Whether it’s a book club, run club, board game night, knitting circle, cooking class, chess match or pickleball, people create all sorts of outlets for community and are starving for it now more than ever.  

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared a national social disconnection epidemic in 2024, as nearly half of all adults in the country struggled with loneliness, a problem that started spiraling out of control in the post COVID-19 pandemic digital age. 

Gainesville-native Jon Senterfitt sought to curb that trend this year, at least for dog owners, by launching the PawPack progressive web app (website) and soon-to-be iOS and Android app. The free service aims to help connect dog owners and their canine friends to the dog parks and other owners and pets around them. 

In PawPack’s first few months, Senterfitt said the website grew to 175 human users, 182 dogs, hit over 1,500 check-ins and registered 800 parks across the U.S.  

Once the app is ready for downloads, he plans to connect even more dogs and owners across the country, while also raising awareness for local vets, adoption and training organizations. 

“You don’t necessarily have to be at the same stage of life to start doing life with other people, especially through dogs,” Senterfitt said. “I went through this huge transition of life, kind of that lost season post-divorce, and through dogs is really how I found my community. And I think that everyone deserves that opportunity.” 

Engineering a website and app was no sweat for the 36-year-old software developer. For two decades, Senterfitt lived in Dallas, Texas, creating digital assets for big-box names like Campbell’s, Boar’s Head and NATO. 

Taking his husky, Brenna, to dog parks was a good way for Senterfitt to get out from behind the desk. 

But the more he showed up, the more he noticed how people at the parks struggled to connect, even if they wanted to. Aversions to clunky group messages and wide age gaps often hindered relationships. But the idea for PawPack blossomed. 

After moving back to Gainesville in 2023, Senterfitt said navigating a divorce in the transient college town stunted his growth of community. Again, he ran into the same anti-social trends at dog parks. 

A friend’s encouragement served as the final boost needed for Senterfitt to make PawPack happen. What started as his first private software venture is now a full-time job. 

The website used Squirrel Ridge Park’s dog park as a home base and garnered 40 users in two days, all through word of mouth. PawPack’s secret comes from taking relational pressure off the humans and focusing on connecting their furry friends. 

“The whole goal of the app is no people. It’s dog-focused,” Senterfitt said. “There’s no personal identification or anything like that in it. You can choose to at some point in time. But it’s all about, hey, that’s a dog that your dog really likes, great. And then kind of keeping up with them.”  

Senterfitt said phase one of PawPack’s launch has relatively straightforward features. Users can schedule meetups by sending out a notification when on their way to a park, giving other owners an hour window to show up. Meet-ups often get dog breed and size specific. 

Senterfitt said he also created MySpace-like features, including top friends, park activities and insights, and an interactive space where users can upload videos and photos of their pups. 

Because of PawPack, Senterfitt said he now has multiple friend groups, including people who knew of each other for years but never spoke. Sunday brunches at the dog parks have also become a popular tradition. 

Senterfitt said some users will take extra-long commutes just to be part of certain PawPack communities. 

“We have had people who would go to Possum Creek all the time on the Northwest side, and they said, you know, I’m just not that fond of the people and dogs that are there, we just don’t play that well,” he said. “But they see that Squirrel Ridge is kind of thriving, so now they’ve transitioned. They drive across town every day just to be a part of the larger packs that we have over there.” 

A few weeks ago, Senterfitt packed up his things and moved to Austin, Texas—the “Silicon Hills” hub for software development—solely to start transforming PawPack into an app. 

With 60% of the work done before he moved, Senterfitt said the next few weeks of coding and user testing will hopefully position the app for a late summer or early fall release. The goal is to get 10,000 users across 10 markets. 

The new PawPack app will incorporate geolocation for dog park weather and condition updates, as well as provide a marketing platform for advertisers. 

Senterfitt said he wants the app to expand PawPack’d partnerships with local dog-focused agencies—like the Humane Society of North Central Florida and dog training nonprofit Oh Hey, Dog—hosting pack walks, adoption events or just raising awareness for the organizations. 

An animal mood-tracker could help owners train their dogs, and another function could promote meetups among new owners who adopted at the same time. 

“I have a really happy Husky that likes everybody,” Senterfitt said. “But there’s a whole other side of dog ownership with [dogs who] are near euthanization that are coming out, and there’s a whole community of people who need the tools.” 

While Senterfitt doesn’t have any feline-focused apps on the books yet, he said he’s always open to new ideas. 

Public dog parks in Alachua County: 

• Abby Wambach Park (4501 SW 20th Ave.) 

• Central Bark (25761 NW 4th Ave., Newberry) 

• Haisley Lynch Park (450 S Main St.) 

• Possum Creek Dog Park (4009 NW 53rd Ave.) 

• Smokey Bear Park (2300 NE 15th St.) 

• Squirrel Ridge Park (1603 SW Williston Rd.) 

• Tom Petty Dog Park (1224 NE 5th Terr.)