A company that makes high-tech kennels has announced plans to start installing them in Ballard.

They’re called DogSpots, and they’re designed to provide a safe space for dogs while their owners visit locations that don’t allow dogs.

The first one in Ballard will be installed at the QFC on 24th as early as the end of May.

The company was started in Brooklyn by a pair of dog-owners who wanted to be able to take their terrier, Winston, out on more walks around the city.

“For a long time, it was difficult taking Winston around the city with me because so many places don’t allow dogs inside. I wouldn’t tie him up because, like many, I worried he’d get loose, get scared, or be stolen,” co-founder Chelsea Brownridge says.

“Eventually, I realized if Winston and I faced these challenges, then millions of other pet parents shared this experience when it came to spending more time with their dogs.”

The kennels are operated through an app, which allow dog owners to unlock and lock while they shop/bank/etc. Each unit is air conditioned in the summer, and has heated floors for the winter months. They’re auto-sanitizing, with UV lights used to kill bacteria, viruses, and mold. There’s even a puppy cam, so owners can keep an eye on their pooches while in the kennel. The maximum session time is 90 minutes, and cost 30 cents a minute to use. However, the QFC DogSpot is free for customers to use while they shop inside the store.* For their Ballard launch, they’re offering a promotion for locals — the first 50 people to sign up using promo code “MY BALLARD” will be entered in a contest to win a $200 gift card to BarkShop.

One of the most common questions the company fields: what happens if a dog poops inside?

Apparently, it’s never happened. But if it does, the company would temporarily take it offline and send out their daily cleaners to clean it up.

DogSpots are all over the country, but the Seattle launch is part of a massive expansion the company is rolling out in 2019.

*After the original publishing of this story, DogSpot representative informed My Ballard that the QFC kennel will be free for customers to use while in the store.