Top 5 iPhone Applications for Animal Lovers

top five iphone apps for animal lovers If you are seeking iPhone apps for pets or animals, you are going to love this guest post:

If there are two things most Americans seem to be in love with right now it is their pets and their iPhones.

Because of this there has been a plethora of iPhone apps created that combine the love of pets with technology.

While there are many downloads to sift through, there are a select few of apps for animal lovers that stand out.

Here are my Top 5 iPhone apps for animal lovers.

5. Relax Alarm Clock Lite

Do you love waking up to the sound of your dog in the morning, or the chirps of your favorite birds outside the window? Thanks to Relax Alarm Clock Lite, you can record those sounds and take them with you to use as a relaxing alarm clock everywhere you may be. Whether at home, on vacation, or in school, now you will never miss your favorite animal’s calling.

4. Off Leash

Every animal needs some exercise, and this app makes finding areas where that can happen a lot easier. Off Leash uses the iPhone’s GPS system to track and mark the locations of pet-friendly parks around your area. Use this app to find a place to let your dog, cat, ferret, or other leashed animals run free without the worry of getting a ticket or worse. This is a must have for anyone who wants to keep their pet in top condition.

3. Pet Notebook

A must have for anyone with any sort of pet. Pet Notebook is a great application that allows you to take and manage photo galleries of your pets. It also lets you keep track of medications, vet visits, and anything else you need to take care of your favorite animal. There is even a section to take personal notes on your animals. All iPhone users with pets should have this app.

2. PetFinder Mobile Application

Perhaps the best way to show your love for animals is to consider adopting one of the thousands of strays who need a loving home. The PetFinder.Com iPhone app provides a database of animals from hundreds of pet shelters and adoption centers around the United States. It provides pictures, information, and tools to make adopting a pet appealing and simple. Show you care by taking an animal under your care with the help of this great app.

1. Be Humane

Whether you have pets or just love animals in general, you need to download this application. Be Humane is the official app of the American Humane Society. It allows you to show support for the AHS, has videos of AHS in action, and provides info on how you can help and a link to give donations easily. Anyone who cares about animals in general needs to download this app on their iPhone and show support for this wonderful organization.

This guest post was written by Louise Baker. Louise is an animal lover and freelance journalist who normally writes about online degrees for Zen College Life.

Bad Behavior from Animal Rescue

animal rescue

Animal rescue and adoption is often a labor of love but it is an area of the animal industry that has always been warped and continues to irritate me, just like many of the aspects of the livestock business have always done.

I ranted about animal adoption nazis last year and noticed that my irritation seemed to rise about the same time it did this year.

There are a lot of ways to get an animal as a pet.

For instance you can

  • adopt from a shelter,
  • obtain from an animal rescue group or breed rescue group,
  • get a pet from a municipal animal agency,
  • buy from a breeder,
  • shop for one at a store,
  • peruse the internet or local publications for a pet,
  • acquire from a private party,
  • be adopted by an animal,
  • find an animal in distress and re-home it.

There are a lot of considerations involved when getting a pet but my main point here is to illustrate the different ways people can obtain an animal so with some many ways to get a pet–why would you make it a saga?

Each way to get a pet has its own unique problems and shortcomings.

Depending on your views, you might think one is better than another–but the bottom line on most of the ways people get pets involves some sort of business practice.

If you want to place animals you need to have business sense AND you need to be customer friendly.

What set me off on this year’s irritation was a particular request for help in placing an animal.

Normally I avoid these like the plague.

Why?

Because nobody ever calls me and says, “Hey, I am thinking of getting a pet. Do you know of any that need a good home?

Instead I get, “I have an animal that needs a good home–know of any that need one?

Plus, truth be told, I am a bit more sensitive that my professional side presents.

When I worked as an adoption counselor I was one that struggled with compassion fatigue and the anger that came from the stupidity of the management whose animal rights views clouded their business judgement and so kept animals in cages instead of homes.

I watched animals deteriorate mentally over time…but I digress.

Anyway, I got a call from a rescue group member who had a neighbor, who had a dog, who needed a new home.

The group is in a rural section of my community and has too many dogs.

They also are part of a larger network and the reason they have too many dogs is that they make it hell for anyone to adopt an animal by all the rules and regulations they impose on prospects–while failing to look at their own situation and the dogs within it.

Their personal opinions and ideas about the idea of re-homing a dog cloud their vision about just what makes a good home. And so, they hang to dogs for eons because of it.

The problem is not the mental health of the dogs since they are happy and well behaved in this situation (which is unusual in many cases) or the care of the dogs (other than they need more  grooming) but the fact that one person cannot manage such a large group of animals adequately.

Beyond that, the neighbor’s dog is slated to end up in a rescue environment.

At the moment he is a charming, adolescent that is not neutered (yet) but who is pretty obedient and well adjusted.

So, after weeks of pleading with me, I broke my cardinal rule–don’t get involved unless they are a client.

Guess what? I found a home.

Guess what else?

The rescue person nixed it right away without investigating, without talking to my referral, without thinking about the animal–she was only thinking about her own ideas and said, “I am protective.”

Geezuhs, get over yourself.

The home happens to be with a business owner locally whose dog is aging and he wants to integrate a new dog before the current one passes away.

The current dog has a ton of dog pals and is always with someone and new visitors in a stimulating enviornment.

She has NO behavior problems and is well behaved, well loved, and well taken care of.

She also sleeps with the caretaker who lives on the premises.

But she  lives the life of a working dog and not a pampered pet in an urban environment.

Anyway, it pissed me off that the rescue gal made a judgement without any further investigation simply based on what she wanted–but what really gets me mad is that I got involved personally when I know better.

*sigh*

Now, as an animal professional (and former adoption counselor) I know the warning signs for a bad placement and don’t believe this situation would be a negative one.

But, my point is that her actions are not unusual for a lot of places and this is the reason I think many rescues have miserable placement and adoption rates.

My professional opinion is that you are not successful when you are unable to place an animal in a home within a certain amount of time.

I recently read about a “successful” placement that happened after six years–seriously, would you call that a success?

Now I certainly would not.

I’d rather see more success as is the case with the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas but one thing is for sure, I won’t be helping the local group any more.

Any other ways you know of to get a pet? Do you know any great animal rescue groups?

Photo Credit: Labanex