How is my information used and shared and with who?

All the ‘dog’ information and photos that you upload onto the website is available to other dogshare members within a set radius. To begin with, that radius is quite broad (reason being that if you are in Tasmania and there are only a few dogs in Tassie – we want you to see them all, not just those in the next postcode) but as we get more dogs in your area we will narrow this down. Ideally this gives you quite a few different dogs to view and choose from.

Your dogs profile picture, energy levels and breed are available on the website for anyone to see. We also use your dog profile picture to help promote and attract others to the website via our social media channels.

Your name is displayed within the website to other Dogshare users only via the chat feature, ‘your name’ is the exact text that you enter in the ‘Your Name’ field when registering. So if you would prefer to use an alias, like ‘crazy-dog-lady’ then you are welcome to however keep in mind that people would like to know your real name before you meet them otherwise it feels a little bit like the worst part of online dating.

What if I don’t want to share my dog?

If you are looking for someone to walk your dog with or just meet to socialise your pups at the park, tick the park playdate and walking options and just make it clear when you meet your dog-match that you are really after dog hook-ups that don’t involve you leaving your dog alone with someone else.

I feel uncomfortable about the idea of a stranger looking after my dog.

So do we. Dogshare is absolutely not about leaving your beloved dog with a total stranger. What we are suggesting, is that some people need a mechanism in which to meet other dog owners local to them as the catalyst to the beginning of a new relationship with that person. The suggested process is this;

1. Talk with your potential dog-match online using the chat feature. Talk about your dogs personality a bit and see if your match is keen for a park playdate. At this point, you may need to give a bit more location info away…for example saying I live in Freshwater, about a 10 minute walk inland from the beach. Once you have some vague location details about each other you can work out a park that will be easy for you both to get to and arrange a time to meet up. 

2. At your first meet up you are checking out both dog and owner. This is important. You have to make sure the dogs get along and this is best done over a number of playdates. You are also seeing if you are compatible with the owner…. Not everyone has the same idea of how to look after his or her dog. By talking ‘dogs’ with your match you will soon start to see if there are similarities in the way you look after your dogs. 

Here are some great things to talk about: 

a. Inside / outside dog? 

b. What does your dog do when you aren’t home? 

c. How does your dog socialise with other dogs? 

d. How much exercise does your dog need / get? 

e. Funny destructive experiences (c’mon – we all have a few!) 

f. Any bad (or amusing) habits your dog has? Digging, barking, jumping fences, chewing, etc 

g. Dog aggression – does your dog eat/chase cats or birds, can’t be around children, has been known to play rough or show teeth with other dogs, has ever shown any aggression towards a person. 

h. What is your dogs recall like? Can he be trusted off lead and is this something that either of you feel comfortable with the other person doing? 

i. What does your dog eat? Any allergies, medical issues, etc to be aware of?

Most importantly, you want to take this new dog-match relationship slowly. The more time you spend with your dog match the better you will feel about if this is right or not. If your not feeling it, or the dogs aren’t a great match then there is no obligation to proceed.

I don’t have a dog – can I still participate?

Unfortunately not. Dogshare was created as a reciprocal environment where dog owners can share some of the tasks associated with dog-care. Some great options for dog lovers who aren’t able to commit to their very own dog are;

• Become a foster carer for dogs in need. There are literally thousands of rescue organisations who work tirelessly to re-home beautiful dogs without them ending up in shelters. These organisations rely on a network of foster carers to provide temporary accommodation for dogs in need whilst they can look for a perfect forever home. It’s such an incredibly important function in our society and in these dogs lives – giving them the second chance they desrve to find happiness! How could you NOT want to be a part of that? • If you aren’t in the position to foster, you can always contact your local rescue organisation or shelter and offer to walk, cuddle, bath dogs. They are ALWAYS on the look-out for assistance in this way and would welcome you with open arms.

What are the costs involved?

Zero. Zip. Zilch.

I would hate for a dog-napper to know the locations of all these dogs

Yes, so would we. Which is why we don’t collect, record or giveaway your address. We can’t give it away because we don’t have it in the first place. We have a postcode, that’s it! There is no GPS tracking your every move, no street names – nothing that could give away your exact location. The only person who can decide when, how and to who this information is given, is you. You are in control of your own destiny!

What if something happens to my dog whilst in someone else’s care?

You should discuss emergency vetinary care with your dog-match before you leave your dog with anyone. This includes your local vet details, emergency contact numbers and any other preferences to vet care you may have (i.e. call me first then vet, etc). As a general rule of thumb, emergency vetinary treatment is just that – an emergency. Get the dog to the vet, ask questions later. Responsible dog owners would never question that logic.

You must keep in mind that the relationship you strike up with your new dog-match is no different to meeting someone at the local dog park. As a matching platform, Dogshare cannot be liable for any incidents that occur with your dog as a result of meeting someone through the Dogshare website.

Think of this like online dating sites. We can’t possibly vet and guarantee the trust-worthy-ness of every user… even if we had all the money in the world, which we don’t! Even if we met and interviewed every single dog and person… we STILL couldn’t guarantee that there aren’t bad dogs and bad people out in the world. The success of the Dogshare concept relies on users to do their research, use best judgment and realise that like the real-world every interaction we make carries a small element of risk. It’s unavoidable.

If you suspect that someone is downright dodgy, we do have a complaint handling service and can investigate, review and block users. Contact us direct at hello@dogshare.com.au

If you aren’t happy with that, remember that no one is making you participate! Dogshare is not for everyone…. In the same way that some people don’t like online dating, Air BnB, Uber and having fun. Oops that last one was cheeky. We take it back.

What if there are no dogs in my area?

Because there are no costs involved with Dogshare then you certainly haven’t lost anything by signing up and being the first in your area. You will need to check back every so often to see if new dogs have registered in your area. We have some really cool posters to put up at your local dog park and this is a great way to target dog owners in your location and encourage them to sign up. If you would like to pop some banners up for us we have little thankyou packs for your time and effort so get in touch at hello@dogshare.com.au and we will sort you out.

Do you have anything you would like to ask? Email us and we will do our best to answer any curly questions and add them to this list.