Animal Attraction

Our pets: they need our affection, love, and attention. But, contrary to our own self-serving thoughts, we’re not all they need. These social creatures need to make other animal friends as well. Enter Playdate, a new Israeli-made app that takes dogs out of the dog park for more one-on-one time with their furry counterparts.

The app is a one-stop service that allows dog owners to connect in a completely new way. Dog owners can swipe through profiles of canines in the area, and set up doggy dates through instant messaging (think Tinder for dogs!) The profiles also feature an accompanying profile of the owner, making Playdate a cross-species social affair.

“One day, while walking my dog on Rothschild Boulevard, after having chatted with several other dog owners that I had never met before, I realized that having a dog was an excellent conversation-starter and a great potential way to make new friends who share similar interests,” says founder Gary Feuerstein on his conception of the app.

With over 40,000 dogs in Tel Aviv alone, Israel is as animal-friendly as it gets. The programmers of Playdate want to capitalize on Israel’s canine culture by connecting dogs and dog owners alike. The app has a not-so-secret dating/social bent, and aims to make connections of both the four-legged and two-legged variety.

Extra bonus features? Users can also share their mini sidekick’s latest adventures on the app’s newsfeed and organize their matches into friend’s lists, offering the best of standard social networking apps. “For me, Israel is like one giant extended family,” says Feuerstein. “People are relaxed, friendly and warm. This distinctive Israeli nature extends to their love of dogs, too.” That’s something to wag your tail about.

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See: Playdate