The story behind Westside Dog Gang.
Whats up. I'm JB.
Along with Janet and our dog Sofi, I'm one of the OGs behind Westside Dog Gang, or WSDG, as you'll see us call it.
Maybe you've seen us walking dogs around Santa Monica, passed our Clubhouse on 7th Street, or heard about us from a friend or neighbor.
However you got here, welcome to the gang.
It started with other people’s dogs.
Back in 2018, Janet and I were living in Downtown LA.
She was working in corporate recruiting. I was in the tech and AI startup world. We were both climbing the ladder, sitting through meetings that could've been emails, and doing all the corporate BS you're supposed to do.
Living the dream, obviously.
We'd both grown up with dogs, but when we moved to LA, our family dogs stayed with our parents (RIP Bentley & Abby). And honestly, life without dogs SUCKED.
So we signed up for a pet sitting app.
Not because we had some genius startup idea or a five-year business plan. We just missed having dogs around and needed some extra dopamine. The cash money didn't hurt either.
Before long, we were spending our free time watching other people's dogs and actually loving it.
Then came our dog Sofi.
In 2019, we moved to Santa Monica and brought home Sofi, our Sheepadoodle.
Raising a dog in the city was a whole different experience from growing up with dogs in the suburbs.
We wanted Sofi to be part of our lives, not have to plan our entire lives around her. But figuring out how to raise a dog that could handle everything that comes with city life wasn't exactly straightforward.
Then there was the question of who the hell we could trust to watch her when we weren't around.
We'd already spent years caring for other people's dogs, but being on the other side of it was different.
The apps felt impersonal. Most facilities were pretty depressing, some were downright disgusting, and finding people we actually trusted wasn't easy.
We started thinking about how we'd do things differently.
Then F’ing COVID hit.
Everything stopped.
No offices, no travel, no pet sitting. Just a whole lot of time at home wondering what the hell we were doing with our lives.
We'd spent years working in tech and corporate America, chasing promotions, sitting through pointless meetings, and doing all the things you're supposedly meant to do.
And if you couldn't tell from my earlier rant, neither of us was particularly excited about spending the next 30 years doing more of it.
The funny thing was, our little pet sitting side gig had become the part of our lives we actually looked forward to.
So we started talking about building something of our own.
A place in the city where dogs could spend their days learning, playing, training, and hanging out. Somewhere we'd actually want Sofi to go.
We gave ourselves five years to make it happen.
Starting the gang.
By mid-2021, the world was starting to open back up.
People were heading back to work, traveling again, and looking for someone to watch their dogs.
The sitting requests came back. Then the referrals. Then more dogs than we ever expected.
By 2022, we'd become Santa Monica's top-rated sitter on the apps.
Turns out our little side gig was becoming an actual business.
In 2023, we officially launched Westside Dog Gang.
We expanded into walks, training, adventures, and more in-home care while building a team of awesome people we'd trust with our own dogs.
We also got married that year. So yeah, 2023 was a big year for us.
Then it was time to go ALLL in.
In mid 2024, I finally gave the AI and tech world the middle finger.
I went full-time with WSDG and started working on getting our Clubhouse off the ground.
Fast forward to early 2025, Janet left corporate recruiting and we started construction on our first Clubhouse in Downtown Santa Monica
We wanted our own class-based daycare program, custom-built equipment, and spaces for dogs to train, play, and relax. But we also wanted the place to feel like us. From the murals and artwork to the music, colors, and little details, we put our own taste into everything.
In June 2025, we opened our doors for the first time.
Seven years after signing up to watch other people's dogs, we had our own Clubhouse.
What’s coming next…
The Clubhouse was never meant to be the whole thing. We've got A LOT more coming soon.
We want to help people understand their dogs better, teach them things that actually matter, and enjoy more of life together.
That's where WSDG Training Dept and our Mixtapes comes in, along with more neighborhood events, collaborations, and soon more Dog Gangs in other neighborhoods and cities.
And if you've made it this far, you probably give a shit about your dog as much as we do.
So here's my personal invite to you. Come by the Clubhouse, meet the crew, and see what we're building. I'd love to meet you and your dog…and of course say what's up.
See you around,
JB
