70% of Dog Owners Say Pets Impact Their Travel Plans

Almost 70 percent of dog owners say that their pets put a damper on spontaneous travel plans, according to a new study by DogVacay, an Airbnb-type site for dog sitting.

The startup released a report today that tries to highlight what a pain having a dog can be when it comes to planning out-of-town trips.

In a Harris Poll survey of 986 dog owners, more than half had missed family events or hanging out with friends because of pet responsibilities. Fewer people, around 14 percent, said they had missed a wedding or other important life event.

The problem comes down to dog care, which can either be hard to find (50 percent) or cost intensive (27 percent) and thus impact travelers’ vacation plans.

DogVacay has raised a total $22-million in funding to disrupt what it determines to be a $11-billion pet services market, but it’s not alone in its startup ambitions. A similar site Rover has raised a total of almost $25 million to go after the same market.

Users can either sign up as sitters or search for someone to take care of their pup on the site.