Wag (company)

Wag Labs, Inc.
Industry Pet care
Founded 2014 (2014)
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Wag Labs (better known as simply Wag!) is a pet care company that offers on-demand dog walking through a mobile application. It is sometimes called an "Uber for Dogs." Independent contractors are hired to walk dogs on demand.[1] The company has raised more than $300 million USD and has raised extensive press coverage. It has been internationally criticized after several instances of lost pets and misconduct by contractors.

History

Wag! was founded in 2014 in Los Angeles, California. It is the largest on-demand dog walking service in the United States.[2]

In early 2018 Wag! raised $300 million USD in venture capital funds from Softbank. The company had previously raised $68 million USD in venture capital.[3][4]

Celebrity users include Mariah Carey's dog Cha Cha, Kendall Jenner's dog Mew and Chloe Grace Moretz‘s dog Pearl.[2]

Hilary Schneider, former CEO of Lifelock, serves as CEO.[5]

Donations

Wag! has donated over five million meals to shelter dogs all across America. They accomplished this in partnership with Greater Good organization that is devoted to improving the health and well-being of people,pets and the food planet.

Thousands of pets are put into shelters every single day and Wag! is extremely committed to helping the most animals that we can. Wag! has worked along many public figures to spread the word out about donations to shelters. Recently Bella Hadid jumped on board and spread awareness through her social media account.

Criticisms and Incidents

In June 2017, a Wag! contractor was videotaped allegedly "making himself at home" in a user's apartment, including resting on a sofa and taking beers.[6] In November 2017, a Wag! contractor was videotaped allegedly stealing packages from a New York, New York apartment building.[7] The New York Daily News reported on a dog lost by Wag! in September 2017.,[8] and the later finding of the pet weeks later.[9] News of lost dogs has been covered in international publications.[10]

In October 2017, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on a pet owner who alleged that Wag! lost her dog and that the company "has tried to bully me repeatedly."[11]

In January 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that Wag! suffered a data breach of home addresses and lockbox codes on unprotected pages of the company's website.[12][13]

In March 2018, the New York City council began an investigation into Wag!'s practices.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Alejandra Reyes-Velarde (2018-02-01). "Softbank invests $300 million in dog-walking start-up Wag". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  2. 1 2 "Celebrity Endorsed Dog Walking App Scores $300 Million Investment". The Blast. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  3. ↑ Zhong, Raymond (2018-01-30). "Wag, the Dog-Walking Service, Lands $300 Million From SoftBank Vision Fund". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Piu, Lara (15 June 2017). "We Tried a New Uber-Style Dog Walking Service. Here's What Happened". Phoenix New Times. 2018-06-15.
  5. ↑ Reyes-Velarde, Alejandra (2018-02-01). "Softbank invests $300 million in dog-walking start-up Wag". The Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ "Man Hired Through Dog-Walking App Gets Comfy In Client's Apartment". CBS New York. 2 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Dog walker steals man's packages from Queens apartment". WPIX 11 New York. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Esha Ray (2017-09-22). "Dog-walking service Wag! in the doghouse after losing another customer's pet". New York Daily News. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Long Island dog Buddy reunites with family after Wag! pet-sitter loses pup".
  10. ↑ Minyvonne Burke. "'Uber for dogs' loses THREE pooches in the last month in New York: Chihuahua goes missing after slipping out of a harness in latest embarrassment for app Wag". Daily Mail (UK). Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  11. ↑ Olivia Zaleski (2017-10-16). "Wag, the 'Uber for dog-walking,' is drawing scrutiny for allegedly losing dogs". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  12. ↑ Rolfe Winkler (2018-01-09). "Dog-Walking App Exposed Home Addresses and Lockbox Codes". Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  13. ↑ Steven Melendez (2018-01-09). "Dog-walking app Wag's users possibly bitten by sensitive data exposure". Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Lawmakers look to muzzle embattled dog-walking app". Retrieved 22 March 2018.
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