Screen saviour

The overdue and feed section of the app

The hunger crisis has been a long-standing one and in the recent past, we've only seen it take a turn for the worse. Stray animals, dependent on feeders, were also affected by the lockdown. Having always been dedicated to animal welfare, Kharghar-based architect Swapna Joshi took to the streets to regularly feed stray dogs, when an observation struck her. "I realised that while strays in some areas were being fed multiple times, others were going hungry," she says.

Stray dogs are often found in pockets. And so, Joshi decided to launch an app to facilitate feed tracking. While she outsourced the software development, the framework for it was laid down by her, with the encouragement of her husband and brother-in-law. Canine Buddy will be available on Google Play Store this week.

"The objective of this app is to ensure that no stray dog goes hungry and that resources of volunteers are optimised, since they spend money, too," Joshi maintains. The app is limited to Kharghar currently but the model can be extended to other areas with the help of volunteers who are willing to provide data on their feeding areas. "The app uses various sectors of Kharghar and then drills down to the specific spots where strays are fed. So, you click on a sector and obtain results for feeding spots, which is essentially data collected from volunteers," Joshi informs.

While tracking feeding activity is the primary feature of the app, it marks overdue areas, too i.e. if dogs have not been fed for 24 hours, the area is highlighted. In addition, there's a supply page for people who wish to donate food as well as a blank wall where people can leave a message to inform something of concern. "For instance, if I'm not a regular feeder but happen to spot an injured dog, I can leave a message with the details along with a photo," Joshi elaborates, adding, "In later stages, I plan to release features on shops for animal supplies, neutering agents and vets to form a complete ecosystem in service of our canine friends."

Log on to Canine Buddy on Play Store Call 9820095048 (for queries regarding the app)

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