Petworking Lets Your Dog Break The Ice

New to town, or just looking for a way to meet new people? Do you have a dog?

CharlestonDoggyTown.com's new "Petworking" events may be just the thing for you.

The roving networking sessions for dog owners, and businesses interested in catering to them, are the latest idea from Doggy Town Publisher Donna Powell, who launched the website focused on Lowcountry dog lovers in July. With a small volunteer staff, Powell is looking for ways to expand her audience and build her brand, and decided to enlist the help of Charleston's furry friends to get the job done.

"Petworking is a way for us to generate some income," Powell said noting that the publication offers a handful of vendor spots at the events for $25 each.

"But it's more a way for dog owners to meet," she added. "Especially with all the newcomers that are always moving to Charleston."

Powell notes people join business groups and churches to meet new people in new places, but she said showing up somewhere with your dog is the most fun way to do it.

"If you take your dog some place everyone loves you," she said. "'Your dog is so cute' is an entree to a conversation."

Powell said she's seen it first hand at dog parks and other dog friendly businesses around Charleston.

CharlestonDoggyTown.com is holding it's second "Petworking" event 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday at Local Market and Coffee Bar at 1331 Ashley River Road.

"We want to do these regularly, and we've been approached by a lot of pet freindly businesses in the area that want us to hold an event there," Powell said. "Local has a lovely outdoor facility for dogs."

"Saturday brunch on a lovely day with nice people and great dogs, what can be better?" Powell said.

Powell said while launching CharlestonDoggyTown.com she found statistics indicating that there are more than 86,000 dog owners in the Charleston area with access to the internet, and her goal is to reach all of them. Just five months after launching she said the site is already seeing about 10 percent of that number in monthly traffic.

The "Petworking" events are a way to extend the site's reach, because a lot of people who happen across one of the events will ask someone at the business, or someone with a dog attending the event why there are so many people with dogs there that day, and get an introduction to the Doggy Town website.

She also notes that a lot of small business owners that are hoping to meet new customers also own dogs and that connecting with other dog owners at a "Petworking" event can open the door to a converstaion that naturally moves around to what each party does for a living.

There are still a few vendor spots left for Saturday's event. Anyone interested in reserving a vendor slot for Saturday or future events should call Marylyn Haspel at 703-927-8665