Getting started
Spot a Paw is free. Sign in with email, Google or Apple; a short five-screen tour shows you what the app is for, then you land on the map.
- 1 · Sign inEmail and password, or one tap with Google or Apple. Signing in with the same email later links the accounts — you won't lose anything.
- 2 · The tourFive screens the first time you're in — See it. Spot it. Save it. Smarter. Together. Tap Next or Skip; Help a Paw on the last one takes you to the map. Watch it again any time from Profile → Show me around.
- 3 · You're inYou start on the map. The bottom bar is always there: Map, Paws & Tails, Spot a Paw, My Rescues, Communities.
Spotting a paw
From seeing an animal to a pin everyone nearby can act on.
- 1 · Tap Spot a PawMiddle button in the bottom bar. The report form opens.
- 2 · Add a photo — AI suggests the detailsTake a photo or video on the spot, or choose one from your library. Short videos are fine — you'll see Uploading… while it goes up, and the feed shows a still from the video with a play badge. The app then suggests the kind of animal, how many it can see, what they seem to need and a short description. If no suggestion comes, fill the form in yourself; nothing waits on it.
- 3 · Review and correctCheck every suggestion before you post — a photo never shows the whole situation. Set dog, cat or other, and what they need: food, water, medical, rescue, shelter, or a mum with pups. The pin starts at your location; drag it if the animal is across the road. A line like "black dog, limping, near the bakery" helps a driver find them.
- 4 · Spot it!Nothing is posted until you tap Spot it!. Then it's live in the feed and on the map for everyone within range, marked Needs help.
▶ Spotting a paw — 22s, recorded from the real app.
Can I edit or withdraw a report?
Yes. Open the report, tap the pencil to edit anything — including moving the pin. Withdraw it if it was a mistake or the animal's gone; withdrawn reports stay on your record under My Rescues → Withdrawn.
What if I'm not sure what they need?
Pick Rescue. It's the "someone should come and look" option. Anyone who helps can update the status once they've seen the animal.
Does the AI post the report for me?
No. It only fills in suggestions, and you can change any of them. Nothing is posted until you tap Spot it!.
What if someone already reported this animal?
When you tap Spot it! with a photo, the app checks for a report of what looks like the same animal nearby in the last three days. If it finds one you see that report's photo and choose: Open that report to help there, or It's a different animal to post yours. Nothing is merged, and a match is only a suggestion.
Paws & Tails feed
Home. Three tabs across the top, a filter bar under it, and a counter that tells you exactly how many paws need help near you.
- Spotted PawsEvery open report near you, newest first. All · Needs Help · Help Underway narrow it by status; Filters opens needs, animal type and your search radius.
- The counter"39 paws need your help nearby" is live — it reacts to every filter and to your radius. Tap the distance chip to reset.
- Feeding Spots & Success StoriesThe other two tabs: where the regular feeding spots are (and today's route), and the milestones people have recorded — rescued, adopted, microchipped and sterilised.
▶ The feed: filters and the three tabs — 35s, recorded from the real app.
What do the card badges mean?
Needs help (red) — nobody has picked it up yet. Help underway (orange) — someone tapped Help this Paw. Rescued (green) — resolved, and it's in Success Stories.
Why can't I see a report I know exists?
Check your radius (the distance chip under the filter bar) and any needs/animal filters you've left on. The counter shows how many are hidden by your filters.
Can I search by describing the animal?
Yes. Type what you remember — "black dog with a red collar near the bridge" — and the feed shows reports that match the meaning, each with a short line saying why it matched. A match is a suggestion, not proof it's the same animal.
Helping a paw
Open any card to reach Rescue Status — the report's own page, where helping happens.
- 1 · Rescue StatusThe photo or video, what they need, how far away, who reported it, a map with Open in Maps for directions, and comments from other helpers.
- 2 · Help this PawOne tap says "I'm on it". The card turns Help underway for everyone, your name joins the helpers, and you can leave updates in the comments.
- 3 · Mark it rescuedWhen the animal is safe, mark it resolved. It moves to Success Stories, every helper earns 25 karma and the person who reported it earns 10.
▶ Opening a report — 14s, recorded from the real app.
How do I play a video on a report?
Tap the round play badge — on the feed card, in My Rescues, or on the report itself — and the video opens full-screen with normal controls and a close button. The card only shows a still until you tap, so nothing downloads by itself.
Can more than one person help?
Yes — that's the point. The helper count and names show on the report. Coordinate in the comments ("I've got a carrier, who has a car?").
The rescue map
Everything in one view: spotted paws, feeding spots, your routes, and the vets and shelters within your radius.
- PinsEvery pin wears the colour of what the paw needs, and a blinking dot on it says where things stand — red needs help, orange someone is on the way, green rescued. Tap a pin for a card with the distance and Spot-a-Paw Info.
- Three barsAcross the top: dog, cat, other and the three states. Down the left: what they need, then Vets and Shelters nearby. On the right: Feed Spots, My Routes and Fed today?, which cycles through everything, only the colonies still to feed (red) and only the fed ones (green). Tap a spot for Food Spot Info or Add to route.
