Connecting Dog-owners & Non-owners to Share the Love of Dogs

Social Paws is a social marketplace connecting dog-owners and non-owners to share the love of dogs, making dog-care more affordable for owners and dog-therapy more accessible for non-owners!

This began because I had the incredible experience of sharing my dog, Luna, with two families on the UWS. Eugene & Edward who wanted a dog but couldn't convince their mom to get them one, played w/ Luna daily after school and Emma & Sebastian, who lived in a dog-free apartment, enjoyed long walks with her in Central Park. This arrangement saved me $5,000 in pet-care, gave these families on-demand pet-therapy, and our lucky dog Luna had the best life ever.

What we had created was our own solution to a universal problem: Many people love dogs but can't own one, and many dog-owners struggle with the costs and responsibilities of pet ownership.

By bringing these two parties together, Social Paws makes it possible for neighbors to be each another's solutions with what they already have: dogs and care. More people can enjoy the benefits of spending time with dogs, leading to increased pet adoptions, decreased pet surrenders, and a more connected community of dog lovers.

Social Paws has 600 profiles sharing their reasons why they're here.

Whether their dogs have all passed away like Rodney's or they're "eternally missing their dogs back home," like Akarsh, our non-owners are offering to walk and run with others' dogs for free. And new dog-dad Lucas, overwhelmed with 6-month old puppy, Oreo, might be a perfect fit!

Members of our community move through our dog-sharing relationship process of: Snooping, Sniffing, & Sharing, to build trust over time through our app's user journey. Once they are in the Sharing stage, users continue to exchange kibble [credits included in subscription] for walks, playdates, and sleepovers.

Social Paws occupies a unique space in the pet landscape.

Currently, pet-owners only have the options to pay market-rate for pet-care. And non-owners only have the option to commit to fostering or volunteering to spend quality time with a dog. Social Paws is the only opportunity that is relational pet-care for dog-owners and noncommittal pet-therapy for non-owners.

We're proud to have a supportive community of dog-lovers in NYC rooting for our success and have been recognised amongst startups and pet-startups during some recent competitions.

Jeanette Eng & Ric Soares are both dog-owners living in Manhattan with complementary strengths. Jeanette comes from a background in performance and presentation and Ric has a background in technology and development. They are passionate about making Social Paws a viable pet-care alternative with positive impact in mental health, community, and animal welfare.

We plan to roll out an enhanced and safety backed experience for select neighborhoods this Fall and launch subscriptions in 2025.

I am paying for insurance, identity verifications, and marketing for our beta relaunch, totaling about $3,000. Every dollar that we receive in support helps to defray this cost and make it possible for us to go the distance.

Social Paws and dog-sharing has helped inspire several adoptions and helped save owners hundreds of dollars. We can't wait to create more impact like this, at scale - leveraging technology to activate community, all for the love of dogs!