Service dogs provide much needed assistance for those struggling with physical or mental disabilities. They are specially trained to constantly watch out for us and to remain alert at all times for the sake of out health. However, because of this, many service dogs do not outwardly express their emotions as regular dogs would. They must be obedient and disciplined to cater to the owner’s needs. Because of this, some owners can feel disconnected from their service companions by not being able to understand how their dog feels. Furthermore, in the event that the dog should run away or feel ill, the owner would be left feeling vulnerable.

 

For all the compassion that dogs show us, we must show the same level of care for them. We are designing a collar that will help monitor their behaviour so that we can cater to their in order for them to work effectively in service of their owners. Such behaviours include:

 

- Tracking the number of steps the dog takes in order to ensure it is getting proper exercise.

- GPS tracker that will not only monitor the dog’s location, but also show where you have travelled with your companion.

- A heart monitor to keep track of your dog’s physical health.

- A sleep tracker that will monitor the dog’s sleeping pattern to ensure It is well rested for the next day.

- A hunger and thirst meter to show when your dog needs feeding.

 

The collar will be paired with an application on the owner’s phone or tablet that will help monitor these traits and alert the owner with notifications about relevant information e.g. when to feed the dog. 

For those with physical disability, the app can also feature a text-to-speech function where the owner can call out certain commands and the app will subsequently call out the relevant information.

Age: 28 years old

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Irish

Education: Further Education Degree

Professional Background: Self-Employed

Tool Use: Needs

Motivation: His service dog

Looking to do: Understand his service dog's health better

Needs: Wants to keep track of his dogs step intake and monitor his activity

Where is this person getting their information?: Dog Walker

Age: 17 years old

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Irish

Education: Secondary School

Professional Background: Student

Tool Use: Needs

Motivation: New dog owner

Looking to do: Help take care of his dog

Needs: Wants help with keeping track of his new dogs needs

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Age: 66

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: Caribbean

Educational background: Leaving Cert

Professional Background: Retired

Tool Use: Needs

Motivation: Taking care of her dog

Looking to do: Keep track of her dogs food and water intake

Needs: A food and water tracker and checklist

Where is this person getting their information?: Her family

Age: 25 years old

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: English

Education: Bachelor's Degree

Professional Background: Animal Shelter

Tool Use: Needs

Motivation: Dog at the shelter

Looking to do:  Keep track of new dog's health

Needs: Wants to keep track of the dog’s sleep pattern and heart rate

Where is this person getting their information?: A volunteer at the shelter

Age: 30 years old

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: Dutch

Education: BA degree

Professional Background: Guidance Counsellor

Tool Use: Needs

Motivation: Her first guide dog

Looking to do: Help her take keep track of her dogs whereabouts and health

Needs: An app that will help her keep track of his food and water intake

Where did this person get their information?: A colleague 

Margaret is concerned that her advanced age is impairing her ability to properly care for her dog, as she is not only limited in her mobility, but her memory is also not what it used to be, and she can sometimes forget to feed her pet.

Margaret wants a tool to help remind her of when to feed her dog, and also keep track of his whereabouts. Additionally, she wants a way to keep in contact with her family in the event that either something happens to her dog, or something happens to her.

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