crowded,” said Adams.
Sniffspot gives people that control, and allows hosts to make a few extra bucks in the process.
“Hosts can definitely make a surprising amount of money,” said Adams. “We have hosts regularly making over $3,000 a month.”
To be clear, Mark and Kris aren’t making that much.
“We’ve made a few thousand since we started doing it,” said Mark.
Still, it’s a source of extra income that helps people’s pets experience some unbridled fun.
“The opportunity to have a safe play space for the pup is rewarding,” said Mark.
There are currently 300 active Sniffspot locations in the Twin Cities metro area. Sniffspot charges a commission on each booking. So a host charging $10 for an hour-long booking would earn $7.34.
A Sniffspot sign located near the entrance to the Kuhn’s back yard.
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