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Minnesotans are renting out their backyards to dogs

Sniffspot is like an Airbnb for dogs to let off some steam. Basically, people are renting out their yards to dog owners so they can let their pooches run free.

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — Dog parents out there, have you heard of "Sniffspot"? 

It's like an Airbnb for dogs to let off some steam. 

Basically, people are renting out their yards to dog owners, and they are making some good side-hustle money too! 

Kris Kuhn is just one of more than 200 Sniffspot hosts in the Twin Cities metro. 

"Sniffspot is essentially renting out our backyard for people who want to come and have a private space to play with their dogs a safe space where they don't have to worry about their dog escaping or meeting up with other dogs," said Kuhn.

"There's an app, you can do a search for around your area for a Sniffspot around your area. There are larger unfenced areas but a lot of them tend to be fenced areas where you can see how much they charge per hour for the dog and then you sign up for an open time and it's yours for the hour."

Kris charges $9 an hour with discounts for members and the number of dogs you have. If you are wondering why people would be willing to pay when dog parks are free...

"A lot of people let us know right up front that they live in a townhouse or they are in an apartment or they may be close to a dog park, but their dog is really reactive. So they get nervous when they are around other dogs and they would prefer to have a quiet space where they can just let their dog run and not have to worry about other dogs coming in and causing issues," said Kuhn. 

This quiet oasis comes with toys, water, and even treats... but the pièce de résistance for any pooch is the fire hydrant which is fair game. Kris just has one request:

"Please clean up after your dog. We provide the bags and scooper for you so just put the toys away, clean up after your dog and that's it," said Kuhn. 

Sniffspot has over 8,000 hosts across the country in 2,000 cities.

Kris says she made $1,300 bucks last year during her first year as a host. 

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