Yapping and Apping: Our Favorite Pet Apps

By Kim Legocki

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My favorite cartoon shows a diner asking the server to wait while he checks into Yelp, FourSquare, Facebook, etc…  Like saying grace, I’m unable to eat a meal until I have checked in. We love our apps, but do you have any favorite dog apps?  We’ve compiled a list of free apps to test with your pooch. If we missed your fave, post a comment so that we may include it in a future story.

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Fido Factor (free)

Android: Not yet available.

iPhone: Click here to download.

A local SF company offering a quick and easy way to locate dog-friendly places, parks and services while on the go. Coverage is still limited to about 24 metropolitans regions but their database is growing quickly thanks to a dedicated community of users.

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Dog Friendly (free)

Android: Click here to download.

iPhone: Click here to download.

Users of dogfriendly.com or readers of their books know that they are a great travel resource for finding dog-friendly hotels, B&Bs, vacation rentals, campgrounds, attractions, outdoor restaurants, shopping centers, stores, beaches, parks, off-leash parks, ferries and transportation.

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Squeaky Fun Time (Android -free) or Dog Toy Prank (iTunes – free)

Android: Click here to download.

iPhone: Click here to download.

Need a quick way to distract your barking pup? Quick… download a squeaky toy app. I swear by the Squeaky Fun Time which offers dozens of different squeak toy sounds.  Not only does it get Josie to stop yapping, but it’s a great way to get her attention when taking a photo.  Dog Toy Pranks for iPhone takes it one step further.  Use the countdown timer,  hide your phone and let hilarity ensue.  During the prank, your iPhone looks as if it’s innocently turned off.

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Tick Finder (free)

Android: Click here to download.

iPhone: Click here to download.

Download this app before your next hike. Created by Schering-Plough Animal Health, this app provides a simple interactive map which displays tick infested areas reported by others users. You can also warn others about tick infestations that you uncover in your area.

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Off Leash (free)

Android: Click here to download.

iPhone: Click here to download.

Created by Eukanuba, Off Leash can pinpoint the five parks closest to you. Select the park you want and the app will map the driving directions.  They update the database every 2-3 weeks.

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iPetFinder

Android: NOT YET AVAILABLE

iPhone: Click here to download.

Ok – this one isn’t free but it does search the petfinder.com database with over 300,000 animals including dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, reptiles and birds. You locate animals near your location. This one hits close to home because we adopted Josie poodle through petfinder. The app creators donate a portion of the proceeds from each sale to a national, non-profit 501(c) (3) foundation.

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Hungry Pet

Android: Click Here to Download.

iPhone: NOT YET AVAILABLE

We know chocolate is bad for fido but did you know that raisins and Macadamia nuts could also be trouble? This app allows you to look up the health impact of common foods on both dogs and cats.  The best part is the automatic location detection (via GPS) for fast access to nearby veterinary and animal hospital.

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Did I forget your favorite dog app? Comment below and I’ll be sure to give it a shout out in a future blog or newsletter.

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SOMA resident Kim Legocki works as a social media director at a local university to pay for dining and city adventures with her hubby and poodle, Josie.  She and Josie are also the new SF community “yappers” for Yapsie.com, a new start-up focused on bringing together dog lovers and locally-owned businesses. Register on the site to receive their bi-weekly SF dog newsletter and join them at the Yapsie SOMA Pupcrawl on August 13^th.