IoT Applications for Pets

The stakes are high in the development and implementation of IoT solutions. Whether you’re tracking vehicles, monitoring water tank levels, or directing your driverless tracker, there’s a vested interest in things going right. But at the end of the day, it’s just business, isn’t it? 

Now, the stakes are even higher as we introduce IoT solutions to our nearest and dearest: our pets. While they may be our cuddly companions, they are also assets to be tracked and churn out data to be captured. Below we explore several applications of IoT in pet care.

Pet Tracking

When a pet goes missing, the worst comes to mind: did the pound pick them up? Did they stray too far from home and can’t find their way back? Were they hit by a car? It’s a high-stress experience for any animal lover. 

Smart collars are the answer. A smart collar goes around your pet’s neck like any normal collar, but its bells and whistles do more than just jingle. They contain GPS tracking  technology in conjunction with Wifi or cellular data, and allow owners to view their pet’s location on a desktop or mobile app.

Pet Tech Lab reviewed the Best Smart Dog Collars With GPS Trackers 2018, and included insights on desirable features like if the collar is chew-proof, Wifi controlled, gentle, etc. Top notch models even come with a camera, giving you a dog’s-eye view of what your pal is up to. 

Found Pets

If you’ve found a pet wandering the streets and taken it to the shelter, what happens next? If it’s your dog or cat that’s escaped, your worst nightmare is that once at the shelter your pet is either adopted out or put down because you didn’t find them in time (and shelter employees have the same fear). 

Pet facial recognition is a new step in reuniting animals with their families. Finding Rover has begun a partnership with the Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter and uses intelligent computer algorithms to identify your pet out of a database of uploaded pet photos. Owners upload a photo of the lost pet to an app, answer a few questions about the animal’s physical appearance and then review photos of all found pets that best match theirs. In testing, the software was correct in identifying which pet was in the photo 98 percent of the time; since 2013, Finding Rover has helped reunite 15,000+ pets with their families.

Looking after Our Furry Friends

Your furry friend may be safely tucked in at home, but you still worry about their well-being. The urgency of getting home to make sure they’re fed can be a drain on owners and stressful for the pet if they have to wait until 5:01 for their 5pm dinner.

Companies like Wagz are raising the bar with smart feeders. Rather than just spit out kibble when the timer goes off, the Wagz Serve Smart Feeder is complete with sound alerts to let your pet know it’s feeding time, an HD camera so you can watch your friend feast and a monitor that automatically reorders pet food when supplies are getting low. While you’re out late at a fancy dinner, Fluffy is probably getting the better table service.

Caring for Our Pets With IoT

More than ever, pets are considered important and valued members of the home. They serve to bring joy and relieve stress, not amp it up. IoT solutions are evolving to ensure man and woman’s best friend is cared for even when you’re not around, giving you the peace of mind that at the end of a long day your four-legged family member is there to greet you at the door, with a full belly and a wagging tail.