The passions of Doug Coby: Racing, real estate and rescues

Most fans know Doug Coby as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour legend, but the six-time champion is equally as passionate about real estate and rescue dogs.

The Milford, Connecticut, native has been able to blend the latter two.

Rescue Dog Realty, the two-person real estate brokerage firm Coby owns with his sister, is involved with donating funds to Connecticut-based shelters with the commission from their closings.

“There are some really dedicated people who devote their time and their dollars to rescue dogs, the same way people do in racing,” Coby said. “The people in the shelter community really do anything possible to save as many dogs as possible.”

Coby said that some of the biggest rescues come from Tennessee and Texas.

“We know a bunch of ladies who head down south and bring the dogs back by the truckload. They foster them so people can adopt them after they’ve been vaccinated, spay and neutered.”

Doug Coby’s two dogs, Archie (left) and Briggs.

In his firms six years existence, Coby estimates that over $40,000 has been donated to several shelters.

“It’s something that makes you realize there is more to business then money and its important to give back in the community,” Coby said. “I found that the passion amongst people in the racing community is equivalent to the dog rescuers. We really are in the same breed.”

Before settling into his career in real estate, Coby quit his job in the financial service sector after nearly a decade despite not having a “fallback option.” The move happened when he was looking at prospective properties for his first house.

“I was seeing a lot of junk houses,” he recalled. “I thought I could buy them and fix them. I realized during that time period I wasn’t a handyman and that these real estate investors, or house flippers, were fixing them up and flipping them for a profit.”

While in the process of obtaining his real estate license, Coby was introduced to his future business partner, Jason Flint, while networking and befriending people in the industry.

“We hit it off and his friends have become huge Modified Tour fans,” Coby said Property Edge business partner. “He’s the licensed home improvement contractor and I’m on the real estate side finding and selling those homes.”

Coby is the proud “Dog Dad” to Archie, his purebred French bulldog and his adopted French bulldog/ pit bull mix Briggs. Both dogs can be found camping out with Coby at various races on Tour.

“Adopt don’t shop,” he said. “There are literally thousands of dogs out there that need homes. I was shocked at how well-behaved most of them are. Dogs aren’t bad by nature. They want to love people and other dogs.”

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