Observations & Interviews

1. Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their dog Dino.

Fred and Wilma adopted a five year old Golden Retriever, Dino, a few months back. Dino is very active and hates staying indoors. Fred and Wilma generally take Dino out for a walk every evening after they get home from work. It's tough to keep Dino on a leash as he keeps running around trying to meet other dogs. Fred says "We meet other dogs and dog-owners when we go to the park but often need to coordinate with them to make sure we meet."  Recently, while on one such walk, Dino was bitten while playing with another dog and had to get stitches and a cone. Ever since this altercation, Fred and Wilma are very apprehensive about letting Dino off the leash and interacting with other dogs.

Fred and Wilma love hiking and other such outdoor activities but ever since they adopted Dino, they haven't really been able to indulge in such activities since most hiking trails don't permit pets. Wilma says "Access to dog relevant information (for e.g. dog friendly places to visit such as hiking trails, outdoor restaurants, etc.) would be very useful. Finding dog-owners in the neighborhood and organizing activities with them would be great too."

Key Observations

• Dog owners are probably willing to have his/her dog socialize
• However, they are concerned about aggressive dogs.
• Dog owners faced problem of coordination with other dog owners
• Dog owners would like to have access to information regarding locations that are pet-friendly.
• Dog owners would like to organize activities for their pets.

2. Betty and her dogs Fido and Dido.

Betty has had 7 year olds, Fido and Dido, for more than 5 years. She makes sure both of them exercise daily. Fido and Dido are generally let out to play in the backyard everyday. Betty enjoys taking them out of the house. She remarks "In the summer there is an underground pool that the dogs enjoy swimming in. Usually 4-5 times a week they are taken down to a meadow down the street where they can run and play. A few times a year the dogs are taken on hunting trips as well.". Betty feels that Fido and Dido are lucky to have each other to play with, since it is not easy to find other dogs. Betty isn't very comfortable letting them play with other dogs, since she is concerned about their cleanliness. 

She says "[Why aren't there any] Doggie play groups? There are kid play groups, so why not? This actually could be a great idea. It could also be a way for people to meet other people who love dogs."

Key Observations

• Dog Owners are not only interested in group activities for their dogs, but also in meeting like minded dog-lovers.
• Cleanliness is another concern owners have wile letting their dogs play with others. 
• Owners with more than one dogs aren't very concerned with a 'lack of  interaction' for their dogs.

3. Pebbles and her pet chihuahua Bambi

Pebbles has had Bambi since 2 years. She is generally very busy to take Bambi out for walks, who generally plays in the garden. Pebbles tries to take Bambi out to a not-so-close park, at least twice a week, but Bambi gets to socialize only occasionally when there are other dogs present in the park. However, even this occasional interaction worries Pebbles since "[the other dogs might be] aggressive, unclean, too big (my dog is relatively small)". She wishes for a better and safer way to get Bambi and herself meet other dogs and participate in outdoor pet activities.

Key Observations

• Size and Nature of the dog is vital to the interactions dog owners permit. People who owns a small dog are less willing to let their dog socialize.
• The only way dogs interact with other dogs is if the the owners know each other.
• Dog owners are concerned about other dogs' friendliness when considering dog activities.

User Classes

Dog Owners

• As what we observed and interviews, dog owners strongly need a platform to communicate with other dog owners
• Dog owners' concerns about other dogs' friendliness and cleanliness sometimes prevents them from having their dogs meet other dogs
• Lack of information about Pet friendly locations / activities prevent Owners from indulging in such activities.

Needs & Goals

• A way to find and meet other local Dog-owners and dogs.
• A way to organize/schedule meetups and outdoor activities.
• A way to find pet friendly locations for different activites.
• A way to learn about characteristics of various breeds of dogs in general and local dogs specifically.