Finding reliable and affordable pet care is surprisingly hard, especially in cities like SF and NYC where sitters can cost $95/night or $1,000+ for a week. Even then, paying more doesn’t necessarily mean a better experience for your pet—-because at the end of the day, the sitter is still a stranger. We’ve found that many pet parents, ourselves included, prefer asking friends or neighbors instead. There’s already trust, and our pets feel more comfortable with familiar people.

The idea started when Jenny posted on a local forum looking for local “pet-sitting mates.” Dozens of people responded, and within days, a group chat formed with 70+ members. Because we all volunteer at animal shelters, we knew that people love to care for pets for free; some even pay to volunteer. It became clear that this wasn’t just a one-off request—-pet parents were actively looking for a better alternative to traditional pet-sitting services. So, an idea of building an app came to mind.

We discovered that most pet-sitting platforms follow a marketplace model, where pet owners hire sitters, which can be expensive and doesn’t necessarily ensure a good experience with the stranger sitter. We’re taking a peer-to-peer approach, where pet parents connect directly with others nearby to exchange pet-sitting help.

We built Pawsible using a React Native (Expo) frontend and a Firebase backend. Initially, we implemented a swipe-to-match system, but user feedback showed that it slowed down connections. We then switched to a grid-based discovery model, allowing users to browse all nearby profiles and send pet-sitting requests directly. This change reduced time-to-match and made coordination more straightforward.

For trust and safety, we’re introducing required background checks and optional facial recognition for identity verification. We also plan to roll out AI features to improve matching—such as an AI agent that recommends potential pet-sitting mates based on user profiles and needs.

If you’re a pet parent like us, or simply an animal lover, we’d love for you to give Pawsible a try! We look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts, feedback and ideas!