Designing a smarter safety platform for pet owners

In the UAE, lost pets are a real and recurring problem. Where My Paws At came to us with an idea for making it easier for pets and their owners to be reunited, using technology to connect pet tags, owners, vets and the wider community.

What started with a simple question — what happens when somebody finds a lost pet? — became a much broader platform built around pet ownership.

We worked with Where My Paws At to turn that idea into an app for iOS and Android, creating the technology behind everything from connected pet tags and lost-pet alerts to memberships and rewards.

A traditional pet tag only works if the information printed on it is useful and up to date. Where My Paws At wanted to make that connection smarter.

Each WMPA tag needed to link a physical pet to a digital profile that its owner could manage through the app. If somebody found the pet, they needed a quick way to identify them and get in touch with their owner.

But finding a missing pet isn't just about the person who happens to find them.

The bigger opportunity was to create a network around each pet. When one goes missing, the platform could actively tell people nearby to look out for them, turning the WMPA user base and participating vets into an additional set of eyes on the ground.

Alongside the safety features, the app needed to become something pet parents had a reason to keep using, with memberships, subscription tiers and discounts from pet-focused businesses across the UAE.

Connecting a physical tag to a digital identity

At the centre of the platform is the WMPA pet tag.

Owners can connect a tag to their account and create a profile for their pet, keeping the important information associated with them digitally rather than relying entirely on what's physically printed on a collar.

If somebody finds a WMPA-tagged pet, the tag provides a route back to the owner and gives the finder what they need to help reunite them.

Because that information is managed digitally, the relationship between the tag and the pet can evolve without replacing the physical tag itself.

Turning a missing pet into a community alert

We built the lost-pet system to go further than simply waiting for somebody to scan a tag.

If a pet goes missing, its owner can raise a lost alert through the app. That alert can then be distributed across the WMPA network, notifying other users and vets and getting the pet in front of more people who may be able to help.

It transforms the app from a digital pet profile into an active network.

The technology is there when something goes wrong, but importantly, it doesn't rely on people remembering the app exists only when their pet is missing.

Giving pet parents a reason to come back

Alongside the safety features, we built a wider membership platform for pet owners.

WMPA members can access discounts and benefits from participating pet businesses directly through the app, giving the platform everyday value beyond its lost-and-found functionality.

We also developed the subscription and membership system behind this, supporting different tiers and benefits as the WMPA offering grows.

That combination was important: the more useful the platform is day to day, the stronger the community becomes — and the more valuable that network is when a pet actually goes missing.