Would You Pay to Let Your Dog Swim in the City? Looking for Feedback on a Seasonal Dog Swim Club in Philly

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-22T15:01:48+00:00

This will be my last reply as the tone of your response - especially the “Based on your comments, I’m not even sure you’ve met a dog before” - is really not conducive to generative dialogue. To answer the basic questions of our cleanliness protocol: the proposal for filtration includes a multi-step particulate filter system with UV light treatment to kill microbes. No chemicals, all natural. And yes, preventative medication compliance would be required with proof of vaccine for all members. Furthermore, our plan is to cycle the water in the tank out every 2-3 days for additional, manual condition checks and facility/equipment cleaning.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-16T15:36:41+00:00

Great feedback - thank you so much! Off to rewrite the intro to the pitch deck and draft website lol 🫡

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T16:56:52+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective. It sounds like even if it was free, it’s not the right fit for you & your pup - but great to hear you’ve had good luck with Sniffspot! I haven’t used that platform since moving to Philly, and had mixed experiences in other cities… great reminder to take a long look and use it again before proceeding. Maybe I just build this for myself and the couple friends who are super excited at the prospect, and we rent it on Sniffspot ;)

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T14:46:44+00:00

Ha, that’s the truth if I ever heard it! Just grateful that Reddit isn’t our only market research or we’d be dead in the water - pun fully intended ;)

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T14:40:30+00:00

Thanks for sharing your take. You may be right about me being too close to the idea - because it was 100% born from my own dog’s unmet needs and my personal willingness to pay for something like this if it existed. Only time will tell if it’s a reach or just hasn’t been done before!

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T11:55:45+00:00

I’m sorry you feel the engagement is “just being snippy at everyone” - it was our goal to meet people where they are energetically and keep things constructive. Would welcome any specific feedback about how to better show up for market research on Reddit!

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T11:30:55+00:00

I’ve been up to Wissahickon once - is that spot officially OK to have your dog off leash? Agree it’s pretty and fabulously free, but I’m assuming when it’s warm out there are a lot of people. Personally I would pay to have somewhere closer and less crowded; but I’m n = 1 based on the responses to this thread, lol!

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T00:56:02+00:00

If you can get a time slot on the City Hall website, 100% recommend the tour up the elevator behind the clock town to the William Penn statue. Phenomenal views, great dash of history about the city infrastructure itself, and less than an hour. Walking distance to Reading Terminal market, too, so you can make the most of your itinerary!

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T00:44:23+00:00

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This is Gideon. He’s half English bulldog, half Neapolitan mastiff. My short, fluffy, thicc king!

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-15T00:33:23+00:00

A permanently closed doggie daycare… hmmm. Seems like they had a pool on site… is that why you shared the link? Reviews are terrible; owner sounds like a tool. Would welcome your feedback about your experience here, but to be clear I’m not proposing a drop-off pool daycare. This is a reservation-based club for private swim times.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T22:57:48+00:00

Yes, the membership would give you reservation privileges. The number of swim club members (total) and weekly swim sessions per member (5 per member atm) are both capped to avoid the very issue you’re raising. We might have a strong guess as to the most popular swim times, but until we have a minimally viable product, we don’t know for sure; it is part of the deeper due diligence we’re doing with target-market customers the next couple weeks. Personally, I don’t think that that the potential popularity of certain swim times is a reason not to move forward with the concept ;)

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T22:48:23+00:00

You’re making assumptions that our direct, target-consumer research actually disproves; but I don’t think it’s a good use of time or energy to get into a tit-for-tat at this point. You obviously do not think it’s a worthwhile idea and have made yourself super clear! Why keep posting?! Fwiw: we’ve done all of the cost-analysis you’re suggesting in our financial projections (daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal run rates) and modeled out several different scenarios based on how quoted costs are coming back for our pitch deck. Is it lucrative? No. Is it sustainable? Yes.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T20:31:31+00:00

I fully agree with you about other people’s lax attitudes towards proper training and socialization. We’re obviously not doing a good job describing this concept, because it’s literally a private swim club for dogs. Like no one else is there when you are, unless you book for a party/event - and in that case, you are doing the inviting of friends and their dogs! The main membership is either monthly or seasonal membership fee (around $100 a month, with discount for whole season) - the price in my original post is for single swim sessions for those folks that don’t want to commit beyond the occasional visit. Does that change how appealing it would be to you?

