There aren’t many things in life that can make you happier than buying a pet but taking care of one and making sure it’s leading a quality life can be a demanding task and one that’s not made easier by the fast-paced nature of the modern lifestyle. While you should certainly be responsible enough to not buy an intelligent and demanding companion such as a dog or a cat if you aren’t absolutely positive you can dedicate enough time to meet its needs to socialize, there are many apps that can make the life of a pet owner much easier while benefitting both them and their furry friend(s). With that said, below you’ll find the list of the top ten best Android apps for pets and pet owners which can currently be downloaded from the Google Play Store, listed in no particular order.
Tractive GPS Dog and Cat Finder
Pet tracking services are plentiful on the World Wide Web and the majority of them is available in the form of an Android app so while Tractive is far from the only such solution, it’s one of the most widely praised platforms for keeping tabs on your pet. Regardless of whether you’re afraid your four-legged roommate will get lost or want to find out in which part of the house or yard they’re spending their time while you’re away, Tractive will provide you with all of the data you need and then some, so long as you invest in its lightweight GPS tracker designed to be attached to a pet collar.
VitusVet: Pet Health Care App
VitusVet is advertised as the ultimate app for helping you take proper care of your pet, being able to provide you with a wide variety of tips and advice, in addition to serving as a medical history library for your animal companion that you can always easily access in case of an emergency. Coupled with support for medication reminders and robust exporting capabilities allowing you to share any critical data with your pet sitter, VitusVet is an Android app that’s certainly worth giving a go.
Wag!
Wag is one of the world’s most popular dog walking apps that will quickly connect you with capable dog walkers regardless of whether you’re planning for an uninterrupted afternoon of working from home or had an emergency and need someone to take your dog out in a matter of minutes. All walkers offering their services through the app are certified, insured, bonded, and went through background checks, so you can rest assured that your pet and their leash will be in good hands.
Rover
Rover is Wag’s larger rival and one that offers even more services than just dog walking, with its other flagship offering being pet sitting that isn’t limited to just canines. If you need a dog walker in a pinch, you’d probably do well to check the current prices listed on both apps, provided both are available in your territory. Going forward, many industry watchers are expecting Wag and Rover to merge, though speculation about which company would be the buyer in such a scenario is still rampant; Rover is a significantly larger service but Wag just received a $300 million injection from Japanese tech giant SoftBank and may be preparing for a major shopping spree. Regardless of which service comes out on top, consumers should still be able to count on a high level of quality from both going forward.
Cat Alone 2 – Cat Toy
Have you ever thought of your smartphone as a cat entertainment tool? Developer Galbro claims it can serve as one and has already managed to prove its concept with the first Cat Alone app. Following some overwhelmingly positive feedback, the company is back with another app that boasts even more games for your feline friend to experience and even supports vibrations for an added level of interactivity.
BarkCam
BarkCam is a manifestation of one of those ideas that we’re mad we haven’t thought of ourselves, being designed as a pet-friendly mobile camera catering to people who just love to take photos of their furry housemates but have animal companions that aren’t particularly photogenic. This ingenious app is able to generate plenty of sounds that will capture your pet’s attention long enough to have them pose for a photo and offers a plethora of filters for additionally processing your images before sharing them with your friends via any of the world’s most popular social networks of messaging apps. Alternatively, you can simply use BarkCam as a tool for capturing shots of your pet and export them to other photo editing Android apps.
Puppr – Dog Training & Tricks
Puppr is by far the most critically acclaimed dog training app on the Google Play Store and one that you should definitely try regardless of whether you just got a puppy or want to teach your canine friend some new tricks, which is always doable regardless of what any proverb says. Besides a large library of traditional tricks, the Android app also comes with themed lesson packs you can obtain in exchange for a small fee if you’re looking to teach your pup how to perform something cool and appropriate for the upcoming Valentine’s Day or even a circus.
Pet Clicker
If you know what you’re doing when it comes to pet training and are just looking for a simple mobile tool that will help you with conditional training, Bebep’s Pet Clicker is by far the most straightforward and entirely free Android app for you to use. While nothing is preventing you from getting both, those who are new to pet training are likely to still find Puppr to be more useful as it also boasts an integrated clicker, though it’s designed exclusively for dog training and doesn’t offer as much customization as this dedicated app.
Pet Planner
SirLink’s Pet Planner is arguably the best Android app of its kind which you can download from the Google Play Store, boasting robust tools for keeping track of your pet-related activities. Coupled with support for custom reminders that can help you keep track of any medication you need to administer or walks you have to take, as well as an extremely intuitive user interface, Pet Planner is the only app you’ll ever need for organizing the pet-owning aspect of your life. Better yet, it’s entirely free as it comes with exactly zero in-app purchases.
11pets: Pet Care
11pets is somewhat similar to VitusVet in the sense that it’s designed to serve as the ultimate knowledge hub for people with any kind of animal companions, though its integrated planner is obviously targeted at those who aren’t first-time pet owners and are more than familiar with how pet care should be done. Nothing illustrates the level of detail of this app as much as its medical history feature does, boasting individual support for everything from teeth cleaning treatments and x-rays to blood tests and de-worming appointments. Sure, you could make custom logs tracking the same activities in some other app but why bother if 11pets already offers everything you need in a single package?