🐶 Pool pawty! Now you can book a pool for your pooch, too
This summer, Fido can have his own time in a rented pool to splash around and beat the summer heat.
Swimply, an online marketplace that launched in 2018 for private pool rentals by the hour, announced on Tuesday that it’s expanding the service to include pets.
Bunim Laskin, CEO of Swimply, said the new offering was in response to growing demand from pet parents using the platform. The company said it had seen a 700% surge in pet-related inquiries in 2024.
“The demand became impossible to ignore,” Laskin told Bagable.com. “Pet owners were constantly asking hosts individually about bringing their dog, especially owners who wanted private space just for their pup if their dog is shy, reactive to other dogs, or prefers calm environments."
The idea is to create a "shared family experience,” he said. “Owners book time to enjoy the pool with their pets. This isn't a pet daycare service. It’s about families including their four-legged members in recreational activities."
Beginning this month, Swimply users can book private pools that are listed as pet-friendly where their four-legged family members can swim, play, and socialize.
"Right now we have 1,500 dog pools. We're also looking to add even more affordable dog yards with at least 0.5 to 1 acre of land for dogs to run around without being nervous about other pets and their surroundings,” Laskin said. “We're always listening to our community about what experiences they want to share with their pets."
The company said it expects to see as many as 50,000 dogs enjoy the pool experience over the summer.
In the US, about 94 million households own a pet, up from 84 million a year ago, according to the American Pet Products Association. This year, consumers are expected to spend about $157 billion on their pets for food, supplies, veterinarian visits and other services such as grooming, pet sitting and walking and boarding, the AAPA said
As pet ownership balloons in the US, especially among younger people — 30% of Millennials and 20% of GenZers have pets — pet parents want to share more aspects of their “human” lives with their fur babies
“For Gen X and Baby Boomers, we’ve got used to, and accepted the fact that we can’t take our pets everywhere. But Millennials and Gen Z are not willing to accept that, and I love that,” said Kristen Levine, a pet parenting educator and publisher of Pet Living website.
“The new generation is coming in and solving problems that previous generations haven’t tackled. Businesses are recognizing that there’s great opportunity in welcoming pets. Swimply is one example of it,” Levine said.