Finding Dog Friendly Places: An Interview with Jamie from Dog Spotted

A couple of the most challenging experiences as a pup parent can be finding a good vet and finding dog-friendly places in your area! In this episode, we sat down with Jamie Ruden from Dog Spotted. We discussed ways to make this process easier, and even a new tool she released to help with this issue! QUICK TABLE OF CONTENTS -What makes it so hard to find a good vet? -How can you make finding a good vet easier? -What makes it so hard to find dog-friendly places -How can you find dog-friendly places easier? WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD TO FIND A GOOD VET? When I first moved to New York City, my wife and I collectively spent more than a few hours in the search for our new vet. We scoured Google reviews, Yelp reviews, and even Reddit threads. We finally landed on a vet through a recommendation from a friend.  Turned out, that vet did NOT work out for us and our dogs (even though it does for our friend). And, we were back to square one. More searches, more reviews, more phone calls, etc.  After a couple more rounds of trial and error, we finally landed on a vet we liked… But it was such a process! Finding a good vet can be a serious challenge, no matter where you live! Plus, if you need a very specific type of vet or specialty, that process becomes even more complicated. HOW CAN YOU FIND A GOOD VET? While finding a good vet isn’t always easy, there are some things you can do to make that process a bit simpler. -Asking for recommendations at dog parks, meetups, etc. Local people often are going to have ideas for you and can speak from their own experiences. -Verifying credentials of vets -Scanning their website for the specific types of specialty your pup may need And if you’re in the NYC area, be sure to check out Dog Spotted! You can now search for vets by specialty type, procedures provided, whether they do in-house visits, and so much more! WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD TO FIND DOG-FRIENDLY PLACES? While we all dream of taking our pups with us everywhere we go, that dream can be difficult to make a reality. Trying to find dog-friendly places can be a real challenge. Especially when very few restaurants and stores explicitly say it on their websites or map listings! Plus, even if you find out that a place is dog-friendly, it can still be hard to know if they offer dog treats, areas specifically for dogs, etc. HOW CAN YOU FIND DOG-FRIENDLY PLACES? Finding dog-friendly places isn’t always easy, but there are some tips to help simplify your life! -Check out the restaurant/places photos on Instagram or in map listings to see if there are any dogs -Ask around at local dog meetups, dog parks, etc as to where people in your area have taken their dogs -Call ahead to your destination and ask directly or message them on social media If you’re in the NYC area, be sure to check out Dog Spotted! You can now search for dog-friendly places and filter by activity type, if they provide snacks for dogs, and so much more! PLEASE leave a review on Apple Podcasts and follow on your favorite podcast platform!