The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
A dog’s life: fitness trackers help put fat pets on a diet
PRAGUE » When Czech entrepreneur Robert Hasek began jogging with his dog, Darwin, the threemile runs were making the bull terrier sick with fatigue.
Hasek was surprised, thinking his dog led a healthy lifestyle. To solve the mystery, he strapped a Fitbit to Darwin and discovered he was actually only active in his presence. Otherwise, Hasek says, “he is lying, sleeping and doing nothing. He’s lazy!”
The businessman sensed an opportunity and developed one of the world’s first dog fitness trackers. His product is part of a growing industry of gadgets for pets that includes GPS trackers, automatic feeders, ball throwing machines for dogs to fetch, and selfcleaning litter boxes for cats.
People in the U.S. will spend $72.1 billion this year on pet products and care, up 3.6 percent on the year in an industry that has grown steadily since the mid90’s, according to the American Pet Products Association. Worldwide spending in 2017 was $109 billion dollars, according to Euromonitor International.
Hasek first sought funding on Kickstarter and then reached out to private investors. He moved to San Francisco for three months, tracked down Czech manufacturers and a customer service subcontractor.
Two years later, production and sales of the Actijoy fitness trackers have begun, with one unit costing about $300. On top of the GPS tracking device that a variety of pet collars already offer, it tracks