Arrow Electronics is a large (Fortune 500) supplier of electronic components. Arrow assists “Internet of Things” start-up companies by evaluating their products. They examine the design and the “bill of materials” (the list of components to build the product) to make sure that the product is not “vapor ware” and can in fact be manufactured cost-effectively. Arrow has reviewed the PuppComm and certified that PuppTech will be able to manufacture and deliver PuppComms to purchasers in its crowdfunding campaign.

PuppTech, based upon information provided by veterinarians, believes that the heat index (which combines temperature and humidity) provides the best indication of how the heat or cold is affecting your dog – what the dog is actually feeling, and what dog owners want to
know.

We do and it will be about $5-$6 per month. The PuppComm uses a cellular network that charges a monthly fee, and PuppTech maintains a data base in the “cloud” to monitor conditions of all PuppComm users and transmit this data to passersby. The monthly fee covers PuppTech’s costs in providing these services.

The battery on the PuppComm can fully charge in just a few hours. 

The PuppComm's battery is a built-in rechargeable Li-Po battery that cannot be replaced by the end user. You should however never have any reason to replace since the battery should be able to last as long as the unit. 

Yes but the PuppComm works best when it's near your dog and so we recommend using the PuppComm when your dog is in an enclosed space such as a crate, a vehicle or a hotel room. 

PuppTech has worked with TiE Rockies, the Colorado chapter of TiE Global, the largest business angel network in the world. In May 2017 TiE Rockies nominated PuppTech to participate in this worldwide competition, with over 3600 entrants; PuppTech was selected as one of the 50 best. PuppTech’s selection as one of the 2017 Top 50 start-ups shows these business angels’ confidence in the PuppTech management team, technology and market.

Using the PuppComm is extremely simple. When you purchase your PuppComm, you enter basic data about your dog and your communications network configuration in the app and charge the battery in the unit. You can also adjust the default settings to suit your particular dog. You then place the PuppComm in the car; it will automatically transmit data to your smartphone. We recommend leaving the PuppComm turned on at all times, so that you don’t forget to turn it on when you leave the car. The battery indicator will let you know when the
battery is getting low.

The PuppComm provides temperature data and warnings for both hot and cold temperatures. It has default settings that provide alerts when the heat index is within ten degrees Fahrenheit of the “danger” limits. If the temperature drops below the default level of 50 degrees, it will begin sending warnings to the smartphone. As it gets colder, the frequency of the warnings will increase. 

The window stickers provide a unique code that allows passersby to know the temperature inside and outside the car. If a dog appears to be in danger, the passerby can contact the owner (anonymously) to remind him of the conditions and warn the owner that failure to act within a certain time period will result in calling the police or breaking a window.

Currently thousands of dogs die every year in hot cars because owners are not aware or forget how quickly dogs can become endangered when left alone as cars heat up. Dogs can’t sweat or communicate their distress (other than by barking or panting), and the PuppComm allows owners to know not only the conditions in the car but how the dog is reacting to these conditions.

The app can alert you through text messages, emails, and/or push notifications and you can choose how you want to receive these notifications. Instead of just sending you one alert we'll keep sending them as conditions continue to change and you've acknowledged that you've received them. 

Dog owners want to spend time with their dogs, and many places (for example restaurants, shopping centers) won’t let even responsible dog owners bring the dog with them. The real advantage of the PuppComm is precisely when you aren't using it – and you and your dog are together away from home. But since dogs can’t go everywhere you go, now you can take your dog – and always know (s)he is safe and comfortable when you have to stop on the way.

Yes. We have already vets on our advisory board and are working with a number of other vets. We expect to partner with veterinary schools and research institutes to develop more detailed information on in what conditions heat becomes dangerous for dogs and how different breed react to changing conditions.

While we can't reveal all of the secrets about how this work, we can say that our algorithms are based on an animal care and condition developed by vets and used by pet welfare workers to evaluate how a dog is doing. As we continue working with vets and gathering more data about how dogs react to heat, our software will get much smarter at understanding how to keep you individual dog safe. 

While the PuppComm will stop working if the battery dies, the PuppComm will send alerts of low battery levels well in advance of the battery dying so you have plenty of time to go back to take care of your pet. 

Yes, although in our experience, owner take other animals in the car much less frequently. There is, however, no reason that, for example, horse owners could not use the PuppComm in their towing vehicles to monitor the environment there.

NO!! Parents should NEVER leave kids alone in a car (unless they are old enough to understand the danger and free themselves if conditions change). While responsible dog owners encounter many places where they can’t bring their dogs, there is no place that a responsible parent cannot take their child when they leave the car.

Absolutely. The PuppComm can measure heat, temperature and noise anywhere – RVs, tents, hotel rooms . . . anywhere your dog happens to be.

It depends on the laws where you are. Generally, however, where dog protection laws are in place, they provide that it is illegal to leave the dog in a car when the conditions may place the dog in danger. With the PuppComm, dog owners will always know the ambient condition and can react if the conditions become dangerous – and thus, using a PuppComm means that the dog will not be in danger, so that leaving a dog in a car will not be in violation of the law. In our numerous discussions with law enforcement and rescue officers, they indicate that the PuppComm is an excellent solution for the “dog in hot cars” problem and will allow them to respond much less frequently to dog-related emergencies.

The PuppComm is only the first product of a long line of products and services PuppTech intends to offer. For individual pet owners, PuppTech will turn the PuppComm into a platform that will link other dog-related products (for example, video cameras, treat dispensers, dog health monitors) to make the PuppComm into a “Nest for dogs”. For working dog owners, PuppTech will develop software so that military, police and other users can manage multiple dogs in multiple vehicles simultaneously.

The PuppComm connects over wifi when it's available but wifi is not available everywhere, and PuppTech believes that relying on wifi would frequently result in owners not being in contact with the PuppComm and unable to know what’s going on in the car. Cellphone coverage is virtually universal everywhere that dog owners are likely to stop and leave their dogs in the car (shopping centers, restaurants, gas stations). If dog owners are in remote locations (mountains, etc.) and the dog is with them, it’s usually because they want to take the dog with them and not leave the dog in the car.

You can specify emergency and backup contacts who can be available to come take care of your dog in case you can't get to it. In the long-run we're planning on working with community groups and law-enforcement to develop a nationwide network of providers and caretakers who can come take care of your dog in an emergency if no one else is available.

If you want more PuppComms than what is available in our bulk perk then contact us. We’ll be pleased to set up shipping and appropriate compensation arrangements.

You will receive a warning indicating that the PuppComm is no longer communicating with the phone and be able to go back to the car and take care of the situation.