8 Free Dog Apps to Help With Fostering
A huge benefit of fostering is that it will leave you with much less time to mindlessly scroll through Instagram. However, there’s a wide variety of information and advice just a tap away on the best free dog apps to help you on your fostering journey. These apps are especially useful to download before braving the crowds of NYC for the first time, when you’ll want to be in the know about the hottest dog-friendly spots. So we tested out a slew of dog apps, including the best apps for training, first aid, and even relaxation (for your dog, as well as for you). Here are the eight best free dog apps.
1. Puppr
This is your one-stop app for all things related to training. The app begins with a clicker tutorial for complete beginners. From there, you can explore basic lessons for new dogs, then branch out into even more options for circus, swimming, or silly tricks. You may not have realized you need to teach your dog to jump rope or tell you a secret, but you absolutely do. The app has a very smooth interface, with embedded videos, difficulty rankings, and status updates you can mark when they’re in progress. It also includes links to products to purchase, such as a crate or dog treats. Note that some lessons are locked unless you subscribe to Puppr Premium ($12.99 a month).
Available on iOS and Android.
2. Pet First Aid
This app is a must-download. From the American Red Cross, it covers all aspects of canine behavior and first aid for dogs (and cats). There are the basics on determining your dog’s heart rate, and figuring out if they’re dehydrated or not. Then there’s a robust “Learn” section to tell you how to deal with more serious issues such as burns, car accidents, or frostbite, and a condensed emergency version with the bullet points of what’s most important in a crisis. For preventative practice, there are quizzes to take to ensure you’ll be ready if disaster strikes. This app is a great tool to have, but remember to always consult your foster buddy first if you think your pup is experiencing any kind of medical issue.
Available on iOS and Android.
3. PupTox
Though it has a fairly basic app design without pictures or animation, it’s full of straightforward information. On the Pup Toxicity Reference page, there’s a breakdown of beverages, solids, chemicals, and more, with pages for each determining if it’s extremely dangerous, poison, or an irritant. There’s also a chocolate calculator, where you can plug in your dog’s weight and a chocolate quantity in ounces to see the estimated toxicity and symptoms.
Available on iOS.
4. BringFido
After selecting your city in the app, you can filter to find the best dog-friendly locations of dog parks, dog beaches, restaurants, pet-friendly stores, campgrounds, and more. You can also choose distance and search within the results, which are ranked on a scale of one to five bones, with ratings determined by user reviews. There are also listings of dog-friendly events–the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in Manhattan is always a spooky delight.
Available on iOS and Android.
5. Rover
We'd be remiss if we didn’t mention this app, the world’s largest network of dog walkers and pet sitters. The services offered include dog walking in your neighborhood, or drop-in visits for in-home pet-sitting, if you just need a break to get some work done or attend a Zoom meeting. You can select one-time or weekly repetitions for each. There’s also a variety of boarding options, including staying at a sitter’s home, house sitting at your home, or doggy day care in the sitter’s home.
Available on iOS and Android.
6. Pup to Date
This one sounds like a dog dating app, but it’s really a calendar tool (get the pun?). Registration is required, but it just needs an email and password created to sign up. Once you’re in, there’s a calendar tool where you can add events for your dog’s meals, walks, bathroom breaks, naps, and more. You can view your events as a list or calendar grid, and there’s an option to add a photo to each update, too. It also offers a view of your pup’s overall stats, which is especially helpful if you want to track the quantity of medications administered. You can even add smart reminders, if you want to be reminded to go for a walk 45 minutes after every meal, for example.
Available on iOS.
7. Dog Breed Scanner
Though we removed breed labels for fosters with an unknown background, this app is a fun way to play the guessing game. Aim the app’s camera at your dog or upload a photo, and it will suggest a breed that they could be. It’ll add a percentage of confidence that the breed recommendation is, too. Even though it can speculate on your dog’s history, the app’s most useful feature is the searchable directory of dog breeds that displays the Wikipedia entry for each breed. For instance, did you know that Basenjis like to stand on their hind legs?
Available on iOS.
8. Puppy Therapy
If you’re interested in relaxation training, this is the app for you–and who doesn’t want to be a little more relaxed right now? For dogs, there are looping playlists of classical or piano music with 60 to 100 beats per minute, which has been shown to calm dogs. And this app will still be comforting to you after you say goodbye to your foster dog, if you want to listen to music with a backing track of a puppy snoring (it’s okay to cry along). There’s also an Inspire section with a TikTok-like endless scroll of adorable puppy pictures–and you can submit your cutest photos for a chance to have them featured in the app. Note that some playlists are locked unless you subscribe to Puppy Therapy Pro ($4.99 a month).
Available on iOS.
Finally, honorable mentions go to two paid apps: DOGTV, a YouTube-like station of videos for your dog to watch or listen to, and Pet Monitor VIGI, which transforms your phone and laptop or tablet into a remote pet cam. We also want to shout out AllTrails, one of the best hiking apps out there. It lets you filter hikes by dog-friendly trails, and tells you if they require dogs on leash or not (but remember that Muddy Paws fosters must always remain leashed).
Rebecca Fontana is a Muddy Paws foster. So far, she’s fostered three dogs in NYC.
