Introducing Harlan Pets — An AI Assistant You Text About Your Pet

Here’s how pet questions usually go: you Google something like “how much should a goldendoodle eat,” get a range so wide it’s useless, and end up no more confident than when you started. You ask a friend with the same breed, but their dog is a different age and size. You try an AI chatbot, but you have to re-explain your dog’s breed, age, and diet every single time. Nothing remembers your pet.

You love your dog. The experience of getting good, specific answers about your dog? That part hasn’t been great.

How this started

I adopted a maltipoo named Grover with my wife. We grew up with dogs, but being solely responsible for one was new — and we wanted to get everything right.

That meant a lot of Googling. What should we feed him? Is this behavior normal for his breed? How do we get him to stop pulling on the leash? I tried using AI chatbots for help, but every conversation started from scratch. I’d have to re-explain Grover’s breed, his food, his quirks, his personality. Nothing remembered him.

I kept thinking: why can’t I just text someone who already knows everything about my dog?

So I built it. (More on our story here.)

What Harlan Pets actually does

Harlan Pets is an AI assistant that lives in your text messages. You text it like you’d text a friend — except this friend has deep knowledge about pet care and remembers everything about your specific pet.

Ask Harlan what to feed your dog, and it doesn’t give you a generic answer — it already knows the breed, age, and weight. It gives you specific suggestions and portion guidance. Thinking about switching food? Harlan walks you through a transition plan based on your dog’s breed and stomach sensitivity.

Ask about training, and Harlan knows whether you have a stubborn terrier or a people-pleasing golden. The advice is different because the dog is different — and Harlan already knows yours.

Send a photo of a plant on your walk, and Harlan can tell you if it’s safe. Send a photo of a food label, and it’ll break down whether it’s a good fit for your pet.

Here’s what Harlan remembers about your pet:

• The basics — name, breed, age, weight, personality, and quirks
• Food & diet — what they eat, what they like, portion sizes, any sensitivities
• Training progress — what you’re working on, what’s clicking, what’s not
• Grooming & care — coat type, grooming schedule, seasonal needs
• Everything you mention — Harlan picks up details from your conversations and remembers them for next time

You don’t enter this into forms. You just text naturally. “We switched Grover to Farmer’s Dog last week” or “He’s been great on the leash lately.” Harlan picks up the details and remembers them.

It reaches out to you

Most apps wait for you to open them. Harlan doesn’t.

Harlan proactively sends you helpful tips based on what it knows about your pet — breed-specific reminders, seasonal care suggestions, grooming nudges, and follow-ups on things you’ve talked about. It respects your quiet hours — no texts at midnight — but it stays on top of the things you’d otherwise forget.

This is the part that surprised me most when building it. The proactive messages ended up being more useful than the conversations I initiated. Harlan caught things I would have missed.

How it works

1. Text the number. That’s the signup. No app, no account, no email.
2. Quick onboarding. Harlan asks for your name, your pet’s name, breed, and age — about 6 text messages.
3. Start texting. Ask about food, training, breed quirks, grooming, daily care — anything about your pet. Send photos. Harlan remembers everything.
4. Get proactive tips. Breed-specific reminders, seasonal suggestions, follow-ups on things you’ve discussed.

7-day free trial. $9/mo after. Cancel anytime by replying STOP.

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Harlan handles the everyday stuff — feeding questions, training tips, breed-specific reminders — so you’re not Googling the same things over and over. Learn more about Harlan Pets or just text the number and start your free 7-day trial.