Non-profit animal shelters and rescue organizations rely heavily on donations to simply survive.
Finding sources of income can sometimes require significant creativity. But in some cases, it can funnel in from unexpected sources – like a free smartphone application called “Walk for a Dog.”
Basically, the app converts daily dog walks into donations for local animal shelters, including The Animal Shelter of Texas County (TASTC). It’s administered by an organization known as WoofTrax, founded in 2013 by Doug Hexter, who lives in Ithaca, N.Y., with his family and WoofTrax’s “chief walking companion,” Cassie (a foxhound mix who is a rescue dog herself). Before founding WoofTrax, Hexter (who has a master’s degree from Cornell University) held senior management positions in software development and marketing and led the development of enterprise-level software for higher education and the automobile finance industry.
DOUG HEXTER
Walk for a Dog users simply start the app when beginning their walk, and WoofTrax in turn makes a donation to the animal shelter or rescue of their choice.
“The program is a simple, year-round dog-powered fundraising tool that promotes healthy interaction between dogs and their owners, and raises money to support the mission of local animal organizations,” Hexter said. “The idea behind the app is to provide an incentive for dogs and their humans to bond through exercise while simultaneously harnessing that energy for social good.”
Pet owners can also share information about their dog, by uploading its name, breed, age, gender and photo. Users who don’t own a dog can still participate by choosing the “Walk for Cassie” option.
Walk for a Dog is in the top 1-percent of fitness apps in both the Apple and Android app stores. Since its inception, more than 5.5 million walks have been documented and more than 6,000 shelters have benefited (with some in all 50 states).
Walk for a Dog offers a unique way for people to benefit shelters while doing things they would do anyway. Since a dog doesn’t actually have to be involved, users can activate the app any time they’re walking – in the store, house or anywhere else.
“Our shelter is always in need of supplies and operating money to fund the many animals that are brought in,” TASTC founder and board president Rita Romines said. “This Walk for a Dog is a very good idea – people can help the shelter and be doing something like grocery shopping.”
Pomona resident Connie Schachel became acquainted with TASTC and its people through obtaining assistance with animals due to living in what she calls a major “drop-off zone.” A pair of Afghan hounds belonging to Schachel and her husband, Keith, were the first-ever tenants of the facility’s Bark Plaza Pet Hotel in August 2014.
Schachel offers help to TASTC help whenever possible, and has used Walk for a Dog for about two years when she walks her 9-year-old Afghan, Trouble.
“The app gives me an accurate synopsis of how far I walk each day,” she said, “and it helps me maintain my motivation. It’s great knowing it’s not how many miles a day I walk that helps the shelter, it’s how many times a week I’m active.”
The Walk for a Dog app.
Many users say the WoofTrax app promotes a healthier lifestyle.
“Everyone needs to be healthy and walking dogs is a great source of exercise,” Romines said. “The walkers can get healthy and the shelter will obtain funding. That’s hard to beat.”
WoofTrax donations to animal organizations are funded by sponsorship, advertising and investors, and are distributed twice a year. Utilizing GPS, the app can keep track of distance walked (on single outings and cumulatively), but the donation pool is divided up without regard to distance, and is based on the number of people walking for a particular organization and the number of times they walked.
“So how far a participant walks isn’t important to the outcome for the local shelter,” Schachel said. “It’s all about increasing the number of people who participate; that’s how the amount of money going to the shelter will increase.”
The Animal Shelter of Texas County will participate in the spring “Shoes for Shelters” fundraiser sponsored by WoofTrax. Shoes collected through the program will be sent to other countries and distributed to needy people. Detailed information – including drop-off locations – should be available in the March 10 Herald. For more information about Walk for a Dog or Shoes for Shelters, log onto www.wooftrax.com.
“This Walk for a Dog is a very good idea – people can help the shelter and be doing something like grocery shopping.”
– TASTC president Rita Romines