A company for pet owners started by pet owners

Vacationing as a pet owner should be stress-free. Not all places are pet-friendly, and that’s okay. Instead of searching for the place, find the person. Pet sitters are around for a reason -- to provide your furry loved one with a love and comfort while you’re away. But, how does one find a pet sitter? It can be a hard task, especially if you’ve just moved to a new area or are a new pet parent. It can also be stressful because you want to be sure that your furry friends are in the right hands – so how do you make sure that you’ve placed them in the best possible care and go on your vacation worry-free? Thanks to the work of two software engineers, they’ve masterminded a solution to this problem.

Roy Stein and Bill Rebozo, co-founded BabelBark, an innovative start up that hopes to create an online pet community. The company began as an app they used to keep in contact with their pet sitters while they were on vacation. They could monitor their pets while being worry and stress free. The app gained so much neighborhood popularity that the duo decided to open it to the public.

“I believe the smart use of technology can help our pets live happier and healthier lives, and I want to use my lifelong software experience to give them a voice,” said Rebozo

Owners can keep the logs of their pet’s health and medical history on the application, including various information such as diet preference amongst other things. From allowing owners to record their pet’s weight and activity levels and ensuring their pet is faring well, it can also remind owners of upcoming appointments, help store essential information such as its microchip number, allergy records, and information relevant to your pet but the company is essentially three facets.

First, is BabelBark, the part of the community where pet sitters and pet owners can connect and build trusting and lasting relationships that benefit everyone. It is a platform for both sitters and owners to familiarize themselves and is also where owners can vet potential candidates and hire them.

To fully integrate an online community of pet lovers, the owners of the company decided to add BabelVet. BabelVet connects veterinarians and vet clinics with local pet owners so they can make sure their pet is always the healthiest it can be. They will have access to your pet’s medical history, and there’s no chance of either party accidentally losing the pet’s medical card. Everything will be synchronized and the data will be kept perfectly safe.

After the original launch, they expanded the application and website to include BizBark, a section that showcases the business available that be beneficial to pet owners. It can also be utilized by both businesses and shelters. Pet stores or groomers can better schedule appointments or even remind you to pick up your pup’s monthly supplements or food. Shelters can use the app to keep track of their adoptees and share information about them. Evidently, there’s a constant stream of information being fed back and forth, keeping everything streamlined and clean.

Stein said, “There’s never been a better way to link everybody in a pet’s life. BabelBark is the only digital platform that brings everyone in a pet’s life together, because BabelBark links to BizBark for pet businesses + shelters and BabelVet for veterinary hospitals + clinics. So, everyone’s on the same page when it comes to care because everyone’s viewing the same profile.”

Their continued success can be attributed to a number of reasons, but the main ones are funding and generational shifts. This type of service wouldn’t have been as a popular event a decade ago. Because millennials are actively choosing to hold off on having children and are getting married later in life, they are shifting their focus toward pets and giving them the best care they can, essentially treating them like their own children. This in itself is a demonstration of how responsible and dedicated they are to providing the best for those under their care.

Millennials choosing pets first over having children doesn’t mean they aren’t still taking on responsibility. If anything, they are looking for luxury pet items and top-notch services, and that is something that BabelBark can offer them. Through continued funding and pet owners opting to pay for the service, the company will continue to grow and succeed in their market. Because they are the first of their kind in the market, they have a huge business advantage over the competition. Business aside, the company was started for pet owners by tech savvy pet owners, and that alone demonstrates the values of BabelBark and the dedication to clients.

It is believed that BabelBark will continue to grow, as the awareness of what a pet needs in order to thrive, grows. Studies have shown that having a dog is not as simple as giving it a roof over its head and feeding it once a day. Dogs have to be stimulated through routine, training and exercise. They are happiest when they can roam the entire day and come home to a warm meal, as pack leader Cesar Milan has mentioned numerous times, dogs are pack animals and owners have to take on the role of the alpha in order to give their dogs a fulfilled life.

Back in the day, a dog was treated as just a dog. Raised for their looks and what it means for the family’s status. However, today, a dog is seen as a family member and in some cases, a child. There are millennials who have completely forgone the idea of having children due to personal reasons – from financial ones to the problem of overpopulation – and are happy to adopt dogs from the shelter for companionship and to baby as they would have if they had a child.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.