WALKER, Mich. — Lily is used to having a yard to herself, but not a yard like this one.
Lily wasn't in her yard; she was playing in behind the Walker home of Nick and Brittani Zbojniewicz, who rent their backyard to dog owners by the hour.
We found them on an app called "Sniffspot." Users might think that AirBnB has gone to the dogs.
Nick and Brittani charge $10 an hour, but they are not dog sitters. They actually make themselves scarce, leaving dog and owner to have some private fun.
This was unique for Lily, because she is never off-leash unless she is at a dog park. But not all dogs at such play places are playful. And because this yard sees less wear and tear than a dog park, it's very pleasant for everyone.
And Nick works to keep it that way. "What Sniffspot actually has done has gotten me to work very hard on keeping our backyard as near perfect as possible," he jokes.
What's more, the West Michigan yards being rented out through the app may be the best playtime for dogs who don't play well with others. When I explored the app, I found a great many folks willing to rent out their yards to dogs of all kinds.
"We’ve had a lot of reactive dogs here," Brittani said. "For the reactive dogs, they get this whole space to themselves to just kind of be themselves."
Sniffspot "was perfect because we have a fenced-in backyard... plus we're both dog lovers,” she added.
Note that Sniffspot requires a kind of deposit through which users pay to rent yards.
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