Where Wag truly shines is the experience of connecting you with a walker. You can book a specific date and time in advance or summon a walker as soon as possible, and the app will match you up with someone who is available. When I chose to book a walk immediately, a walker showed up at my door to fetch Max about 30 minutes later.

The Wag app includes the ability to follow the walk in real time on a map. My walker even sent short videos of the walk and marked wherever Max relieved himself — a superfluous but strangely satisfying feature. After the trip was completed, I received a report card summarizing the length of the walk and Max’s behavior. I paid $30 for the 30-minute walk, including a $5 tip that I added through the app.

DogVacay is an app that lets you board your dog at a person’s home rather than a traditional boarding service. Hosts name their price and you can search for them based on their location and dates of availability. It took one try to find a host who could board Max for a day, and the overall experience was smooth. After booking and paying $60 for the boarding, I dropped Max off for his slumber party.

While testing Wag and DogVacay, I found the pet GPS tracker Whistle to be a useful tool for making sure dog walkers and sitters were actually doing their jobs. (Call me detail-oriented.)

The $80 GPS tracker fits snugly around a pet’s collar and communicates with a smartphone app that displays the pet’s location on a map. The gadget also logs the amount of time a pet is physically active, similar to a Fitbit. Using Whistle, I was delighted to see that my DogVacay hosts spent over two hours playing with Max in Buena Vista Park.

Subpar Pet Tech

Pet owners can immediately cross these items off the list: pet cams, automatic food dispensers and the app Rover.

The webcam I tested, Petcube, includes a Wi-Fi connection and a built-in laser pointer. When you view the live video feed of your pet through the app, just tap wherever you want the laser to land. Presumably your pet will chase the laser, so when you are procrastinating at work, you can remotely play with your furry companion.