- It remembersOpen a card and come back and the map is exactly as you left it — same filters, same place, same zoom. An empty map offers Show all spotted paws and Show all feeding spots to start again.
- RoutesEach saved route draws in its own colour with numbered stops and arrows for direction — so two rounds never get confused.
- Vets & Shelters nearbyTurn it on to see clinics and shelters in your search radius; move the map and it searches again where you are.
▶ The rescue map: filters, feed spots, routes, vets nearby — 33s, recorded from the real app.
The map is blank or grey
Usually location permission or a slow connection. Check Settings → Spot a Paw → Location is set to While Using, then reopen the Map tab.
Feeding spots & routes
For the people who feed the same corners every day. Spots are places; a route is the order you drive them in.
- SpotsAdd a feeding spot with a name, what's usually needed, and a pin. Sensitive spots hide their exact location and hours from everyone except you and verified feeders; the planner leaves out spots you can't see exactly.
- Today's routeFrom My Routes, Add to today's route puts a saved route on today's list — as many as you need. The Today's Route tab lists them, each with Start the route and Remove from today.
- Build one on the flyAdd to route on any spot card — in the list or on the map — then Go to route. The bar at the top shows what's picked; Clear all empties it.
- Check-ins and notesTap Fed today or Seen at each stop so the next feeder knows. Open a spot to post a note, edit its details or mark it No longer here.
What does "overdue" mean?
Overdue against its usual rhythm, based on that colony's recorded feeding patterns — for example, a colony usually logged as fed daily that nobody has logged for two days. A missing check-in means missing information; it isn't proof that nobody fed them. Tap Fed today at each stop so the next person's plan is right.
What if another feeder is doing the same spots today?
When you plan a route, spots already on another feeder's route for today, and not yet fed, are left out, and the planner tells you how many. Those spots show On a route today. As soon as they are fed, or the other route is finished or taken off today, they are back in. Nobody sees who is on which route.
What does the line on each spot mean?
"Fed 5 of the last 7 days · 3 of ~9 sterilised" — the recent feeding record and the sterilisation count people have logged. Counts are estimates, shown as ranges.
Success stories
Follow the milestones people record: rescued, adopted, microchipped and sterilised. Open a story to see the report and its updates.
- RescuedReports marked resolved, with who helped, when, and the karma that went to helpers. Tap a story for the full report and its updates.
- Adopted · Microchipped · SterilisedEach tab lists the animals someone has recorded reaching that milestone. An animal can appear in one tab and not the others — a sterilised street cat may never be adopted.
Write the story of a rescue
When a report is marked rescued, its page offers Write the story. The app turns the report's history — first photo, who helped, how long it took — into a short draft in your language. Read it, check the facts and the names, then Copy it to share. A draft is never posted anywhere by itself.
My Rescues & karma
Your record. Everything you've spotted, everything you're helping with, everything that's been rescued.
- Spotted · Rescued · Helping · WithdrawnYour reports by state. Helping is every report you've tapped Help on that isn't finished yet.
- KarmaYou earn karma three ways: +25 to each helper when a rescue is completed; +10 to the reporter when their report is rescued; and +5 for every stop you fed when you complete a feeding route (once per route per day). At 100 karma your account is verified automatically, so you can see the exact location of protected feeding spots. Your total shows on your profile with paws helped, reports made, days active, and the animals you helped get sterilised and microchipped.
Your profile & impact
Add your photo, choose your display name and see the animals you have helped.
- ProfileTap your profile photo wherever it appears in the app. Your display name, role badge and a line about you sit with it.
- Your Rescue ImpactSix numbers on one panel: Paws Helped, Reports Made, Karma Points, Days Active, Sterilised and Microchipped. Tap any of them to open the list behind it.
- SettingsThe rows under your impact panel: Look & feel (your skin), Language, My Activity (or the Moderation Dashboard for moderators), Show me around (the tour again), Contact Support, Help & Guides, Sign Out and Delete Account.
- Edit profileYour name, a line about you, your display name — in the app the field is labelled cartouche name (12 characters fits best; leave it blank to use your first name and initial) — and your profile photo. Drag and pinch to frame the photo, then Save photo.
▶ Profile, rescue impact, settings, Look & feel and edit profile — 48s, recorded from the real app.
My display name didn't change
It saves as you type — give it a second, then leave the page. If it's still the old name, pull to refresh the profile or reopen the app. If it never updates, write to us with your email address.
Why are Sterilised and Microchipped on my impact panel?
They're the long game. A fed stray is a good day; a sterilised, microchipped one is a life changed. Both count animals on reports you made or helped with that were later marked sterilised or microchipped.
Look & feel — regional skins
Spot a Paw was born in Cairo, so it wears papyrus and Nile scenes by default. It doesn't have to. Pick a look that matches where you are — or simply the one you like.
- Where to find itProfile → Look & feel. The row shows your current skin; tap it and choose another. The change is instant.
- Seven looksEgyptian (papyrus scrolls, Nile scenes), No Frills (flat and plain, easy on the eyes), South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, South America and Africa (earth pigments, savannah light and woven cloth) — each with its own scenery, papers and icons.
