When a Seattle couple’s dog developed reactivity to other canines, they solved the problem by developing a yard-sharing app

written by Rachel Gallaher

Nearly six years ago, two Seattle tech workers, Ana Malhotra and Sahil Naikwadi, brought home a small, white husky puppy and named him Rome. The dog joined the couple, who first met in college, in their high-rise apartment on First Hill. Everything was going great—the trio took walks around the neighborhood and spent time at a nearby dog park—but then, Rome started getting sick.

“He kept getting giardia,” Malhotra said, “and as first-time dog parents, we didn’t know why. The vet suggested that the particular dog park we were taking him to was causing him to get giardia over and over again.”

The couple stopped visiting the aforementioned park, which immediately solved the giardia problem—but then another issue arose. “He was a young, high-energy dog, and we lived in an apartment,” Malhotra said. “It had a dog run, but it was barely enough room for him to do his business.” They tried taking Rome to a new dog park, but he started developing dog reactivity. “His reactivity was bad enough that even taking him to the dog run for just potty breaks was difficult because we’d run into other dogs.”

Desperate to give Rome the space he needed to let out his energy, Malhotra and Naikwadi started getting creative with potential play spaces.

“We took him to tennis courts and baseball fields and places where he wasn’t allowed,” Malhotra explained. “We’d let him run off leash and do his thing, but it wasn’t working consistently. We even tried to go to dog parks around midnight, but other people having the same problem would already be there.”

“We were feeling really guilty that we brought this dog into an environment he wasn’t thriving in” said Naikwadi.

During this time, Malhotra and Naikwadi were working on an idea for developing a dating app. “One day, we turned to each other and asked, ‘Why are we working on this dating app?’” Malhotra recalled. “We decided to solve our own problem.”

That solution came in the form of Rome, named, of course, after the couple’s pup. Launched in April 2024, Rome is a yard-sharing app that allows dog owners to book time in private yards near them. The company has also partnered with several dog-centric businesses like Downtown Dog Lounge and Dog Yard Bar that offer use of their underutilized locations through the app. Since its debut, the app has had more than 700 users sign up, with more than 125 wanting to host (homeowners set their hourly prices) and 550-plus bookings. So far, Ballard, Queen Anne and Greenwood have proven to be popular use areas, but the app’s map-first technology works to find the yards closest to a user’s location, with the goal of a quick and easy walk to a nearby yard.

“Movement is a core physiological need for dogs,” Malhotra said. “They need to get their steps in just like humans. Access to space is a huge pain point, and apartment and pet ownership is only going up.”

After a successful first year in Seattle, the Rome founders are setting their sights on expanding to other cities with high rates of dog ownership including Austin, Los Angeles, Portland and New York. They are currently working on integrating AI into the app so it can give owners recommendations on the best yards for their dog based on size, age, breed and desired activity level.

Last year, Malhotra and Naikwadi added another member to their pack: a second husky puppy named Mateo. He and Rome are close buddies who enjoy playing together in nearby yards.

“Unfortunately, in an ideal world, the company outlives Rome,” Malhotra said. “We want this to be his legacy. He’s our inspiration and reminds us every day why we’re working so hard.”

Learn more at www.theromeapp.com, or download the Rome: Yard-Sharing for Dogs app on iOS or Android to sign up.