Back in 2017, the original vision of Burton and Dogs was all about group walks. The idea was to get multiple dogs in the same neighborhood (or on the same street) to sign up for walks so that we could travel on foot from one house to another—picking up dogs as we went—so that we could walk them around the community.
Today, a similar idea forms the basis for our desire to create a professional group dog walking service, but with a cargo van instead of our own two feet.
The idea is fairly simple, but exciting: imagine a renovated cargo van with a dozen or so seats and tether systems for dogs. We drive the van from house to house, picking up dogs as we go, and transport them safely to a local park where we walk them in groups of 5 to 10 while avoiding the distractions and hazards of neighborhood walking. The walk lasts 45 to 60 minutes, but the dogs are out of the house socializing for as long as 3 hours. The service costs the client as little as $25/session. And the Walker makes a living wage that can meaningfully support his or her family. The van is electric, adding little in the way of emissions, and the AC unit is powered partly by solar panels. The interior is insulated and equipped with a pressurized hydration system for the dogs. The van employs two people—the Lead Dog Walker as well as an assistant, who earns a modest compensation for making sure an extra hand is available to care for the dogs and take excellent photos and videos of the walks. They livestream the session on Instagram and Facebook.
So, that's the idea. But there's a little bit more...
