Be a better pet owner
By Meg Rivera
I AM a shameless pet parent. The first thing I do when I get out of my bed is pick up my cat and give him a cuddle. That usually earns me a nose touch back and a gentle clawing to signify that His Majesty is hungry. At night, when I come home he waits on the stairs and escorts me to my room. I also worry when he gets sick, give him food and occasionally clean up after him. It’s almost like having a child, if you like them furry.
I know I’m not alone here. There are pet owners who let their four legged friends eat off their plates, sleep on their beds and even sit on the couch. Some may find that behavior a little off-putting, especially after witnessing a dog slobber all over its owner’s face. And this is after spending time licking their junk clean. Fun times!
However you like to interact with your pets, here are three apps that help pet owners everywhere look after their fur babies better. I’m sure they will love you more for it!
App name: Dog Whistler
App developer: Mobeezio Inc.
Available on: iTunes, Google Play
Easy to use: This can be used as a tool for training your dog. Gone are the days where obedience training consisted of you yelling, “Spit that shoe out!” Adjust the frequency on the app to one your dog responds to, and use it to signal good behaviour.
Overall comment: It’s pretty simplistic, but you would need to push it a little bit to get the desired effect. Our beagle didn’t like it on the low setting, but was okay with the higher settings. If you know what you’re doing, then this works well. But try not to use this as a punishment, because higher settings do irritate your dogs and then you’re just being cruel. Three clicks out of five.
App name: Pet Names
App developer: Schatzisoft
Available on: iTunes, Google Play
Easy to use: Well, this app does exactly what it says on the box. Remember those books on baby names and their meanings? This is the same thing, except the pet version.
Overall comment: Most pet owners name their animals after something. I would love to name a cat Sherlock one day. I know someone who named their dog Ford because it was born under a Ford Focus. This encyclopedia of names is divided into species, so you’re able to pick the best name for your little friend. Because who wants to have yet another dog named Spot right? Three clicks out of five.
App name: Pet Phone
App developer: bedaronco
Available on: iTunes, Google Play
Easy to use: For the crazy cat lady who has so many animals she needs an app to keep track of them all. This is a paid app, but it does quite a lot in terms of keeping on top of vet appointments and allergies and things like that.
Overall comment: Overly protective pet parents, this one is for you. You can keep track of everything about your pet on this app, from their weight to their next vet appointment. You can even do a search for the nearest vet to you if you have an emergency. Multiple pets can also be loaded onto your database, so you can make sure you know what’s going on with them all. Four clicks out of five.
