Ever had a pet go missing? Are you someone who is always anxious about what your furry friend is doing at home while you’re away at work? Look no further to keep track of your pet than Wagr, a dog wearable and mobile application combination that aims at being an answer for seamless dog-parenting.
The brainchild of MobiusWorks, a technology company co-founded by entrepreneurs Advaith Mohan, Ajith Kochery and Siddharth Darbha, Wagr hopes to be the solution to everything you need to make your relationship with your pet the best. From everything to keeping track of your pet to alerting you on not missing walks and getting enough sleep as well as uploading photos of your dog on a social feed, Wagr promises to be an essential for pet parents.
Siddharth points out that Wagr is more than just a wearable and an app. “We look at it as an entire ecosystem. There is a lot of infrastructure in place, but none that directly focuses on relationships. This technology will change all that by allowing an individual to build a good relationship with their pet and understand them better.”
The inspiration for this initiative comes from an older story, recalls Siddharth. “Co-founder Advaith lost a cat and a dog when he was much younger. He knew how painful that loss can be. Around two years ago, Advaith and Ajith started some hobby projects together. Around the same time, Advaith also adopted a street pup called Jambi. That’s when Wagr’s idea came up, since he was trying to juggle taking care of the puppy while having a day job.” On how they came together, Siddharth has an interesting musical story. “Advaith and I used to play in a band in college. He now plays with The Down Troddence. Ajith happens to also be a musician who is a relative of the band’s sound engineer, so the three of us have a musical connection as well. After they moved to the same apartment I live in, we realised that we shared a similar passion to make life easier for pet parents.”
The Wagr device attaches onto the dog’s collar or harness, and tracks the pet’s activity and location in real-time. “Wagr constantly informs the owner about the dog’s activities across over a dozen different actions like walking, sleeping and playing. Machine-learning algorithms in Wagr help it learn about the dog and detect any odd behaviour. It also delivers sleep and walk or play summaries, so that walks are not missed. And the best part is no dog will ever be lost again. It’s also easier to connect with the community now and avail services.”
Although they have started off with basic features, over time, Siddharth says, you will be able to do more. “Right now, there is a light social feed with an in-built camera. Later, from understanding how your dog is being treated by a boarding place to being connected with services and the community on the app, the future of Wagr is big. Apart from built-in purchases, bookings and other facilities, you can also join rescue platforms, find vets, do consultations, and help in adoptions – all this in future updates. Ultimately, this will leverage networking between pets, pet parents and pet facilities.”
On the device, Siddharth says they came up with a final prototype that works best as an approximate 4x4 cm unit that goes onto the collar or harness. “A small paste system allows you to tag, add and remove the device for charging. It comes with WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth like a mini-phone.” For the consumer, he adds that it is a very accessible product. “It’s also light and comfortable for the dog and the app is easy to use. The pre-order version is set at Rs. 2,999 and will be finalised soon. Beyond that, there is a small subscription fee, since the device works with a sim card.”
The pre-order campaign goes live on July 26. Visit www.wagr.in for details.
