We left on a rainy, misty Sunday morning. What followed was one of the most meaningful stretches of the whole trip — not just for the pet people we met, but for the people who have made myFurever what it is.
Albany: How Did We Get So Lucky
Every venture has a pivot story. Ours happened on the last day of 2025.
Our first app developer had a conflict of interest with his parent company, and on December 31st we learned he could no longer be part of the team. We did what you do: reached into our contacts. It was Lisa’s college roommate — the kind of friend who has known you long enough to know exactly what you need — who made the call that changed everything. She knew an entrepreneurial professor. The professor said: I think I know someone who can help you.
And, boy, was he right.
That introduction led us to the founder and director of Y-Center. We say it to each other often, quietly: how did we get so lucky? He is accomplished, smart, funny, and wise — the kind of person who has helped many entrepreneurs find their footing and brings a generosity of knowledge you feel in real time. His technical team listened, challenged, encouraged, and helped us think through the UI/UX experience with real rigor. We became like family.
So when the road brought us through Albany, there was no question where we were headed. We were offered watermelon the moment we arrived. That tells you everything about the house.
Great food, walks in the neighborhood, cross-cultural conversations, a little World Cup viewing, and math problems worked out in sidewalk chalk on the driveway with two smart, adorable kids. We build things for the future. The future was right there on the driveway.
Some stops are about the mission. This one was about the people who make the mission possible.
Saratoga Springs: A Breath of Air
Before leaving the Albany area we made our way to Saratoga Springs — a short hike, a few more interviews, and a genuine attempt to outrun the heat dome that had settled over the entire East Coast. Saratoga gave us shade, good conversation, and a reminder that pet people show up everywhere, in every kind of weather, because the dog doesn’t care about the heat index.
Neither, it turns out, do we.
New York City: Pet People Be Honest in the Heat
From Saratoga we meandered south to Newark, to a dear friend of Lisa’s, and set up a base for a few days of “Pet People Be Honest” in New York City. The heat dome had other ideas.
We made it to the dog beach at Prospect Park in Brooklyn and beyond. Pet people were there, willing and warm, and we gathered many stories. But Mayor Mamdani had recommended New Yorkers stay inside, and most were heeding the advice. Even Brooklyn was taking it slow.
Among the interviews we’ll carry with us: our friend Joyce told us about her relationship with Huey. A first for us — our very first cat interview of the whole trip. The specificity of love, the way a particular animal becomes woven into a particular life in ways impossible to fully explain and completely real. Huey delivered.
We left with a standing invitation to return. We will.
Ellicott City: Self-Doubt, Good Advice, and Fergie
From New York we headed to Ellicott City, Maryland — home of Lisa’s college roommate and her husband, two people with decades of business experience who have been a steady, grounding presence throughout this venture.
We will be honest: self-doubt creeps in. What have we started? Where exactly are we going? These are the conversations you need trusted people for — people who will listen, push back where it’s needed, affirm what’s real, and then take you to dinner. The owner of the Wine Bin hosted us for an evening to celebrate his father’s birthday — warm, full, and a small reminder of what we’re building toward: people gathered, celebrating life, sharing it with the ones they love.
The next morning we hit the Trolley Trail. Fergie came first — named after a soccer star, which opened a World Cup conversation that was exactly the kind of sideways-into-something-real exchange this trip has taught us to love. From there the stories flowed: dog after dog, each one a variation on the same theme. How dogs stabilize. How they bring meaning on the hard days and amplify joy on the easy ones. How coming home to that presence is something people reach for words to describe and never quite find.
We are building the place where those words can live.
Our last interview was with a friend’s family and their two cats. myFurever is for all pet people. The cat mom was every bit as effusive, every bit as devoted as any dog parent we’ve met along the way. The bond is the bond, regardless of species. They all belong in this community. That was always the idea.
Then it was time to head home. Our batteries were recharged in the way that only happens when you’ve spent real time with people who believe in what you’re doing — and with strangers who remind you why you started.
People and pets make the road, our lives, and this dream so much richer.
More to come. 🐾