Jason Meltzer—co-founder and Chief Dog Officer of Wag, the on-demand dog walking app—describes being a dog guy since childhood, growing with dogs around and, foreshadowing his later adult careers, making a few bucks walking the neighbor dogs during junior high. 
Meltzer recounts how, after first holding some post-college corporate positions, he launched a dog-walking business, Surfdog LA, which became a thriving enterprise, with multiple walkers working for him, and earning various kudos. He explains how the Surfdog LA success story 
segued into the first part of the Wag narrative: He was contacted by Joshua Viner, a super-swamped tech entrepreneur, who’d taken notice of Surfdog LA’s achievements and popularity, while having pangs about his childhood dog, yet his family felt his punishing work schedule precluded him from owning a dog. Viner proposed an-demand, Uber-like app that would help provide dog walking and sitting services for folks like him that would otherwise be too busy for a canine companion. A few months later, Meltzer and Viner launched Wag in the L.A., expanded slowly into San Francisco, then New York, and earlier this summer, rolling out to 25 additional markets. Meltzer also provides a step-by-step description of how it works booking a dog walk through the Wag app, and the prices. He also notes that the client can access a GPS feature enabling her to track exactly where the walker took the dog, plus there’s a report that includes whether the dog peed or pooped and other important information. While Wag began as a dog walking business, and that remains the focus, Meltzer noted they also offer sitting services. (https://wagwalking.com)
ALSO: I spoke briefly with Jamie Katz, a Fort Lauderdale-based private investigator specializing in finding missing pets—yes, she’s a pet detective—who’s become increasingly concerned about the way county code enforcement throughout Florida tends to remove Lost Pet signs not long after they’re posted. This greatly reduces the prospects of all pets being returned, so Katz has started an online petition, hoping a bill can be introduced in the next legislative session to remedy this problem. (www.jamiekatzpetdetective.com)
COMEDY CORNER: Matt Braunger’s “Owls/Dalmatians” (portion) (www.mattbraunger.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Kid Creole & The Coconuts’ “Stool Pigeon”
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