Why we built Pawcast
It starts with a simple question: is right now a comfortable time to walk our dogs? The story behind the app, the data, and the team behind TeleTails.
It starts with a simple question: is right now a comfortable time to walk our dogs?
Not the air temperature. Not a generic chart. What the walk would actually feel like for our dogs, on our street, at this hour.
That answer did not exist. Weather apps report the air six feet up in the shade. Dogs live four inches off pavement that can run dozens of degrees hotter. So we set out to build the number we all wished we had.
Then there is Rosie
For Clay, our founder, the question stopped being abstract when his dog Rosie crossed ten. A little more sensitivity in her paws on warm pavement. A little more lethargy on the walks she used to bound through. Nothing dramatic on any single day, which is exactly the problem: it happens fast, and it happens quietly. One summer she was pulling him down the block, and what felt like a moment later he was reading her body language on every walk, wondering whether today was a day her paws could take the sidewalk at all.
Dogs can't tell you when the ground is too hot or when they've had enough. They just keep going, because going with you is the whole point for them. That gap, between what they feel and what they can say, is where Pawcast started.
The team behind TeleTails & Pawcast
Pawcast is built by the team behind TeleTails: a founding team with nearly 8 years of work together, plus a veterinary and dog training team we could not possibly improve on: caring pros from all over North America. Collectively: decades spent with dogs, thousands of nose boops, and way too many paranoid pet parents.
Clay Bartlett, CEO · LinkedIn
Dr. Hilary Jones, Chief Veterinary Officer · LinkedIn
Varun Karki, CTO · LinkedIn
This has been more than a year of work, and it is not a solo project. We have an incredible team of vet pros and nurses helping us every step of the way.
What did we do?
We literally traveled North America. On our road trips, birthdays, morning walks, you name it, we were out there measuring ground temperature with IR guns. We looked like lunatics, but these lunatics gathered a massive amount of data: thousands of on-the-ground readings, taken by hand, on the actual surfaces dogs walk on. That work is what makes Pawcast's numbers ours and not just a guess.
What are we trying to do with Pawcast?
Rosie is the reason this exists. But you don't need to tell us twice that Rosie is unique. That's why we need you to personalize your dog's profile. Because Rosie, Mully, Murphy, and Riley each read the same afternoon differently, and the whole point is a number that belongs to your dog: their Dog Feel°. If Pawcast helps your dog have more comfortable days, then it is doing exactly what we hoped.
You get a forecast. Your dog gets a Pawcast.
Meet your dog's Pawcast
We built this for Rosie. It is free to start: create an account, add your dog, and see what today actually feels like for them.
Create your free accountHow Pawcast talks about conditions
A note on the words you will see in this post and in the app. Pawcast™ (weather.pet) describes conditions using three tiers: WITHIN RANGE, CAUTION, and HIGH RISK, alongside a Dog Feel° temperature and a Risk Score from 0 to 100. Conditions are also described relative to your dog's personal band: BELOW RANGE, WITHIN RANGE, or ABOVE RANGE. You will not see absolute promises in Pawcast, in either direction: no wording that guarantees a walk will go well, and no wording that a given moment is risk-free. Conditions are always relative to your specific dog, and your judgment on the ground always comes first.
Educational content, not veterinary advice. This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Every dog is different: breed, age, weight, and health conditions all change what a given day demands. Always consult your veterinarian with questions about your dog's health, and contact a veterinarian immediately if you believe your dog is experiencing a medical emergency. Pawcast's tiers, Dog Feel°, and Risk Score are informational planning tools, not medical guidance.