- Your location or your preferenceFeeding in Mumbai, Manila, Amman or Bogotá? Choose your region so the app feels local. Or ignore geography entirely and pick what you enjoy — the skin changes only the scenery and papers, never the buttons, your data or your language.
Does it follow me to another phone?
Yes. Your choice is saved to your profile, so signing in on a new device brings the same look.
One screen still shows the old look
Screens you had open redraw as you return to them; the map's pins repaint the next time you open the map. If anything stays stale, pull to refresh or reopen the app.
Will there be more skins?
That's the idea — the artwork is a folder per region, so new looks arrive without an app update. Tell us where you feed and what it should look like.
Communities
The people who answer. Vets, shelters, rescuers, feeders, drivers and butchers — found by badge, by country, and reachable in one tap.
- Join or createBrowse the communities near you, join one, or start your own for a street, a clinic, a shelter. Whoever creates it is its first member.
- Six badgesRescuer, Feeder, Vet, Shelter, Driver and Butcher. The badge says what a community is for, and the row of them at the top of the page filters what you see — they all start on, so tap one to hide that kind.
- Everywhere, or your countryEvery community belongs to a country. The second bar switches between all of them and just the ones where you are.
- How to reach themA community can carry a phone number, a website and an address, so a vet group gives you Call and a shelter gives you Directions.
- Offer meat for collectionA butcher community is a collection board. Any member taps Offer meat for collection at the top, then sets how much with the slider (1–20 kg) and what kind — meat, chicken, lamb or other; the pick-up address (type it, or Use my location); how long it's available — collect within 1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 hours; and whether to Notify the members.
- Who gets notifiedThe members most likely to come and collect hear first; if nobody claims it, the rest of the community is told. A notification never reserves the offer — whoever taps I am on my way first claims it.
- Claim, collect or hand it backEach offer shows who posted it, the address with Directions, and a bar — Ready · On the way · Collected. The pill at the top is yellow when it's ready, orange once someone is on the way, green when collected. Tap I am on my way to claim it, then Picked it up once you have it — or Can't make it to hand it back so someone else can go.
- Withdrawn or expiredWhoever posted it can Withdraw it (top right) until it's collected. If the collection window ends before anyone taps Picked it up, the offer closes and moves to Pickup history as nobody collected. Pickup history also counts who collected and how often — the last 2 weeks, 4 weeks or All.
Reading a post in Arabic or English
Where a community post is in the other language, its translation appears under the original. The original always stays, so you can check names, quantities and pick-up times against what was actually written.
Account & privacy
Community rules
Spot a Paw is for helping animals. There is no place here for abuse, harassment, hate, threats, sexual content, spam, scams, or anything that shows or encourages harm to animals or people. Post only photos you took and are allowed to share. Content that breaks these rules is removed, and people who break them repeatedly are suspended. We have zero tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users.
How do I report a post, a comment or a person?
On a rescue report, tap ⋮ next to Share: you can report the post, report a comment, or block someone. On a community post, tap ⋯. Reports are private, and a moderator looks at every one within 24 hours. You can also write to support@spot-a-paw.com.
How do I block someone?
Use the same menu and choose Block. You stop seeing their reports, comments and community posts. They are not told. To unblock someone, write to support@spot-a-paw.com.
What do you store about me?
Your email, name, optional bio and photo, your reports (with their location and media), your helps and check-ins. Location is only read while you use the app. We don't sell your data. Some service providers process it on our behalf to run the app — hosting, maps, notifications and account emails. See the privacy policy for who they are.
Who can see my reports?
Everyone using the app nearby — that's how help arrives. Your email is never shown; your display name and profile photo are.
How do I delete my account?
Profile → Delete Account. It removes your profile and personal data. Reports you made stay, anonymised, so the animals on them don't lose their history.
I signed in with Apple / Google and see a "different" profile
If the email matches an account you already had, Spot a Paw links them — you're looking at your own existing profile, with the same photo, display name and record. Nothing was lost.
Password reset
On the sign-in screen tap Forgot password; the email comes from support@spot-a-paw.com. Check spam the first time.
Troubleshooting
Sign in with Apple showed an error but then let me in
Apple sometimes shows "could not be completed" when you consent twice in one session. If you ended up signed in, you're fine. If it happens on a fresh attempt, restart the app and try once more, then tell us.
The feed is empty
Either nothing's been spotted in your radius yet (be the first!) or a filter is on. Tap All and check the distance chip.
A video won't play
Open the report and tap the play badge. Videos stream over the network, so a weak connection can take a few seconds. If it's your own upload and it never plays, re-upload a shorter clip.
Location is wrong
iPhone: Settings → Privacy → Location Services → Spot a Paw → While Using and Precise on. Then drag the pin when you spot a paw if it still lands off.
TestFlight says the build expired
Open TestFlight and update — builds expire after 90 days. Your account and reports are untouched.
Contact us
Write to support@spot-a-paw.com — a screenshot and the email you signed up with gets you the fastest answer. For One Tail One Meal, visit onetailonemeal.com.