Jillian Fischer

JILLIAN FISCHER, FOUNDER/OWNER, Project Wag

Jillian Fischer launched Project Wag to help connect people with the perfect dog, and takes care of everything that comes afterwards. She provides owners with expert advice and concierge-level service to make living with ‘man’s best friend’ both easy and rewarding.

Jillian developed a passion for dogs at a young age. Her parents repeatedly rebuffed her desire for a dog, so she instead immersed herself in researching and reading everything she could find about breeds, behavioral research and more. Fischer’s resulting encyclopedic dog knowledge, coupled with an amazing knack for matching friends and family with their beloved canine companions, is the foundation of the Project Wag philosophy.

Fischer’s own first shot at dog ownership came when she and her basset hound-enamored boyfriend (now husband) fostered, rehabilitated and adopted-out a neglected pooch named Mimi through Carolina Basset Hound Rescue. Fischer resolved to help others navigate the path to dog ownership after she — and countless other people — encountered a shocking level of misinformation and lack of professional guidance in the process. Throughout the rest of her undergrad studies (Duke University), and earning her MBA at Columbia Business School, as well as working in the film and entertainment business (Paramount Pictures, Animal Planet, among others), Fischer became even further committed to canine welfare and responsible breeding. The true catalyst for Project Wag came after Fischer rescued a puppy that had been dumped on the freeway in Los Angeles. She made it her mission to find the dog the right owner (she placed the pup in an adoptive home within 48 hours). Fischer realized she was born to turn her passion, network and special knack for finding that perfect dog-owner match into a badly-needed and unique business that would fill a big marketplace void. In fact, Fischer’s business plan for Project Wag was tapped for Columbia Business School’s prestigious Entrepreneurial Greenhouse incubator program. She currently works with a growing number of Project Wag clients in NYC and around the country. She and her husband reside in Brooklyn with another rescued basset hound, Lucie, (whose “shapely” silhouette adorns Project Wag’s logo).