It’s time for some puppy love

An exclusive dating site for single dogs could well be the latest statement in love. The web portal, Dog Spot, a brainchild of dog lovers Rana Athreya, Gautam Malik and Shailesh Visen, hopes to help pooches find their soulmates, online. 

If you are a concerned pet lover, who worries about the single status of your dog, then it’s time to heave a sigh of relief,  as the website gives you an opportunity to upload your beloved dog’s profile and search for their ideal partner.  “Earlier, people looked for matches on matrimony websites. But that has been taken over by social-networking sites, where people peep into the profiles of their future partners. We have started the site on the same thought,” says Rana Athreya, founder of the site.

Giving up a nine to five job to pursue  his passion, Rana recollects how he started out on Dog Spot. “My father is a veterinarian and since my childhood, I was very fond of dogs. Though I’m an engineer and have worked with several corporate firms before, I’ve always had the dream to work for animals, especially dogs. In order to pursue this, I started the website in  2007 along with my wife, Vizal,” he says.

After the site gained popularity, dog lovers Gautam Malik and Shailesh Visen also joined the bandwagon. “I met Gautam at a dog show. He showed a keen interest in joining the team.  Shailesh, a technical pro also wanted to join us and so, the three of us formed the core team,” he offers.

The site, which initially started as a pet site, soon included the matrimonial segment, after suggestions  from pet owners, who found it difficult to find a mate for their pets, says Rana. The formality to begin hunting for a suitable mate is simple, he offers.

“You need to register on the site to get privilege to browse through our features. For finding a mate, you need to create a profile and start hunting,” he adds.

From the site, recent findings  have also indicated that there are more male than female dogs, looking for a match. “We are persuading more people to join the website, especially families who own a male dog,” adds Gautam, one of the core members of the website. The site also has other interesting features like dog and puppy gallery,  pet-related health issues, tips on maintaining dogs, food queries and discussion forums. With hurdles like funding and entries, now put to rest, the site, which has various partners, is reaching out to pet lovers in different cities, offers Rana. With features like adoption centres, best places to buy dogs and more coming up, the site sure seems to be going places.