Most pet owners have a plan for what happens if their pet gets sick. Almost nobody has a plan for what happens if *they* do, and there's no one else home to notice.
That's the exact gap Woof was built to close. Founder Arsalan Khodabandelou has described the problem plainly: "If something happened to me on an ordinary day, how long would my dogs be home alone before anyone knew?"
Here's how it actually works now. Woof checks in with you on a schedule you set — a notification, then a text if needed. One tap and your day continues, which is what happens almost every time. If you don't respond, Woof moves down your Safety Network — up to three people with the free tier, six with the paid tier — contacting them one at a time, in the order you chose, until someone accepts. Whoever says yes gets your complete Woof Pet Record: feeding schedule, medications and exact dosages, vaccination history, your vet's contact info, and how to get into your home if you've allowed it.
Worth being precise about what Woof does and doesn't do: the software itself never calls 911, never dispatches emergency services, and never requests a wellness check automatically. If your entire Safety Network can't resolve a situation, the optional paid tier's "Full Support" has an actual Woof staff member review the case and decide what's appropriate — a human judgment call, not an automated trigger. (Note: Woof looked different when it appeared on Shark Tank in 2023, using a physical Bluetooth beacon with automatic 911 dispatch — the current app has moved to this check-in-based model instead.)
There's also Lost Pet Mode, generating a shareable recovery page with a QR code if your pet ever actually goes missing, and a Caregiver Pass for sitters — a private link with exactly the care instructions they need, no app or account required on their end.
The core protection is free, permanently — not a trial. One pet, the full safety ladder, the complete pet record, Lost Pet Mode, all included at no cost. Super Woof ($2.99/month or $29.99/year) adds coverage for up to 10 pets, automatic home/away detection, and the human Full Support tier.
It's a quiet kind of insurance — you hope you never need it, and if you do, the difference is your dog getting fed on time instead of getting found three days later.