Relocating and expanding dog business (Franklin, Brentwood: HOA, homes, neighborhoods)

[GrizzlyBear15]

Hey there!

I'm currently living in Boston and moving to Nashville in May with my boyfriend. We're 29 years old, no kids but we have a dog that we consider our furry child Mainly we're moving for a change of scenery as we've been living on the east coast all our lives but we're also moving for opportunity. My boyfriend and I are both musicians however, it's not my full-time gig. Nashville seemed like the perfect place for both of us with our love for music and thriving/upcoming scene.

I have a successful dog walking/training business about 20 minutes from Boston and I'm looking to expand over to Nashville while my business partner holds down the fort in Boston. My boyfriend is relocating for more opportunity within the music scene.

Before I ask some questions, it's important to know a little more about my business:

*We serve a very affluent area outside of Boston
*We specialize in off-leash hikes which include training and pick up/drop off.
Note: If there aren't any parks in Nashville where we can hike with dogs off-leash, they can always be on-leash
*All of our hikes are an hour long and our mission is to provide exercise, socialization and training to all of our pups while in our care
*Our services include an app which tells you when your dog was picked up, dropped off, bathroom log and walker comments. We call ourselves the Mercedes of dog walking This is why it would be imperative to open up in a wealthy neighborhood
*We do in-home pet sitting where we stay at the clients home when they go away
*We also do private dog training in client's homes

My questions for you guys:

1. How pet friendly is Nashville?

2. What neighborhoods do you think would be a good place to start this type of business in Nashville?

3. Can you hike with dogs off-leash? In Massachusetts, we're not "supposed" to do it but everyone does. It's very rare that anyone ever gets caught. Are your laws similar to this?

4. Any ideas on great hiking trails and how far away are they from the city?

5. Are people willing to spend money on a dog walker weekly?

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!

-H

[budgiegirl]

Originally Posted by GrizzlyBear15

Hey there!



My questions for you guys:

1. How pet friendly is Nashville?

2. What neighborhoods do you think would be a good place to start this type of business in Nashville?

3. Can you hike with dogs off-leash? In Massachusetts, we're not "supposed" to do it but everyone does. It's very rare that anyone ever gets caught. Are your laws similar to this?

4. Any ideas on great hiking trails and how far away are they from the city?

5. Are people willing to spend money on a dog walker weekly?


-H

1. I would say Nashville is fairly pet friendly - although it depends what exactly you mean by that.


2. If you are looking for an affluent area, I would go to Belle Meade, for a few reasons. One, it's an affluent area. Two, a lot of Belle Meade families travel quite a bit, so they may be in need of a dog sitter. Also, it's variable, but some homes do not have large lots, so their dogs may need some exercise. Just not sure what percent have stay at home moms, in which case they might not need your business regularly .. but that is still where I would start. (Green Hills would also be a good area).


3. My dog goes almost everywhere with me, and generally, they need to be on leash. People do bend the rules at Edwin Warner Park, but we only let our guy off leash if the park is not busy, and we are high up on the wooded trails, not the paved road. (Actually Edwin Warner lets you have your dog off trails in the early morning). I personally would not trust somebody else's dog off leash at Edwin Warner. First, it may bug other people, and two, I see lost dogs there periodically. Also at Percy Warner (which is in Belle Meade), I would keep them on a leash for sure. Also there are dog parks in the area. There is a dog park at Edwin Warner. I don't really love it there, just because the nature of the dogs (and their owners) can be highly variable, but at least they are off leash.


4. If you don't mind driving west just a little bit, there is Hidden Lake State Park - and there, you can definitely go off leash, because it is so lightly traveled. Nobody would bother you about it there.


5. Again, I think Belle Meade, and possibly Green Hills would be the way to go, because of the affluent clientele, and proximity to hiking trails. There's also the Richland/West Nashville community as option 3. I just don't know enough to comment on other areas in the heart of Nashville. good luck.

[BirdieBelle]

Yeah, the off-leash bit is going to be a problem.

South of Nashville in Brentwood, where people do have discretionary income, there is a leash law and it is enforced. Just like with traffic laws, there are people who violate it. However, I especially would not do it with a customer's pet because you would have no legal standing if something happened to their dog while in your care.

Williamson County (Brentwood/Franklin) is a potential market for dog walking, but Franklin has a leash law also in all parks, as does the county.

Tennessee state parks also do not dogs allow off-leash.

I would research the pet-care market in general, what already exists, and see what your potential competition is. I have a friend who started a local dogsitting business that has been successful, but it took time to build a client base.

[One23]

From what I remember, Davidson county doesn't have a leash law, I think it just says the dog has to be under control. However, there is a leash law in the parks, and for the most part it's enforced. There's always going to be people that don't want to be bothered by an off-leash dog. Actually, I would think that it's somewhat irresponsible to walk someone else's dog off leash.

Also, I'm not too sure that you can just start up an easy entry business like this and just cater to the rich. You will would probably at least have to offer different levels of service to get a wider clientele if you want to build a business.

[septimus]

We have something similar on the Williamson Davidson line (although they do boarding too). It is call the Farm at Natchez Trace. You may want to google it. I do not use it as I think it is too pricey for a dog but I do have friends who love it. I just chose to spend my money on other things. My dog goes to a place call Paw Pals that has open play kennels and she loves it and it is less than 1/2 the cost of the Farm.

I would focus on Brentwood/Franklin/BelleMeade/Green Hills area for your service but also agree that the off leash bit may be hard. People take their dogs off leash on my HOA hiking trails but it technically isn't allowed.