Beth Miller and her partner, Tom Everhart, are dog parents and dog-friendly people. When the couple considered moving from their home in Dayton, Ohio, like most dog lovers, they looked to relocate to a dog-friendly community, considering areas including Greensboro and Asheville, North Carolina.
Investigating the two cities, Miller really opened her eyes. She changed her mind after realizing she didn’t need to move to find a truly dog-friendly community—she could start one in Dayton.
People often talk about a “calling,” and suddenly, Miller found hers. It became crystal clear that if she wanted to live in a dog-friendly place, she needed to reach for it, plan for it, and prioritize it.
In 2016, left behind a lucrative ad agency career to pursue the idea, and spent the next 2½ years of her life conducting over 600 in-person interviews and “loads of secondary research,” she says, into what makes a place truly dog-friendly.
Wagtown was born.
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Beth Miller and a furry friend. Courtesy Beth Miller
What Is Wagtown?
Wagtown is nonprofit that Miller started in 2016 to find the “secret sauce” to dog friendly communities—those communities with dog-friendly workplaces, dog parks, public spaces, and neighborhoods that are safe and welcoming to people and their pets.
“The impact of dogs on our lives is without dispute,” Miller tells The Dog People. “Now, it’s time to engineer our lives to include pets.”
To do this, Miller created a system of resources, standards, and programs that advocate for dog-friendliness, and this includes everything from SMART Dog Park certification and membership (more on this below) to town “assessments, K-1 Curriculum, children’s book and supplemental materials, master classes, consulting, leveraging big data, award-winning marketing, and empowerment from leadership to volunteers,” the Wagtown website states.
Guiding Miller’s work is six basic tenets, rooted in qualities both dog people and those who may not have a dog appreciate: safety, health, economic development, humane behavior, welcoming infrastructure, and responsible dog ownership.
“A Wagtown community is a place where residents and visitors recognize and enjoy the many benefits and opportunities of responsible dog-friendliness,” the website continues.
To support her goals and help communities embrace the Wagtown philosophy, Miller writes books, develops curriculum, creates free resources for animal welfare heroes, and offers webinars to help dog lovers learn the skills to bring more inclusive, dog-friendly spaces to their towns. Dog parks are a particular focus.
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Beth, center, poses with friends of Wagtown by a custom bench. Courtesy photo
Dog Parks Are Central
“One of the more important bellwethers increasing dog-friendliness is the addition or evolution of dog parks,” Miller says. But actually bringing a safe dog park to town can be tricky, she says.
There are no governing bodies, regulations, standards, or inspections to protect dog park users, she says. “There is a huge gap in subject matter expertise and no structured know-how.”
Despite all of the things pet parents purchase and focus on for their pets, a high-quality dog park seems to get overlooked. This is where Miller’s SMART Dog Park certification comes into play. SMART stands for Safety, Manners, Awareness, Responsibility, and Training, which comes together in one master plan to “professionalize dog park development and management,” a press release says.
Miller’s SMART Dog Park certification was born to help interested communities find “unique dog play solutions” to meet their needs. Those looking to bring a dog park to their down can schedule a consultation with Wagtown to explore “options, identify pain points, and find some gain creators like more maintenance efficiency, better safety measures, and easy-to-use tools for community engagement,” the website says.
A pilot SMART Dog Park in Yellow Springs, Ohio, is doing really well. And in Dayton, Wagtown’s first official Dog Trail—a walking path made just for dogs and their people with “easy access to poop bags, resting places, and spaces to chill and connect”—is now a popular recreation area.
She attributes successes like these to “a lot of work, the generosity of strangers, and the magic of dogs.”
Miller (in pink) meeting with Representative Laura Lanese (in blue) and friends of Wagtown to talk about legislation that would permit dogs on restaurant patios. (The legislation passed.) Courtesy photo
One Dog at a Time
Miller says the driving force behind her mission and movements is our relationship with companion animals over the last few generations.
“The increase in discretionary spending on pets is massive, and dog lovers are looking for safe, creative, and social ways to enjoy their community with dogs in tow,” Miller says. “I call this the Dogification of America, and it’s not slowing down any time soon. “
At one time, we “owned” our dogs, but now, she says, pets are now part of the family. She feels the vast majority of dog owners feel this way.
“That begs the question, what is good enough for our precious children?”
Wagtown was inevitable, Miller says.
“We have a population of believers in the human-animal bond with influential spending capacity and a ‘where can I go with my dog’ attitude.”
Tom Everhart and Beth Miller. Courtesy photo
The Dogspiration of Wagtown
Miller and Everhart are dedicated dog parents. After losing their 14-year-old Great Pyrenees dog, Rocky, they felt an emptiness down to their core.
A month later, they fostered a service dog in training. Named Sesto, Miller describes him as a happy, easily trainable, calm dog. Sadly, Sesto didn’t work out as a service dog, so the couple adopted him. He’s slowly acclimating to becoming a family pet.
She loved the experience of watching a service dog being trained. Although he wasn’t the ‘right stuff’ to be a service dog, he’s become a perfect part of the couple’s lives.
How Can Pet Parents Get Involved?
It takes a village to build a dog-friendly community.
Miller says dog parents can be their own examples of inclusivity. She recommends people prepare their pets for a dog-friendly town by training their animals. Acclimate your dog to more freedoms such as new environments, changing expectations, and moments of surprise. She stresses taking things slow and being your dog’s advocate.
Further, by being the person who vocalizes appreciation for dog-friendly experiences, you can also ask for ways to make progress in your community. Come together with like-minded community members, decide what to address, and take considerate and thoughtful actions locally.
Other Wagtowns on the Horizon
The ideal Wagtown is a community where the infrastructure and rules are welcoming, dogs and their families enjoy healthy lifestyles, there is more support for animal welfare heroes, the local economy recognizes the power of ‘dollars follow dogs,’ owners are more responsible, and communities are safer on several levels.
“In my rose-colored world, all communities take steps to reach the ideal,” Miller explains, of more “wagging tails and wet noses” in every town.
If you or someone you know would like to get involved and be an early adopter of the SMART Dog Park movement or learn how to make your commuity more dog-friendly, visit smartdogpark.com and wagtown.org.
