Assignment 4A- Forming An Opportunity Belief
Opportunity: I believe there is an unmet need for pet
travel. In the wake of Hurricane Irma, I realized that so many people have
difficulty evacuating due to the burden of having pets that cannot fly on an
airplane. For an animal to travel on the plane they must be a service animal or
fit in a dog carry-on under the seat. During certain times of the year, many
pets cannot go under the plane because most planes do not have air-conditioned
sections for animals. During dire situations, it is horrible to feel as though
you are stuck because you must take care of your animals. Many Americans feel
very invested to their pets and would never leave them behind. These loyal pet
owners are the people who have always experienced this problem. Most people
nowadays buy fake service animal certificates to allow their pet on the plane
or they simply must evacuate with their animal some other way. I am 60% sure
this opportunity exists.
First Interview: 25-year-old girl on plane, traveling with
her service animal dog.
Have you ever had problems traveling with your pet? “Honestly
I never had a problem because Bones is my service dog for my anxiety”
Was getting the service dog certificate difficult? “Not
really, I went to my psychiatrist and got permissions from her to go ahead and
pursue the whole process”
Have you ever felt like airport officials gave you a hard
time because you have an emotional support animal? “ I have never had problem
with officials but I do sometimes get bad looks from people when my dog sits
next to them on the plane.”
Do you feel as though there is an unmet need for animal
lovers in terms of options for traveling with their pets? “I think there are
options out there but not everyone knows how to go about it. I am very blessed
to have my service dog certificate”
If you were stuck in an emergency would you ever leave your
pet behind? “Absolutely not, Bones is part of my family”
Do you think you would be able to travel as easily with your
dog if he wasn’t a service animal? “ No way.
I don’t know how I would get Bones out of the storm. I would have needed
to drive out of Miami.”
Reflection: This interview was so interesting to me. I met
this girl on my way to New York to evacuate from hurricane Irma. I was most
surprised by how she was so open to telling me about her service animal and how
important he is to her. Also, she answered exactly to how I predicted she
would. She is one the few lucky people that has a service animal certificate
and never has issues with travel. However, she does admit that it is hard for
other individuals that don’t have the certificate.
Second Interview: 20-year-old student with large golden
retriever
Have you ever been in a situation where you could not leave
because of your animal? “Yes, this happens all the time for me. I can’t go out
of town a lot because hiring a dog sitter is very expensive. I can’t fly with
my dog because he is too big.”
For Hurricane Irma, how are you preparing with your dog? “ I
feel stuck because I don’t want to leave him. I will not leave him. Evacuation
gets a lot trickier. My parents want me to leave but finding a hotel that takes
big dogs is tough too. “
When did you first realize that pet travel was so difficult?
“ I found this out when I bought my dog from the breeder in Georgia. I wanted
to just fly my puppy down but it was too expensive because he would need
someone to fly with him.”
What do you do now when you can’t fly with your dog? “ I
usually just stay for him or drive. But driving is also such a hassle because
my dog gets uncomfortable in the car. Dog kennels are also really expensive.”
As a student do you feel as though it is harder for you to
evacuate with your dog? “ It is, I definitely don’t have the means to go above
and beyond for my pets to make sure they are okay.”
Reflection: This student reminded me of my situation in
Gainesville. Traveling with your animal is very costly and most students do not
have the extra money to travel with their animals. There is no easy way to
evacuate with an animal other than driving with them. Even then, it is very
difficult.
Third interview: 65-year-old woman with standard poodle.
(Stopped her walking her dog)
How long have you had dogs? “For all my life. They are
always a part of my family”
Have you ever needed to travel with your dog? “Yes, all the
time. But I bring her in the car. I am not a fan of flying.”
Have you ever flown with her? “No, I have not.”
Do you know the procedures for flying with large dogs? “No.
I have never bothered to fly with my dog. It is too much effort for me and I have
heard nightmare stories about dogs dying while under the plane.”
