A 'paw'sitive transition

When it comes to loving their furry companions, there is not much that pet parents leave to be desired. From spoiling them with treats and walks to splurging on the latest gadgets and toys in the market, this breed (of animal lovers we mean) is known not to hold back.

With technology seeping into all aspects of our life, it is understandable that pet parents are one of the now-in-focus segments of consumers of digital media. There are numerous apps for pet owners that range from answering your common questions about taking care of your four-legged babies to soothing music to put them to sleep.

 Ritika Goel, professional as well as founder of an NGO with some successful campaigns to her name, vouches by ‘Unikorn’, which provides end-to-end services like delivering food, providing at-home services of groomers and vets, boarding facilities and so on. “It’s been great, they make your life so much easier. They do all the buying, purchasing and bargaining for you and you get some great discounts too. For example, if a product costs Rs 500 in the market, you get it for Rs 350 here.”
She is particularly relieved about not having to take her dog to the vet anymore. “Going to vet is always a wrestle. My dog hates travelling by car and gets very uncomfortable by the time you reach there. But here vets come home and my dog gets checked in his comfort zone.”

There are numerous options to choose from when you want to find the best quality dog food, pet-friendly dog spas, dog walkers to even jotting down your pet‘s medical history and allergies. However, this field of apps is not all fun and no play.

“There are fun options too, like apps that play certain types of music that soothe your dog and help him/her go to sleep or enable you to watch your pet remotely and ensure that he/she stays safe. Then there are other camera-based apps, like ‘PetSnap’, that allow you to play certain sounds to get your pet’s attention so that you can click that perfect picture. After that, you can edit the picture there itself,” shares Hrishikesh Varma, who shares his abode with Kahjal.

However, Shilpa Elizabeth feels that old-school Facebook community pages are still the best way to get those personal queries resolved.

“I haven’t tried many apps as such. There was one which I downloaded, called ‘Woof’, to find kennels. We have to make arrangements for our dog Steffi whenever we have to travel somewhere. I couldn’t find anything good in Google so we were searching for apps for that. But I didn’t find anything good, it was more like a mating app for dogs,” she says.

“The Facebook communities have been of good use. You can get all your questions answered and people there are genuinely passionate about their pets. A lot of people respond and their solutions are quite helpful,” she adds.

No wonder they say love is a four-legged word!