Maybe you’ve heard of Tinder or other such dating apps. If you haven’t heard of it or never used one it’s really, REALLY simple to explain. First, you download the application, then make an account and get looking. You are presented with a suitor who matches your filters (location, age, hobbies, etc), and if at first look you’re more keen to move onto the next, you swipe left, and another candidate pops up. If you like what you see, you swipe right and hopefully, you match!
This is the mechanism for the subsequent dating apps that Tinder first made famous. It’s been around for a couple of years to encourage romantic connections for humans, until now. The game is changing and it’s giving shelter dogs looking for forever homes a shot at actually getting one.
The app is called GetPet and it was developed in Lithuania by Vaidas Gecevicius, one of the app’s creators. He says, “It is like Tinder, but with dogs. You can arrange a meeting with the dog—a date.” Pretty much, although it’s more one-sided as no dogs will be swiping to match. If you scroll down, more information about the pup becomes visible. Swipe left, and another dog appears. Swipe right and you get to meet the pup!
Right now, the app is so new, it’s only for dogs, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be more animals included down the line. The idea came forth during a workshop when the creators all noticed a stray dog through the window on the street. And now, they’ve got an app for that! It’s an old problem solved with a modern twist. And so far, the results have been worth it.
Elena, a user of the app, remarked that there are lots of stray dogs in Lithuania as well as lots of people who want to adopt, and it’s this app that’s such a great idea because it’s providing a novel solution. Ilona Reklaityte, the shelter’s founder, says that the app increases the chances of the dogs getting adopted which means there are less in the streets, and less in the shelter. More pups are leaving every day as more people are coming in to take a look and ultimately adopt!
Click for a quick clip that shows how a dating app that took the world by storm has now been reinvented for dogs.
