The technology boom in the Bay Area brings us new products and ideas every day – and apps are the gateway to fun and information. The staff at DogTrekker.com recently went walkabout in the iTunes and GooglePlay stores on a mission to sniff out the best dog apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
Here are some favorites:
Dog-friendly everything: DogTrekker.com’s recently released app puts the award-winning website’s 12,000-plus dog-friendly listings (hotels, restaurants, beaches, wineries, rescue organizations, etc.) and 1,200 associated articles in the palm of your hand. It includes an “Explore” mode for trip planning and a “Nearby” mode for close-up, paws-on-the-ground discovery. “The idea was to create a best-in-show mobile app for DogTrekkers as they travel California’s highways, byways and trails,” says DogTrekker co-founder Dave Kendrick. Download from this page: dogtrekker.com/dogapp. Free.
Canine first-aid: Pet emergencies can occur anywhere, and having a first-aid reference at your fingertips can save time—or your pet’s life—as you head to the vet. Jive Media’s Pet First Aid app is intuitive, comprehensive and not dumbed down. An emergency reference page comes up first (click if your pet is bleeding, choking, etc.), and you can click back to scroll through encyclopedic information on everything from fractures to objects in the eye to how to tell what’s normal and what’s not. $3.99.
Runner up: Pet First Aid from the American Red Cross, 99 cents.
Rescue and adoption: “Shopping” is a word we’d rather apply to groceries than to the process of selecting a four-legged family member, but that’s pretty much what the mobile version of the worthy Pet Finder website does. PetFinder claims to have assisted with more than 13 million adoptions from shelters and rescue organizations nationwide. Its mobile app lets you search adoptable pets and rescue organizations and helps find the right canine match for your lifestyle and family. Free.
Finding the perfect dog-sitter: DogVacay and Rover are a pair of websites and associated apps (free) that aim to match traveling dog owners with host families nationwide. DogVacay users regard it as a kind of Airbnb for pets. It’s easy to use: hosts create profiles about themselves and their services, while pet owners share reviews online after they pick up their pooches. Rover, based out of Seattle, likewise seeks to connect dog owners with dog sitters nationwide. It plans to add cats and horses to its repertoire soon. Free.
Dog-walk apps: Walking is as good for you as it is for your dog, and with the fundraising app Walk For A Dog, every step you take translates into money earned for local shelters and rescue groups. Like apps commonly geared to runners, this one tracks speed, distance and duration. The difference: you enter information about your dogs and select a local shelter or rescue group to support. Users are under no obligation to donate, but the hope is that walking for a cause will provide encouragement to become involved. Free.
Also worth the download: MapMyDogWalk, brought to you by Subaru. Yes, you can expect a few ads, but the (free) app makes up for it with GPS mapping (including elevation changes) and even a function that crunches your data to calculate the calories you’ve burned. Free.
Dog tricks and training: Staring into a smartphone will never take the place of putting in the time required to make your dog a well mannered companion. But for teaching basic obedience commands (sit, down, stay) and tricks to impress (wave, sit up, shake), Dog Tricks & Bark Machine offers clear advice and step-by-step instructions, ingeniously presented. Flip to the “bark machine” page to play sounds—fire truck, door knock and such—you can use to teach your pup to either go bonkers or ignore distractions. 99 cents.
Runners up: Dog Training Basics for Dummies, a mobile version of the book, yours for $1.99. Best of 101 Dog Tricks: Beautiful interface and good instructions, 99 cents.
Just for fun: Watch your dog’s ears perk up—or lay down, as the case may be—when you activate the Dog Sounds & Body Talk app and expose her to the primal sound of a howling wolf, the squeaking of a squirrel, the meow of a cat, the din of a pounding thunderstorm and other sounds geared to elicit a reaction. Flip over to the “body talk” pages, learn to read canine body language, then play the sounds again and gauge what your dog is trying to tell you. Free.
Janet Fullwood is senior editor of DogTrekker.com, former travel editor at the Sacramento Bee and pet mom to Bodie, a bodacious Brittany; and Bonnie, his English pointer sidekick.
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