Cuyahoga Falls is the first city in Ohio to offer DogSpot locations. DogSpot is a temperature controlled doghouse. The city will offer two of them downtown. DogSpot typically charges 30 cents per minute to use the unit, but the city of Cuyahoga Falls is sponsoring the houses at $500 per month through the end of the year. That means pet owners can use them for free.
Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters hopes DogSpots will bring more people to the city, and more customers downtown.
“If you bring your dog down, people that would normally be down there now, they can go into a shop for up to 90 minutes. Then people also that maybe don’t come to downtown Cuyahoga Falls, they may be more apt to and bring their pet,” he said.
Walters said a third of Cuyahoga Falls residents own pets.
Each unit has a camera, ventilation and app-controlled locks, as well as a UV-C light to sanitize the house after each use.
The city hopes to find a sponsor to advertise on the units next year, which would allow them to continue to be offered at no charge. If no sponsor emerges, Neighborhood Excellence and Downtown Administrator Carrie Snyder says they will move to the user-pay model.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the DogSpot doghouses will be available for use at no charge through the remainder of this year.
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