For many years, Latin American pet owners faced an unattended requirement which, at the very least, signified a struggle to them. Before the appearance of a Brazilian startup called DogHero, there were no reliable lodging services for pets in Latin America.
The only lodging services available at the time were dog hotels and pet care centers. In most cases, these establishments were inadequate as they consisted of small, unappealing cages to lock down pets for days.
Often, pet owners had no other option than leaving their pets at such places while traveling. The best-case scenario for a pet owner was finding a neighbor or a relative to watch their pet for a few days.
Then, the Brazilian startup came out with a solution offering an Airbnb-styled company suited for dogs.
DogHero is an online platform that connects pet owners with pet hosts. The company started five years ago in Brazil, then, kicked off in Argentina two years ago, and has operated in Mexico for a year.
Ricardo Plaschinski, country manager for Mexico at DogHero, shared his thoughts on how the company resolves a long-lasting problem for dog owners. In his view, the platform aims to facilitate the dog owner´s lives; and, on the other hand, it represents an opportunity for hosts to earn some money.
However, he mentioned that one of the primary features of DogHero is trustworthiness. As the company includes several filters to ensure dog hosts are authentic pet lovers, not someone just looking for money.
Furthermore, despite the numerous criteria for eligibility, there are a sizeable number of qualified hosts in the platform who are willing to look after and feed someone else's pets.
Key facts of the DogHero experience
In other information, the average number of nights a dog spends with a DogHero host is around five nights. In terms of feeding, nearly 95% of pet owners bring their preferred dog food brand when leaving their dogs at the host house.
Prices for hosting pets are variable. On the Mexican site, for example, the price per night ranges between US$5-26, depending on the location and the size of the home.
Another feature of the platform is price flexibility. In the event of economic downturns, the site allows hosts to freely move their fees.
Furthermore, some hosts offer complimentary services while hosting. For example, those who are professional dog trainers provide some training.
In sum, DogHero likely continues to further expand in other countries of the region, as the company solves a long-awaited requirement with high value to pet owners.
