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Ron Ragan, co-founder of the Dogalong website with business advisor Tracy Atkin, and Roxy, Chief Dog Officer (south island), Blenheim.
For Picton man Ron Ragan, it’s learning new things, taking on new challenges and seizing new opportunities that makes life worth living.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear he spent his 81st birthday on Sunday toasting the launch of a new website that he co-created last year while attending a Dragon’s Den-style business event in Blenheim – on his 80th birthday.
On the eve of the launch, Ragan spoke of how the idea for the app Dogalong came along; an online database linking holiday-making dog-owners with pet friendly accommodation, restaurants, cafes and beaches across New Zealand.
Ragan said he met the website’s co-founder, Auckland woman Alex Diethelm last June at Techstars Startup Marlborough, an event where people pitch business ideas in a speed-dating like setting, after having his “arm twisted to attend”.
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“My concept was to develop an app to be used by tourists so that wherever they go in New Zealand they could actually just hit a button and say, ‘What can I do here? Where can I stay? Where’s the bank?’ All the basic information.
“But that got thrown out on Saturday morning because it was explained I would have had to spend $50,000 to $100,000 upfront, so that didn’t work,” he said.
Not to be deterred from the idea of a travel-based venture, Ragan said his next step was to get out and about, asking the public what they needed.
“Part of the process also involved pivoting your ideas and getting feedback as to what people really wanted and one of the things we found when talking about travel, we repeatedly got told ‘If I want to travel with my dog, it’s impossible, it’s so difficult to find information and accommodation,’ he said.
Anthony Phelps/STUFF
Ragan said he and Diethelm received great support from business mentors when establishing the website.
Co-founder Diethelm said she had experienced similar problems of her own after adopting a puppy during the Covid lockdowns and then trying to take her dog Bailey travelling once the restrictions were lifted.
“Once we were able to get around the country again, I found it wasn’t that easy to get out on holiday with Bailey.
“Dog owners are great people, and they all run into the same issues when trying to take their dogs on holidays, or even just on a day trip. It reinforces our initial feeling that our service is desperately needed,” she said.
With this in mind, the two joined forces and developed the concept for the Dogalong app for some 500,000 registered dog owners in New Zealand.
Warwick Smith/Stuff
Ragan said 1600 people had already signed up to Dogalong before it was launched on Sunday.
“It’s not just about staying somewhere, but if you go somewhere like Westport and you find somewhere to stay, that’s great.
“But can you find some place to go to eat with your dog? What are the rules about walking your dog in the area? Does it have to be on a leash? All those sides of things,” he said.
The pair’s concept captivated the imagination of the Techstars judges, and the rest, they say, is history.
“We ended up winning that particular thing, and we got tapped on the shoulders by a couple of the judges and business mentors who said; ‘Well, OK you’ve won this but have you thought about making this a real business though?’, so we thought about it for about 30 seconds and then said ‘Well why not?’
Anthony Phelps/STUFF
Dogalong will also advise owners where and when dogs should be kept on leashes or allowed to wander freely.
Now, after a year of hard work perfecting their new business venture, Dogalong is set to be launched at 12 noon on July 18 – the anniversary of Dogalong’s conception and Ragan’s 81st birthday.
Asked what inspired him and kept him ticking after all these years, Ragan said it was a passion to learn new things that drove him on.
“All my life I’ve spent wanting to learn new things, I’ve been in the computer industry for 55 years and I gt into the computer industry because I wanted something that would be constantly evolving, constantly challenging, constantly new.
“The way I view the world is it’s all about learning, it’s all about new challenges, it’s all about opportunities; that’s what keeps life interesting and makes every day worth living,” he said.
To find out more about the app go to: https://dogalong.nz
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