In this episode, I’m talking to Beth Miller to learn about the research she does at Wagtown about dog friendliness, how to define what that even means and how we can make our towns more dog friendly. Beth shares her insight into the complications of working with local government and regulations. We discussed how a lot of laws surrounding pets are related to public health and safety and don’t address the benefits of having dogs in the community. Now that dogs are considered a part of the family in our society some of those regulations could use an update!

Of course, dog-friendly communities are great for local pet industry businesses! It turns out that pet-friendliness and innovation go hand in hand! So what can you do to make your own local community more vibrantly dog-friendly? Well, Beth has a lot of advice! Let’s get into it!

After you listen, please come over to the Wear Wag Repeat Labs Facebook group and comment on the post about this episode. Let’s brainstorm ways to positively impact dog-friendliness in our towns!

Making Friendly Dog Communities

Do you live in a “dog-friendliness desert”? There is now a resource to help you change the world, one wag at a time. Beth Miller, the founder of the nonprofit Wagtown, took a giant and scary leap from a lucrative c-suite in the advertising agency business to chase a vision. She created her nonprofit to find and spread the “secret sauce” for dog-friendly regions.

Since her jump, her organization has amassed the largest research base on dog-friendly communities. Beth uses her subject matter expertise to develop Wagtown programs, projects, change culture initiatives, and products that inspire and support animal advocates.

From consulting and K-1 curriculum to Wagtown Dog Trails and legislative initiatives, Beth is the bridge between “we want to be dog-friendly” to “we are authentically and responsibly dog friendly.”

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• What is a dog friendly desert?
• Do the dogs or innovation come first in dog-friendly communities?
• How responsible dog ownership can open more opportunities
• The complications of working with local government

Where to Find Sonia:

• Website: https://www.wagtown.org/
• Instagram: @wagtown
• Facebook: facebook.com/wagtown.org
• Youtube: Wagtown
• Twitter: @wagtown

 

SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW

You can listen to the Wear Wag Repeat Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play and many other podcast players. Subscribe so you don’t miss a single dog-inspired episode!

If you love what you hear and want to support my efforts to shine a light on more women making it work in the pet industry, please leave a review for my show on iTunes. More reviews help more people discover the show and hear our stories! Reviewing Tip: If you’re on a computer, open the link then click “Listen on Apple Podcasts” and scroll to the bottom to write a review.

You can also see all the episodes on the Podcast page of my site.

CHECK OUT THE WEAR WAG REPEAT SHOP!

The Wear Wag Repeat Shop is stocked with stylish goods created by independent artists and dog mom makers. Express your love for your dog with playful clothes, accessories and gifts (like our best selling Puppy Breath Candle!). I have a special discount code for my loyal podcast listeners. Use code: PODCAST to get 15% off your first order.