Who’d know if I didn’t wake up tomorrow?
Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, as we all know, are the very best of companion dogs. And many of us are seniors, well into what, bluntly, are our final years. How many, we never know.
This week’s series has a focus on our most cherished daily confidants and what would happen to them if the worst befell us. And if we live alone, or have a friend or parent that does, then we/they really must consider them.
We all know the prayer;
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
But I wish to add;
But not before taking care,
That these pups be spared.
And prayers are good, but the good Lord puts so much in our own hands. So, if he took us tonight, who would know?
I have been in such a situation, with a wife in hospice in a nursing home, living alone with three Cavies and two cats. So, I started to look for a way to answer that question. After much Googling and reviewing several options, I found perhaps the perfect one for me.
It’s simple, and it’s free. It’s an app called Snug, short for Snug Safe.
Snug is available for both the iPhone and Android platforms. It’s beautifully elegant in presentation and operation.
You merely assign a time daily that you’d like to have the app “check in” on you. It’s a simple little pop-up that first appears three hours before that time (and a few more if you don’t respond at first) and you just tap it, and the app opens and then tap the large, green-bubbled check mark. And you’re done for the day.
If you don’t check in, it sends texts to the emergency contacts you enter at setup. Straightforward as it gets. And who doesn’t like free?
This free version probably works for most of us, but if you want more features, there is an enhanced version. With Snug's paid plan someone will personally call you if you miss a check in. If you're unreachable, they will call your emergency contacts to confirm that someone will check in on you.
If they can't reach anyone, they will request that local authorities visit your last known location (if you allow the location services of your phone) to perform a wellness check. It also offers the option to check in on you twice a day, maybe perfect for some.
In a time when we are overrun with apps for our phones, few offer so much, so beautifully executed, for so little . . . or nothing.
Please, think of the pups, for yourself or a senior you know.