In this episode I’m talking to Zoe Lee, the creator of an Instagram account just for the dog moms of Tampa Bay, Florida. She started the account as a place to share local dog friendly places she was visiting with her dog Kali. When she inquired with local businesses to ask if they allowed dogs, a few started to offer her prizes to give away to her audience and some asked about hosting a meet up. That sparked the idea for monthly dog mom meetups at local businesses, dog parks and beaches.

Now the account is run by 6 dog moms spread out around the Tampa Bay area. And this past holiday season they took on their biggest project yet, a calendar of the Dogs of Tampa Bay featuring over 150 local dogs. At the time of our conversation, this calendar was expected to raise about $4,000 for local animal rescues.

The biggest takeaway for me from this interview is the power of connecting with other pet-obsessed people! If you want to connect with more like minded women, join me in the Wear Wag Repeat Labs Facebook group. It’s the best place to learn, connect and experiment with ideas to grow your own pet industry business.

How to Create a Local Dog Mom Meetup Group

Zoe Lee created the Dog Moms of Tampa Bay meetup group. She and her 2.5 year old boxer hound mix, Kali, live in the most dog friendly city in the US… Tampa Bay, Florida! She created the Instagram account to share dog-friendly information in the area after she spent countless hours in October 2019 trying to find a local dog-friendly pumpkin patch for Kali.

Zoe quickly realized there was no way to research this besides calling and messaging every individual venue. She wanted to change that and make it easier for Tampa Bay area dog lovers to find things to do with their pups. And that’s how @thedogmomsoftampabay was created! The page started with just Zoe in January 2021 and now they have 5 admins and a wonderful growing community of over 3k followers.

Overview of this Episode:

• How solving a problem inspired Zoe to start The Dog Moms of Tampa Bay
• How the group plans their dog mom meetups
• Ways to encourage shopping local at dog friendly businesses
• Zoe’s proudest moment since starting the group
• Why dogs make the best ice breakers for meeting new people
• How Zoe and the group are supporting local rescues with a calendar
• Finding help and volunteers to organize a dog mom meetup group

Resources:

• Blog Post // Dog Friendly Pumpkin Patches near Pittsburgh

Where to find Zoe:

• Instagram: @Thedogmomsoftampabay

 

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