The story behind Trufa Walks
Meet Clara
Trufa Walks is one person, one van-less route up Montjuïc, and about twenty regular dogs. Everything here exists to save Clara from answering the same three questions by message every day.
How it all started
Clara found Trufa at a shelter in Hospitalet, a skinny little Shiba Inu who had been returned twice for being "too stubborn". She wasn't stubborn. She was scared, and she just needed someone patient enough to let her sniff every corner at her own pace.
So Clara did exactly that. Every morning they walked Montjuïc together, slowly, and Trufa learned to trust the world one smell at a time. Neighbours started asking if their dogs could join. Then their friends' dogs. Before long, the shy rescue was leading a little pack up the hill, and Clara had accidentally become the dog walker of Poble Sec.
The name came from the thing that saved them both: in Spanish, trufa is a dog's nose. Sniffing is half of what a good walk is about, so the rule stuck. No rushing, let them read the hill. Trufa still joins the 09:00 and 16:00 walks, usually out in front, showing the new dogs that the world is worth trusting.
- —
- Regular dogs
- —
- Walks booked
- —
- Walks recorded
- —
- On waitlists
Before and after
Before
- Around 40 WhatsApp and Instagram messages a day
- 6 to 8 messages back and forth to book one new dog
- Pack rules kept in Clara's head, checked at night
- Reminders typed by hand, and still 2 or 3 no-shows a week
- Cancelled spots stayed empty, the waitlist lived in her notes
After
- Owners book themselves in about 2 minutes, just by tapping
- They only see walks their dog fits, and why the others don't work
- Reminders, confirmations and "on my way" messages go out on their own
- Owners skip or move walks themselves. Late cancellations are charged automatically
- A freed spot goes straight to the next dog on the waitlist
- Clara taps once after each meet-and-greet
The problem was never the walking
A new owner writes on Instagram. Clara asks about size, age, energy, whether the dog is neutered. Then she works out, in her head, which of the three daily slots that dog could join without upsetting the group. Then she arranges a meeting. Then the schedule changes because a female comes into heat. All of that happened in messages.
Pack rules, written down once
The rules Clara carried in her head are now the thing that decides what an owner can book. Four dogs per group with Trufa included, reactive dogs solo, small dogs only with calm company, never two unneutered males, puppies on puppy walks, a meet-and-greet before any group. When a slot doesn't work, the owner reads the reason in plain language instead of seeing a greyed-out button.
One flow, no messages
Dog profile, free twenty-minute meet-and-greet, compatible slots with the weekly price, access notes, first week paid. An owner can go from a first question to a booked Tuesday and Thursday without Clara typing a word.
Watching the walk
Every walk has a route and a timeline: pickups, pees, poops, water at the fountain, one photo, drop-off. Owners follow it live on the map rather than waiting for an evening update.