5 Of The Best Apps Every Pet Owner Should Have Installed
We all know that raising a fur baby is almost as grueling as bringing up a child. Making sure they're well, fed, entertained, healthy, and active is a massive responsibility to juggle alongside your own commitments. Unfortunately, being a fur parent does not come with an instruction manual — taking care of them is something we learn as we go.
The first couple of puppy months seem terrible but brace yourself because the adolescent years are bound to change your mind. During this time, your pets demand a lot of attention and really test your patience. So, getting a routine down and teaching them some rules would make it much easier.
Owning a pet has a ton of benefits. They reduce anxiety, are amazing companions, and their never-ending need to play promotes physical activity. Pets also teach children responsibility and respect towards other living things and give them emotional support. They are like family members, so their health and well-being would be equally important as a child's.
With the technology world developing at a crazy speed, new innovative apps have been released to assist in maintaining your pet. From tracking their activity levels to ensuring they keep up with their appointments at the vet, these apps aid in various tasks needed to improve your pet's quality of life. If you already own a furry pet or plan on getting one, here are a few apps that you can use to make your experience as easy as possible.
Pet First Aid
Say you're on a morning jog with your dog, and suddenly, they're attacked by another dog. What do you do? If this were a scenario involving humans, your first instinct would be to panic and call for an ambulance. This would be 10 times worse as you don't really get ambulances for pets. This is where Pet First Aid comes in handy.
The app developed by the American Red Cross gives you detailed instructions on what to do in case of a pet health emergency. The app caters to dog and cat owners and provides videos and pictures on exactly what to do in these scenarios, such as how to stop bleeding and perform CPR. It also contains an additional feature that provides a list of early symptoms to look out for any irregularities in your pet.
You can make multiple profiles for your pets and include tag verifications, IDs, medical information, and pictures. Another feature Pet First Aid has included is interactive quizzes. Successfully completing them means you earn badges and points. It also includes a vet locator, which you can use to locate the nearest vet in an emergency. The app is completely free on Android and iOS and can be accessed offline as well.
Rover
We all know the struggle of having to find a person to watch your pets while you're away on vacation. You could be on a beach in southern France, but wondering if your pet is okay. The days of begging your friends to pet-sit your needy canine are officially over. With just a few clicks, Rover lets you connect with reputed pet sitters and dog walkers in your neighborhood.
These pet sitters and walkers are required to go through extensive background checks, and Rover collects all personal information. Thanks to the app's meticulous assessment process, it assures a reliable service and is also supported by Rover Guarantee, which is included in insurance policies. The app also includes a GPS tracker, which sends you notifications and pictures to keep your mind at ease.
To find the closest available pet sitter, all you need to do is enter your zip code. In terms of pricing, the pet sitters quote their own rates. Typically, a 30-minute walk should cost you around $15.
Puppr
If you've watched any dog movie, you know exactly what you're getting yourself into during the dreaded months of puppyhood. Prepare yourself for endless biting, chewing of your favorite shoes, and peeing on literally everything. Raising a puppy means you need to have extraordinary patience and the ability to forgive and forget. To control this mischief, puppies must be trained from a young age.
Puppr is an app designed to aid you during this bumpy road of training your pet. Famous dog trainer Sara Carson founded this app to help beginner dog parents. The app includes video and picture instructions on how to teach your dog basic to advanced tricks and commands. The tricks are categorized, ranging from simple to difficult tasks. Puppr has more than 100 lessons and has the option of being able to live chat with your trainer. The app also allows you to monitor your pet's progress using an in-built clicker throughout their training. It also gives you the option of setting up daily training reminders.
The foundational classes on Puppr and a couple of advanced classes are free. However, to access live chatting with the trainers, other advanced lessons, and premium benefits, you must purchase a plan. Your plan can consist of classes from one or multiple categories. The subscription includes a seven-day free trial, followed by two options — a monthly subscription of $12.99 or a yearly payment of $99.99.
Chewy
Shopping at a regular pet store can be tedious and limits your options. You'd walk in hoping to buy a cherry-red leash to match the harness, but when you reach the aisle, you realize they've only got blue leashes, which are also ridiculously overpriced. This is where online shopping comes in handy. With just a few searches, you can find the exact cherry-red leash you're looking for, along with a red collar to match it.
Chewy is an Amazon-like online shopping platform for pets, connecting you with a variety of brands and products. The app has partnered with over 2,000 brands, which are all pet-certified, to give you a plethora of options to choose from. They sell all pet essentials ranging from food bowls to toys. Customer support is 24/7, and pet experts are guaranteed, along with free shipping for orders exceeding $49. It also contains an online pharmacy, so by uploading the prescription, you can have your pet's medication delivered to you hassle-free.
A feature unique to Chewy is the auto-ship feature, which allows you to have food or products delivered regularly. This way, you do not have to keep an eye out for your pet's kibble bag getting lighter. Instead, you can use this feature to ensure supplies are delivered exactly when you need them. You can track your order through every step of the delivery process using the shipment tracker.
Tractive GPS for cats and dogs
Have you experienced that nasty feeling of coming home from work only to find your precious fur baby missing? You checked behind the couch, in the loft, and even in your neighbor's garage, hoping they were just playing an evil game of hide and seek. While furiously yelling out their name, you probably wish you had put a GPS tracker on them.
Tractive is a GPS tracking system that tracks your pet's location in real time and is not restricted to a certain perimeter. The tracking system requires you to purchase a GPS tracker or collar. Tractive allows you to set up a virtual fence around a safe area, and anytime your intrepid canine decides to leave this area, you will receive an alert on the app. Some of their trackers can even last up to 10 days while being monitored using the app. The history feature also lets you track your pet's location and see what mischief they've been up to during the past 24 hours.
The app is available for download for free, but for it to work, you need to purchase a GPS collar, which can be a little costly. The app also requires you to subscribe to either their basic or premium plans (starting from around $13 monthly).