As dog ownership continues to rise across the U.S., a company called Sniffspot is offering a private alternative to public dog parks.
The company lets users rent out their backyards and private spaces so other peoples' dogs can frolic uninhibited. It was founded by CEO David Adams, whose dog, Soba, struggled to get along with other dogs at public parks.
"Either there were dogs there that were bullying Soba, or it was dirty, or there was some kind of issue with crowding, or something else that made it an unpleasant experience," said Adams.
The founder said some hosts make up to $4,000 a month in passive income on the app, and that includes larger organizations such as Muddy Paws Rescue in New York City, which rents out space for some extra cash.
"We had this room and were trying to figure out what to use it for," said Rachael Ziering, executive director of Muddy Paws Rescue. "It ended up being a really great thing for dogs who need the quiet space in the city, might not be great with other dogs, can’t go to the dog park."
Lil is one of those dogs. Her foster dad, Wayne Barbin, said it helps her because of her shy disposition.
According to a recent Sniffspot survey, one in seven dogs across the country have been attacked at a dog park, but public dog park regulars we spoke to think pups should be part of a pack.
Dog owner Karine Legizm said "dogs are dogs, sometimes fights happen, sometimes misunderstandings happen with dog owners, but it’s a great way for them to socialize."
Adams, meanwhile, said safety concerns surpass the need for socialization.
"It’s a pretty uncertain environment to be at a city dog park, while i think that they’re important for cities to offer free dog parks to people, I do think it’s good to have an alternative like Sniffspot where the emphasis is on safety."
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A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
