‘Slobbr’ App Will Connect Dog Lovers With Information for Their Pet

image via Kickstarter/Slobbr

A group of local dog lovers is trying to raise money to create a space for people with pets that they can call their own—in the form of an app.

Laura Galvin, cofounder of Slobbr and a self-proclaimed “Master of the Mutts,” said dog people typically “get each other,” and having a streamlined database that’s accessible by smartphone, where users can tap into information about locations that are dog friendly and where to buy the best products for a four-legged pet, could bring them together even more.

“Our dogs give us so much, and we want to give them the best lives possible. We want to encourage people to live life with their dogs and give people a platform that centralizes all the ways to do this,” she said.

The app’s creators are looking to raise $65,000 for the concept in the next month, and have already surpassed $3,000 from supporters since first launching a Kickstarter campaign this week. Slobbr has already secured $30,000 from a “non-institutional investor,” but would use the additional money raised to develop the iOS app further, introduce it to market, and plug-in geo-locator and retail aspects of the app.

The aim of Slobbr, once launched, is to provide a place for people to post pictures of their dogs, give product reviews, and share favorite walking spots with other owners. It’s like Facebook, but for people who want to keep the conversations limited to ways to meet Fido’s needs.

“We also dream about it becoming something much bigger; something that supports local businesses, brings the neighborhood together for charitable events, and gives trustworthy information about all things dog,” said Galvin.

Michelle Fournier, owner and operator of Durty Harry’s dog boutiques and cofounder of Slobbr, said the idea for the app came about after she repeatedly heard from customers moving out of state that they were concerned about readjusting to a new area and finding suitable dog groomers, walkers, and pet supply locations they could trust.

“It occurred to me that there was probably an app for that…however, when I started searching, I found a gap in the market. And it dawned on me —we need an app,” said Fournier on Slobbr’s Kickstarter page.

Leaning on the mantra that “everything you need to know about what works in our digital economy” starts with dogs, and using market research about how much dog owners spend on their pets, Slobbr assembled a team of designers and programmers and went to work.

“We believe there is such a need for this, are dying for something like this personally, and think it would totally revolutionize the dog community by bringing them an app where all goods and services for dogs intersect,” said Galvin.