Soul Mutt Mobile App for iOS
Built by humans, made for dogs.
Our Mission:
It all started with a question.
How can I empower rescue and shelter volunteers who have dog’s lives in their hands to be powerful, to make a scene, to put something out that causes people just like you to stop and pay attention and adopt with intention?
The answer came to me while I was trying to find a home for Oliver (his name was actually Sunny, but my wife thought he looked more like an Oliver so we went with that ;) ) -- one of the many dogs I foster, photograph, and find homes for. What I found as I scrolled through Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and all the adoption platforms out there, shocked me. There was literally no real information about the dog -- no personality traits, quirks, or positive feedback. But most importantly what I found didn’t inspire me or make me want to share it. It was sad when I was searching for happy and depressed where I wanted laughter. It was just one tragic story after the next.
And while those stories and images all tug at our heartstrings, more often than naught, these kinds of ads end up having the reverse effect. They either cause people to close their eyes and keep on scrolling (how many times have you changed the channel when the Sarah McLachlan “Angel” ASPCA commercial comes on?!). Or worse, these negative ads/images lead to hundreds of thousands of dogs being adopted out of guilt rather than intention and unfortunately being returned back to the shelters when it doesn’t “work out” with the family.
I wanted to spread the joy of the dog because those are things that inspire me and the people with whom I share content with to keep sharing. I believe there’s a better way to grab (and hold) people’s attention, to share information about dogs up for adoption, and better match these dogs with the best possible owners. And that’s quality (happy) content that gets us -- the volunteers, rescue workers, and dog care industry involved in the process in a easy and user-friendly technology way.
And this year, I’ve set out to create an app to do just that! Welcome to the Soul Mutt App!
-- Gary Cassera, Founder & Creator
What exactly is the Soul Mutt App?
The Soul Mutt app is made for dogs but built for humans with one specific goal in mind: get shelter/rescue dogs into the right home for them -- and you!
While most service and rescue workers and volunteers may not know technology, we do. And we have set out to create a user-friendly app that is not only easy to learn and use, but also fun! The Soul Mutt app allows users to add playful accessories (think bowties, fun Gifs, interesting backgrounds!) to their pictures, erase leashes and other unnecessary objects, and snap pics that highlight the dog’s personality so their individuality -- that very thing that makes them right for you -- shines through.
It’s like Instagram for dogs but with a purpose. The purpose? Faster adoption rates; zero return rates. We know it works because we’ve seen it.
After taking better photos of the their adoptable dogs outside, one shelter in Los Angeles saw their average adoption time shrink from 51 days (indoor photos) to 37 days (outdoor photos)!! That’s (almost) a half-month time drop!
When that same LA shelter paired better photos with a fun, uplifting, personality driven description of the dog their adoption time shrunk even further -- 14 days, compared to 43 days for dogs with negative/tragic message.
Outstanding photo + positive, personality-driven description = more adoptions!
And it won’t cost the shelters/rescue organizations a dime. The app is free to download and to use. It’s a win/win situation -- for us and the dogs!
What will it cost rescue/shelter organizations?
Not a cent! We feel rescues and shelters have enough responsibilities pulling them in all directions. We have raised our own capital by taking donations and creating a clothing line - “The Dog’s Side” - where 100% of the proceeds go to support Soul Mutt’s causes, corporate partnerships and sponsorships. Our goal at the foundation is to bring tremendous value to rescues, shelters, dogs and owners!.
How Do You Know It Will Work?
Social media presents a fantastic opportunity to connect more dogs with the right owners. But social media is also a complex landscape, and shelter/rescue organizations need help creating amazing, shareable content for each and every dog they have up for adoption. That’s where we come in. Here’s an example of how our content works.
In just one shelter in Los Angeles, after taking better photos of each adoptable dog outdoors, the average adoption time shrunk to 37 days for outdoor photos, compared to 51 days for indoor photos. After using better photos and pairing the photo with a fun, uplifting description of the dog, adoption time shrunk again to 14 days, compared to 43 days for dogs with negative/tragic message.
Outstanding photo + positive, personality-driven description = more adoptions!
How effective is this use of imagery?
It's tremendously effective. Here are just a few articles that spell it out:
- Speed of Dog Adoption: Impact of Online Photo Traits
- Want to get dogs adopted? Put them in a photo booth
- Great Photos are Important to Dog Adoption
- How Single Photographs Are Saving The Lives Of Shelter Animals Across The Country
So why don’t organizations do this already?
They’d love to! But most don’t have the time, resources & knowledge to do it effectively and consistently. With our Soul Mutt app, shelter and rescue organizations can snap better photos and add descriptions using Mad-Libs style templates for each dog, then upload and share online within minutes. Problem solved. More dogs adopted. We’ve presented this concept to hundreds of Rescue and Shelter Organizations, as well as Venture Capitalists, Big Data Consultancies, Developers, Designers, and other Investors and they all agree - we are really on to something here.
How can I help?
Purchasing The Dog's Side Swag from our store will help support the foundation and development costs of this app. You can also straight-up DONATE. But it's not all about that dolla dolla. You can also support us by:
- Following us on social media and sharing our posts. You can get updates on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK.
- Volunteering! Do you have skills like Napoleon Dynamite? We always need volunteers for content creation, writing, editing, website development, marketing, design, etc. give us a shout and let us know your skillz.
Who is Gary?
An unconventional spirited human who wants to empower you to communicate with your pet -- not just “be their voice” -- so you BOTH can live a complete and happy life! You can read my story and find out more about me here.
When will it be in App Store?
We're working feverishly to get it up asap. Our target is late Q4 of 2018. Every bit of support will help make it happen faster!