If you're feeling lonely right now, you aren't alone. Millions of people across the world are following the stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Fortunately, Franco Valdes from Charlotte, North Carolina had an idea that might help to alleviate the agony of isolation.
Pet adoption rates are soaring higher than ever, but that doesn't mean you can't use a little help when it comes to selecting the perfect pet for your home.
Petly, launched at the end of 2019, has catalogued over 30,000 animals from 14,000 shelters across the country. All it takes is a simple swipe to the right or left to determine the ideal match. Once users swipe "yes" on a pet, they are connected with a shelter to start the screening process, at which point Petly steps away from the endeavor.
"I love creating things; the planning, execution and final product are what drive me to continue building apps," said Valdes, a lead at digital agency Union with over 10 years of app-building experience under his belt. "I have high hopes for Petly and aim to help as many animals as I can find their forever homes."
Valdes and his wife are dog-lovers who regularly foster shelter dogs. They have two rescues of their own, Homer and Trip. Valdes claimed that the inspiration for Petly was based on the baby-naming app, Kinder, which allows couples to swipe left or right on baby names until they settle on the perfect one.
Petly is different than other pet-finding apps because it has the unique ability to match a pet with a roommate, spouse, child, or partner. Thus far, Petly has over 25,000 animal swipes, and Valdes hopes that the app will continue to grow in popularity as time goes on.