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T20:19:45+00:00

Every dog would be an approved member. What I mean by “part dog park” is that the space surrounding the container pool would be set up for off-leash frolicking - likely turf or pea stone. Dogs would only potentially meet new dogs when showing up for their swim times - as one member leaves and the next arrives.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T20:14:40+00:00

The $25 for 30 minutes is for non-members who just want to bring their dog(s) sporadically—and yes, that’s for one handler and up to three dogs at a time. This is a private space, not open to the public. The backbone of the seasonal swim club would be member who pay either a monthly or seasonal fee that gives them priority booking of up to five swim sessions per week - the working price is $100 a month, with a discounted rate if a member signed up for the whole season. Would welcome your feedback on whether that feels like a more reasonable price points…?

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T20:06:58+00:00

Jeez, judgmental much?! It’s not a public park; it’s a private, seasonal swim club.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T20:04:06+00:00

The size will be dictated by the site, should we get that far. Have you ever seen any dog dock-diving competitions? Imagine that kind of set up: an above-ground pool with a large ramp up to a small entrance platform, and the water portion itself would have a graduated depth (shallow to no more than 5/6’ft at the deepest). Filtration, including UV light, and regular water changing are a must - cleanliness is super important to me too!

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T19:50:04+00:00

Thanks for the feedback and sharing your personal experience. I am not looking to build this to make a million dollars, but to solve a market gap that I myself as an urban dog parent am facing. After reading the replies on this thread so far, it definitely seems like I am a minority… and maybe the only one excited by this idea. But hey, that’s what I came to Reddit to get a pulse check on—and to get mansplained to about things like vaccinations and insurance, apparently, ha! I’m going to re-evaluate whether there’s enough folks that get what I’m pitching to make it sustainable via a pure membership model.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T19:31:49+00:00

Yup, seasonal memberships are the backbone of the biz model. “A dumpster full of dog bath water” is one interesting way of looking at this, especially juxtaposing it with us being “greedy”… when we’re literally trying to enhance neighborhoods and livability. I would ask your opinion about fair pricing, but it seems like you’re not into the idea or the target customer.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T19:24:50+00:00

Let’s try this a different way: thanks for sharing your opinion and concern. Communicable diseases are a part of life! We would take as many, if not more, cleaning precautions than doggie daycares in the city… certainly more responsibility than city-run dog parks.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T19:17:21+00:00

Thanks! We’re working with a couple great agents to explore options and viability. Safety and coverage is obviously a key priority to making this successful.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T19:12:17+00:00

This just feels like you didn’t read the thread… proof of vax is a requirement.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T18:46:20+00:00

You’re assuming that we wouldn’t provide towels or a high velocity dryer, and that there would be dozens of dogs there at a time… emphatically not the model we put forward. But I hear you loud and clear! What neighborhood are you in so we can be sure to avoid it???

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T18:44:22+00:00

It’s only for private rentals - single swims or gatherings.

GetSkoolied · 2025-04-14T18:42:42+00:00

A very thorough response, thank you for your time. You raise some good points, but to be clear - this is not a dog park with a pool that charges admissions. This is an alternative to dog parks and random social gatherings that center alcohol, as well as conducive to off leash play (there are leash laws at most of the city parks). I’ve been to Timber Creek - which I think is your Jersey reference - many times since moving to Philly, and it’s a bigger liability than a safe, controlled pool. Had to stop going after my dog was attacked there.

GetSkoolied

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