Indy Pup Bus Brings Tail-Wagging Fun to Local Dogs
Writer & Photographer / Abbie Willans
Field trips are no longer just for elementary school kids — greater Indianapolis residents can now send their dogs off for a day of fun and adventure on the Indy Pup Bus. Owner Tanya Hedegard’s new business helps busy pet parents make sure their dogs get exercise and enrichment, even when they’re at work all day.
“We’ll pick up your dog directly from your home and take them to a private dog park in Pendleton,” Hedegard says. “We’ll have about an hour and a half of running around and playing, then we’ll take them out for ‘pup cups’ at Starbucks and drop them back off at home.
“We have frisbees, sticks, balls, and sometimes we’ll just run with them across four acres. These dogs love to stay in their pack — some little and some big breeds — but they all want to stick together,” she adds. “On the way there, their heads are out the window, they’re barking and excited. On the way home, they’re lying down and tired. We’ve had dogs who didn’t want to get off the bus when we dropped them off.”
She discovered the concept of “outdoor adventure school buses for dogs” on Instagram, where the idea has primarily caught on in Canada and Alaska. It hasn’t spread widely across the U.S. yet, but Hedegard hopes to popularize it in central Indiana.
“I spent 20 years in corporate America,” she says. “But I wanted to try something new. I have an MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship, and that was a muscle I hadn’t flexed in a while.”
Her first step was finding the bus. It was formerly a church bus with low mileage that she upgraded and adapted to fit its new purpose. There are seat belts that hook onto each dog’s harness, and Hedegard used material normally found on boat decks to cover the seats so the dogs’ paws wouldn’t slip.
She and her assistant, Avery Hewitt, both have certifications in dog CPR and behavior. They met at the doggy daycare where Hewitt works when she isn’t on the Pup Bus. Hedegard noticed how well Hewitt connected with her dog, Scotch, and saw her expertise firsthand. Hewitt has more than seven years of experience working with dogs and monitors them carefully while on the bus to ensure each one is happy and healthy.
Indy Pup Bus requires dogs to be vaccinated, spayed or neutered and at least six months old. Dogs must be allowed off-leash and have good recall. They must also be socialized and not prone to escape. Hedegard says they don’t discriminate based on size or breed, but they do require dogs to get along well with others.
“If you don’t want your dog to come home dirty, this is not the experience for you,” she says. “But if it gets muddy, we do have a portable shower that we can spray their paws off with.”
The schedule is weather dependent from November through March.
Pet parents don’t have to be home for the Pup Bus to pick up their dogs. They can securely enter their door or garage code into the app that the Pup Bus uses and rest assured knowing their dog is being well cared for.
“We have an app that produces a report card for every dog,” she says. “At the beginning of the day when we arrive, Avery will take a picture with a time stamp saying your dog’s been picked up. The report card gives you pictures, videos and tells you how your dog’s day was. It’s for busy parents who don’t have time to take their dogs to daycare but still know their dog needs to run around.”
In addition to the everyday fun, the staff at Indy Pup Bus also celebrates milestones and holidays. They encourage owners to dress their dogs up for Halloween and Christmas so they can post cute pictures and videos on social media — the costumes are removed before playtime, of course.
“If it’s your dog’s birthday and you want to send treats in, like you would for your kids at school, we encourage that. Otherwise, we’ll supply birthday treats for the dogs,” Hedegard says.
Indy Pup Bus also features “Pup-arazzi Days,” a monthly photo shoot opportunity with local professional pet photographer Andrea Hagener. For an additional fee, Hagener photographs each dog on the bus and at the park, and owners receive several professional pictures of their pets.
After the first week, when local influencer Michelle Baxter of Wandering Westfield spent a day on the Indy Pup Bus and posted about it, Hedegard saw a surge of interest — especially from people on the south side of Indianapolis, as well as Avon and Brownsburg. Her goal over time is to expand routes and add more buses.
The bus currently runs Wednesday through Friday, with a different route each day. Wednesday services west Fishers, Carmel, Westfield and Zionsville. Thursday services Broad Ripple and downtown Indianapolis. Friday, the bus picks up dogs in east Fishers, Noblesville, McCordsville and Fortville.
Adventures can be scheduled online. For more information, visit indypupbus.com, call 317-345-8318 or email indypupbus@gmail.com.
