FitBark Devices to Be Sold in Target Stores

Kansas City’s FitBark has just landed a major deal: Its device is going to be available in nearly 1,800 Target stores.

The company has created a dog activity monitor (shaped just like a dog bone) that can be attached to a pet’s collar. Owners can then use their smartphones to track how much exercise their pooch is getting.

Target is going to be selling FitBarks as part of its new Connected Home section, which will feature “smart home” and “Internet of things”-style products.

FitBark is a graduate of the Sprint Accelerator for mobile-health startups. Thinking Bigger Business featured the startup in its Big Start column last year:

“It’s building an experience that helps us understand our dogs better, so we can take better care of them,” said FitBark CEO Davide Rossi. “We want to know exactly what’s going on with our dogs.”

FitBark monitors a dog’s movements and relays pertinent data to a smartphone or other mobile device.

“Is my dog having a normal day?” Rossi said. “Or maybe he’s lethargic and getting three extra hours of rest—that means he might be sick, right? How are things changing week after week, month after month? Where does my dog stand compared to other dogs of the same breed? We just want to remove the guesswork.”

The data can also be shared with veterinarians, who can remotely monitor what’s happening with a pet after surgery.