I always thought that by now we’d have a fleet of faithful robot companions walking our pets and scooping their poop for us. But it looks like that’s still a few years away. Instead, we have turned to our smartphones to be our virtual personal pet assistants — and there are a whole host of doggy devices covering every duty.
But with such a baffling array of apps on the market, which ones are best for you? Here’s our selection of some of the finest.
iSqueek
If you’re forever losing your squeaky toys or you’re desperate for your dog to bite, chew, and devour your iPhone, this is the app for you. Pick from among 18 squeak toy sounds to get your pup’s attention, help with training, or annoy anyone within listening distance. Why splash out on expensive rubber toys when you can pick up a top-of-the-line smartphone, accompanying payment plan, and all the accessories?
$1.99, iPhone
Pet Acoustics
Gone are the days where you’d force your hound to listen to Dido, Rush, or the Dead Kennedys. Pet Acoustics produces music specifically designed for your pets — using frequencies your pup will appreciate. You know how the sound of the vacuum cleaner drives him completely nuts? This app works in reverse, providing soothing sounds that will calm your dog during vet visits, car journeys, or just when he’s being completely insane.
$1.99, iPhone and iPad
Once you’ve got past the stroking, barking, and admiring stage, you might want to squeeze more pointless enjoyment out of your dog. One surefire way is to get your furry buddy to execute a few tricks. This app has a bunch of classic tricks, plus a few more unorthodox ones (doorbell ringing). And to get your mutt to provide endless hours of free entertainment, the app comes with a free Bark Machine, which provides a slew of useful training noises.
99c, iPhone and iPad
Dog Park Finder
After three years of extensive research, the good people at DogGoes have unleashed this ultimate park finder. With thousands of pup-friendly sites listed with maps, photos, and reviews, you’ll never need to have another awkward conversation with your dog about why there’s no trip to the park today. And if you’re outraged because the app missed your favorite haunt, just drop them a line and it’ll be included in future editions.
Free, iPhone and iPad
Fido Factor 1.1
Need to break some bad news to your dog, but want to do it in a public place so he doesn’t make a scene? Fido Factor helps you find pup-friendly locations, businesses, and services while rating and reviewing any hospitable hound-loving locales you happen to stumble across. Stores, hotels, restaurants, and even bars are listed, with new ones added constantly.
Free, iPhone and iPad
Petfinder.com: Adopt Pets
It doesn’t all have to be about squeaking, eating, and back-flipping. If you’re about to embark on one of the most important decisions in your life and bring home a new pet, this app helps you discover adoptable animals near you. There are tons of support, hints, and videos to make sure your new furry friend gets the best start possible.
Free, iPhone and iPad
Dog First Aid
A vital and potentially life-saving app that helps you act fast in a canine emergency. This app’s information, collated by PetMD, provides quick and clear advice to help you identify the situation and provide support until you can get to a vet or fix the problem.
99c, iPhone and iPad
Sometimes it seems as if there are more certificates, forms, and documentation for your pooch than for your car, refrigerator, and smartphone combined. But this app helps you keep track of your pup’s medical facts, microchip details, vaccination histories, and other vital information. And you can send the whole lot to your dog walker, pet sitter, or new veterinarian, so they have the skinny on your puppy in one fell swoop.
Free, iPhone
Petometer
If the daily walk has turned into the daily grind, add a bit of pep to your exercising with this app. Petometer allows you to create a profile of your pup and then tracks how far you’ve walked, your preferred route, the time it took, and reminders of when to go next time. And you can share all this information on the social networking site of your choice — as long as it’s Facebook.
Free, iPhone, iPad, and Android
A cousin of the popular Talking Tom timewaster game, this loquacious pup is an ex-chemistry professor who wants a quiet life, so it’s up to you to engage him. You can prod him, talk to him, and even have a telephone conversation with him. With luck, he’ll reply. And if you get him into his science laboratory, the sparks really start to fly. If you have a desk-based job and miss chatting endlessly to your own dog at home, this may be the game for you.
Free, iPhone, iPad, and Android
Featured Image Credit: Beach Creatives, Shutterstock