For hurricane Irma, what are your plans for you and your
dog? “ I think I am going to stay in a shelter here in Gainesville.”
What would you do if you needed to evacuate? “I have no
idea. Probably call my son to help drive my dog out of Gainesville.”
Would you ever leave your dog behind if you had no means of
transportation for her? “No, never.”
Reflection: This elderly woman clearly loves her dog as a
family member. She would risk her life to make sure her dog was fine. I feel as
though many Americans have this feeling towards their pets. People tend to
place the same importance on their animals as their family. This resonated with
me because I too feel as though my pets are my family. Her answers were spot on
with my beliefs and I was not surprised in the least bit by her thoughts.
Summary: My belief that there is an opportunity for better
pet travel has stayed the same. I have not figured out a solution but I do believe
there is a lack of options for people who have large pets. 68% of US households
have pets and this percentage is growing (APPA). People tend to love their
animals just as they love their family. In the wake of Hurricane Irma, people
are struggling to evacuate or find shelter with their pets. There needs to be a
better and more economical option for people. The customer feed-back I received
was spot-on with my belief. Their feedback proved to be invaluable to my
research. Entrepreneurs should use qualitative research such as interviews for
accurate research for their ideas. Customers are the people who will in the
long-run support your company so it is best to adjust your ideas to their
needs.
Hi, I really enjoyed reading your post. I agree that there is an unmet need for pet travel. I recently heard of someone that travelled with their dog, paid the fees and expected their dog to be handled carefully. They found their dog soaking wet in the kennel because the airline workers left the dog in the rain as they were moving luggage. I find this encounter extremely upsetting. Also, with airlines and shelters not accepting certain breeds is worrying for many pet owners in the wake of these storms. Hopefully we can see some changes regarding pet travel in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi, I can't believe I never thought of this but this is absolutely true. In my city, which was pretty much directly hit by hurricane Irma, the only way for people with pets to evacuate was for them to bring their pets to one of the local hurricane shelters. This would mean that they also had to stay in the shelter rather than go somewhere else. Although these shelters are safe, the conditions are horrible and many people would pay for some sort of other service to transport their pet somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! So many important things get overlooked when a natural disaster is looming. People with pets who want to evacuate have far fewer opportunities to do so, due to the regulations that airlines have on pets. Leaving your pets at a shelter is also not a great option because if the storm makes a direct hit, there is a good chance the shelter could lose power or even worse, be destroyed. Pet travel is a definite unmet need in the US and there is probably an entrepreneur out there who is ready to tackle this unmet need.
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ReplyDeleteHi Ciara, I thought you chose a great unmet opportunity, however it is really sad and surprising that there are not good ways that pets, especially large pets, can travel with their owners. The one time I've ever traveled with a pet I flew Southwest Airlines and had no problem traveling with the dog, the flight staff let me keep the dog on my lap the whole flight. However - that dog weighed less 15 pounds, for pet owners with animals any larger than that, they most likely would've had to stay in it's carrier, under the seat. I also agree that there really is no good way to evacuate regardless with your pet because even in a situation where you couldn't take your animal with you, so many pet shelters become so overpopulated or expensive that it forces owners to either stay behind with their pet or find some way to take it with them. I think it would be interesting to see if someone came up with a better more cost-friendly solution because I know I would buy into it.
ReplyDeleteHI Ciara, it is very sad to see how many hard decisions were bien made during the hurricane. As I logged into Facebook, and other social media website I noticed a lot of people sending prayer for others due to their family being left behind as well as their animals.
ReplyDeleteThis opportunity is a great idea. It is true that it is easier now to get a certificate, but at the same time a lot of people are just getting it for no reason, and many are not able to get it. A better pet transportation would be ideal, but at the same time tricky. Hopefully you are able to figure out a way to help all of those pets who are harder to move.
In my "horse world," we are able to transport the horses with other companies, hopefully there is an easier and more efficient way to transport other animals that are bigger than 15 lbs.