Did you know that 1 in 3 pets get lost? Scary, right? Beyond that striking statistic, there’s a whole host of issues people need to think of before adopting a furry four-legged friend. Just to start: how in the world do you pick the right pet for you and your family. There’s also pet health to consider – is your companion getting the exercise it needs? Are you giving your little gal or guy enough attention? How about standard pet first aid? There’s so much that goes into the proper care of a pet it can be a little staggering. But there’s good news for pet owners ‘round the world: apps for pets is not only a useful tool for any pet owner, but a great entrepreneurial venture for anyone with a few extra bucks. In fact, if you contact SDI today, we can build you an app for pets on an iPhone or Android device – for a low starting price of $2000. Apps for pets can be built to help for a variety of different tasks – really it’s quite startling how many clever apps for your pets are out there. So today we’re going to take a look at some apps that can help owners take better care of their pets. The App for Lost Pets Whistle/Tagg Whistle is a gadget and app combo – basically it’s a SmartCollar that connects to your iPhone or Android device. With the recent acquisition of the GPS tracking company Tagg, Whistle can pinpoint your pet with startling accuracy. This is a favorite of ours for a 2 key reasons: it doesn’t require your pet to be chipped (you should get your pet chipped, but sometimes there’s no time in the day!) and it helps to make sure your buddy is getting the exercise he or she needs. Track your pet wherever they may wonder – right from your smartphone! Apps for Pets to Play Anyone with a cat or a dog intimately knows how much entertainment the little tykes need – especially when they’re still young. One area that apps for pets have really taken off are apps for playing. 1. Game for Dogs/Game for Cats This app is quite literally named Game for Dogs/Cats (respectively). It’s a super simple app that allows your little guy to chase all sorts of digital woodland creatures – mice, Squirrels (SQUIRREL!), even cats. Currently, both versions are free on Android and iOS. 2. Cat Fishing 2 Another literally named app, this game lets your kitty chase little fish around all over the screen. These fish can be “caught” by your pal hitting the screen (paw or nose) – even by licking it! Gross for you, but cats love it! A bubble sound effect helps to capture your pet’s attention, further captivating the little monster. You can find this on Google Play or The App Store for free. 3. You VS Cat Again, this app is named adroitly. In fact, this app and the previous two are all from Friskies. They may know how to make awesome apps for pets, but their creative naming department may need some work! This particular app is best played on a tablet, with you and your cat opposite one another (If you have an app idea that can get a cat to sit for longer than 30 seconds, contact our awesome developers!). Apps for Buying Pets When there are so many wonderful pets out there, it can be hard to decide who will be your perfect companion. Beyond just personality matches, there are other things to consider, especially when buying a dog. Cats are a little easier to pick because there isn’t as large of a variation in domestic breeds. Even a Maine Coon is only the size of a small dog! So, how do you find the right fit? What breed is good for an apartment? A house? It may not be what you think. Here’re two free tips on the matter – • Large dogs like St. Bernard’s often made good apartment dogs because they’re low energy animals – they won’t tear up your place! • Herding dogs (i.e. German/Australian Shepherds) and sledding dogs (like Huskies) are often not even good for a full house. These breeds are built for work and intelligence. If they don’t have plenty of play space, they will go nuts…and you will regret it! But for more excellent tips, there are two really good apps for buying pets: Petsie (Android, Free) and Guide to Dog Breeds (iOS, $1). They both offer comprehensive databases of many dog breeds. Petsie is more of a Crowd-sourced guessing tool; Guide to Dog Breeds is a real hefty app though, containing in-depth details on more than 400 dog breeds. Other Apps for Your Pets • MapMyDogWalk is a partner app to a human fitness training app. It lets you use a map to plot an ideal exercise route for you and your dog. It also tracks caloric expenditures and saves your preferred routes. • Pet First Aid (Android or iOS): No one wants to think about their pet falling ill or getting injured, but unfortunately it can happen. Pet First Aid contains written and video directions on a variety of standard and emergency pet care tasks. It also helps you easily connect to a vet and can route you to the nearest pet hospital. Build an App for Your Pets with Expert Developers Got a great idea that combines all of the top apps for pets? Or a brand new app idea? SDI has built, tested and launched more than 3,000 apps. Give us a call at 408.805.0495 / 408.621.8481 or contact us now to get your app launched in 30 days or less.