Businessman earns up to BRL 110,000 hosting dogs – 07/24/2023 – Mpme

Allan Angelo, 29, takes care of an average of 25 dogs a day. On weekends, the pack has 45 dogs and, on a quieter day, there are “only” 15. The pets bark all the time, scratch doors and jump on top of the furniture in your home – some more daring even jump on top of others.

But furduncio is lucrative. Allan pockets around BRL 30,000 in a month that is not busy and BRL 110,000 in high season. His business is hosting pets of people who go out to work or travel for days, weeks and months. Accommodation includes meals and entertainment in the residence’s playground.

The idea started in 2016, when he signed up for DogHero, a platform that connects those interested in hosting dogs with people who need to leave the house and don’t want to leave their pets alone. Due to the similarity, the site is nicknamed “Airbnb for dogs”.

The platform currently has 33,000 heroes, as the hosts are called. They are in 1,500 cities in all states of the country and add to the approximately 2 million dog owners registered since 2014, when Doghero was created. The success was so great that in 2020 the sector giant Petlove bought the company and inserted it into its ecosystem, joining hosting, retail and health plan in a single site.

Today, Doghero offers lodging, daycare, veterinary care and babysitting for dogs – always in the same scheme, connecting service providers to customers. The platform keeps 25% of the amount charged by the provider, similar to what happens in transport applications. Doghero does not disclose the company’s monthly revenue.

“We want people to be able to invoice together with the company and meet the demand in the region. The average cost of accommodation is R$50, the pet sitter (pet nanny), R$40 and the daycare, R$45”, explains Murillo Trauer, director of DogHero.

As with any service, the price varies by city. Allan, for example, charges R$70 per day to accommodate dogs weighing up to 5 kg in São Paulo. “The important thing is that the value is neither too high nor too low,” explains Trauer.

To keep the clientele, DogHero argues that it has different guarantees and aid “only available to those who host the pet through the platform, as a veterinarian in case of health problems and support if a leak happens”.

Still, there are leaks (from users). According to Allan, half of his customers are no longer intermediated by DogHero. The number grew so much that he created his own company in 2022, Poli’s Heaven (Poli’s paradise) – the name is based on a dog that stayed in his house for a long time. Before dedicating himself only to the business, he earned income by renting boarding houses.

The company has four employees and is located in a 700 square meter house in Perdizes, an upper middle class neighborhood in São Paulo. Allan lives locally. “Despite the structure being similar to that of a hotel, the service is personalized. Each dog has a profile, the dogs even enter my room”, he says.

When it started, the current host took care of up to ten dogs alone. “It was very difficult having to go down to get a dog and leave the others in the apartment. They would destroy the house and make holes in the door if I didn’t arrive soon. So, I had to go down, talk to the client and run back to the apartment”, he recalls.

Until one day city hall inspectors knocked on the door of his house. At that time, Allan kept more than ten dogs at his residence, which is prohibited – municipal legislation allows the housing of up to nine dogs or cats in private homes. “Then, I couldn’t hold back any longer and I needed to professionalize the business”, he says.

There are those who don’t care about the dog. One of the female dogs currently hosted by Allan has been at his house for eight months. The owner pays the bill, but shows no signs of when he will see the pet again. “I’m sure she’ll be mine,” he says.

When the abandonment takes place through a service intermediated by DogHero, the pet is sent for adoption. According to the company, the entire process is monitored by the team until it finds a home for the animal.