If Something Happens to You, Who Looks After Your Dog or Cat?
If you live alone with a pet, your dog or cat depends on you alone — and on no one noticing when you can't get home. A safety check-in app answers exactly that gap. With Still OK you tap “all OK” on your own schedule; if you ever don't — a fall, a sudden hospital stay — a trusted person you've chosen is alerted automatically via WhatsApp, SMS and email, with your location, so someone can get to your animal within hours instead of after days. In Germany around a third of single-person households share their home with a pet (IVH/ZZF, 2023). Your dog isn't alone for days. This isn't about expecting the worst — it's one less thing to carry. No pet tracking, no monitoring, GDPR-compliant and ad-free.
How your safety net works
You set a check-in interval — say, once each evening. Before it runs out, the app reminds you to tap “All OK.” If you don't, the trusted person you chose is notified automatically, with your last location, so they can check on you and look after your pet. Nothing happens in between: you actively check in, your animal is never monitored and you're never tracked. Still OK is a safety net, not a pet camera and not a replacement for the emergency services — in an acute emergency, always call your local emergency number first.
Set up your safety net in 60 seconds
- Add one person who could step in for your animal — a neighbour with a spare key, a close friend, a family member — as your emergency contact, and send them a test alert so they know what it means.
- Choose a check-in interval that fits your day, and turn on GPS location so an alert carries your last position.
- Done. Check in with one tap each day. Miss it, and your trusted person is alerted via WhatsApp, SMS and email, with your location — and, on Premium, with your pet-care notes.
What matters when a pet depends on you
- Someone reaches your pet fast — your alert goes to the person you've chosen, the moment a check-in is missed. They're the one who can let your dog out, feed your cat, or take your animal somewhere safe if you can't get home.
- Reached on every channel — the alert goes out by email, WhatsApp and SMS at once, so it gets through whatever phone your trusted person uses, day or night.
- Care notes for the emergency (Premium) — the optional emergency profile has a dedicated “Pets” section. Note what someone would need in a pinch: where the leash and food are, your vet's number, who can take your dog, whether your cat has medication. These notes are included in the alert your contact receives.
- Location only in an emergency — your GPS location is shared only when an alert fires, never as ongoing tracking. Your everyday walks and routines stay yours.
- Ad-free & GDPR-compliant — all data in EU data centres, no ads, not even in the free version. Nothing about you is anyone's product.
A dog and a cat are not the same kind of worry
It's worth being honest about the difference. A dog is the more urgent case: it needs to be let out, fed and walked, and it can't manage on its own for long. If you're suddenly in hospital, the hours matter — which is exactly why a quick alert to someone who can come and walk your dog is the point. A cat usually copes longer with enough food, water and a clean litter tray, so the clock is less tight. But the bond and the duty of care are just as real: a cat still needs checking on, fresh food and water, and someone to notice if days turn into a week. Still OK doesn't pretend the two are identical — it just makes sure that, whichever you have, the right person finds out quickly.
An ordinary evening with a dog at the door
Jonas, 41, lives alone in Dortmund with his dog, Rocco. Most evenings, after the last walk, he taps “All OK” — it takes a second. His trusted person is his neighbour two floors down, who has a spare key and knows Rocco well. One evening Jonas slips on the stairs at work and ends up in A&E, his phone out of reach. His evening check-in doesn't happen. The app reminds him twice; when there's still no tap, his neighbour gets a message via WhatsApp and email, with Jonas's location and his pet-care note: “Rocco — leash by the door, food in the hall cupboard.” She lets Rocco out that same night. Rocco isn't alone for days, waiting.
It's not about expecting the worst. It's about knowing that, if it ever came, someone would reach your animal fast.
Frequently asked questions
Who looks after my pet if something happens to me?
The person you've chosen as your emergency contact. If you miss a check-in, they're alerted automatically — so they can come within hours and let your dog out, feed your cat, or take your animal somewhere safe. The point is that someone finds out fast, instead of no one noticing for days. Talk to your contact in advance so they know what an alert means and where to find what your pet needs.
Does Still OK watch or track my pet? Is it a pet camera?
No. Still OK doesn't monitor your animal at all — there's no camera, no feeder, no tracking. It watches one thing only: whether you check in. If you don't, it alerts a person who can come and look after your pet. The help comes from a human you trust, not from a device pointed at your home.
What if I only have the free version?
The free version already does the essential thing: if you miss a check-in, your emergency contact is alerted and can come to look after your pet. What Premium adds is the detail — the “Pets” section of the emergency profile, where you note where the food and leash are, your vet's number, and who can step in. With the free version, your contact is alerted and can check on your animal; the stored care notes are a Premium feature.
I have a cat, not a dog. Do I really need this?
A cat usually copes longer than a dog with enough food, water and a clean litter tray, so the clock is less tight — that's a fair point. But a cat still depends on you: it needs checking on, fresh food and water, and someone to notice if you're gone longer than a day or two. Still OK simply makes sure a trusted person finds out quickly if you can't get home, whatever animal is waiting.
Will I be tracked between check-ins?
No. There's no tracking of you or your pet. You actively check in, and your location is shared only once, only if a check-in is missed and an alert fires. Between check-ins, nothing is sent and no one is watching — not you, not your animal, not your home.
Does it replace an emergency call?
No. Still OK doesn't detect emergencies or call the emergency services for you. It quietly notices when you don't check in and makes sure a trusted person finds out — for your sake and your pet's. In any acute emergency, always call your local emergency number first.