Britt Smith, 28, Kensington, Vic
After putting on some lip gloss, I smoothed down my hair. Giving myself a quick once over in the mirror, I noticed Bear, my two-year-old Tibetan terrier, staring at me.
Looking into his big, brown eyes, I could tell he was upset. 'What's the matter boy?' I asked, dropping down next to him.
Running my fingers through his white shaggy coat, I tickled his belly. But Bear wasn't his usual happy self and just sulked out of my bedroom.
We both knew what the problem was. I'd be leaving for work in a few minutes and Bear would spend the day alone. At age 27, I was Bear's only companion. He had to amuse himself until I got home from work and was clearly lonely.
'Goodbye my baby,' I called out guiltily as I left Bear to roam around the backyard.
I felt really mean when I came home that night - eight hours later. 'Hello, Bear Bear,' I cooed, picking up his red squeaky ball. 'Come on boy, let's play!' I enthused, squeaking the ball above his head.
But Bear wasn't in the mood for forgiveness. He turned on his paws and wandered back into the house. Overwhelmed with guilt, I vowed to find him some new playmates. Being at home all the time was like solitary confinement for a pack animal, and I understood that he needed interaction to stay happy and healthy.
Armed with a map of Kensington, over the next three weeks I took Bear for a walk after work every day.
I was determined to give him the chance to meet other canines so we visited every doggy beach, park and playground we could find. But Bear never managed to bump into the same fluffy acquaintance twice.
Disappointed with my efforts, I brainstormed other ways Bear could meet some friends. Maybe I could put him into doggy day care while I'm at work? I thought. But at $60 a day, I couldn't afford it.
Browsing the newspapers that weekend, I realised I could place an ad asking for a canine companion. It was unconventional, but I was willing to give it a go.
Excited with my idea, I drafted a light-hearted advertisement. Loving, outgoing Tibetan terrier is in need of an affectionate playmate for days filled with slobbering, sniffing and digging, I wrote.
Along with my contact details, the ad was published in the classifieds section of my local newspaper the next day.
Crossing my fingers and Bear's paws, I hoped genuine dog owners would respond. I needn't have worried. From 9am the next morning I was swamped with phone calls.
'I have a schnauzer named Harry who would love a friend,' one dog owner said.
Lisa, the owner of a Maltese-cross named Sophie, was also keen. 'She's a real madam, but I know she'd be really happy with a playmate,' Lisa said.
I'd found heaps of new friends for Bear!
First off, I set up a doggy rendezvous with Sophie and Lisa in our local dog park.
We turned up at Kensington Park later that week and quickly spotted Lisa and Sophie.
'Hi my name is Britt and this is Bear,' I smiled.
'It's great to meet you both. This is Sophie,' Lisa said, pointing to the Maltese-cross at her feet.
Keen to get our dogs acquainted, we let Bear and Sophie off their leads. Licking and sniffing Bear, Sophie assumed her role as a madam, chasing him around the park.
Bear's once sad eyes were now shining with happiness. Lisa and I organised to meet up at least twice a week.
At home, Bear was back to his usual happy self, giving me sloppy kisses before I left for work. But I couldn't help feeling guilty for the other dog owners who'd contacted me wanting playmates for their babies.
'Maybe I could set up a website connecting lonely dogs with playmates in their area,' I mentioned to my mate Daniel, a website designer.
'That's a gem of an idea,' he replied. 'I'll help you set it up.'
Daniel and I got to work creating a website for dog owners to swap photos and personal details so they could find friends for their pooches.
'It's just like Facebook, but for dogs,' I said to Daniel.
Determined to put my plan into action, I bought the domain name 'Dogtree' in May 2007.
While I kept building the website, Bear continued to meet Sophie at the park. Lisa and I became great friends too, meeting up for coffee every week.
On the home page, I added a cute photo of Bear and a message to Dogtree users.
Hi dog lovers, and welcome to Dogtree! The main purpose of Dogtree is to keep our pet pooches happy by connecting them with other dogs in your neighbourhood, I typed.
Owners could add their dog's photo, breed, size, vaccination history, personality and location, so it was an easy way to track down the best playmate in any postcode Australia-wide. Best of all, membership was free.
And if any dog's stats tickled the fancy of another canine, you could send them a fun invitation to meet up. I also added safety guidelines for new members to follow when meeting prospective four-legged and two-legged friends.
'I think we've created a one-of-a-kind website,' I told Daniel.
After two years of working on Dogtree, Daniel and I launched the website in February 2009.
I hoped it was not only a good social outlet for dogs, but a great way for people to make new friends too.
It's now been three months since I launched Dogtree and it's already a huge success.
Dogtree has even given Bear new friends, like Mersha the Samoyed.
There are currently 10,772 doggy friendships online and 1533 members. I'm thrilled with the site's success and even happier that there are hundreds of happier hounds out there because of Dogtree.
Chat to Britt about her website in our Forums. Visit her website Dogtree to connect your furry ones with play pals. |
