Siwalu Software GmbH makes a family of AI image-recognition apps, Dog Scanner, Cat Scanner and Horse Scanner, that identify a pet’s breed, including mixed breeds, from a photo rather than a costly and slow DNA test. The company cites 28.5 million app downloads and 1.92 million animals identified a month across the apps, and it has partnered with Snapchat to bring dog-breed recognition into the Snapchat camera. Later updates added a social feed for sharing results and a gamification layer likened to a well-known location-based game, and a related business and API offering lets other companies license the recognition technology.
Breed identification from a photo is a probabilistic estimate, not a substitute for a DNA test when a definitive answer matters, such as for a breed-specific insurance policy or a legal question about a dog’s breed, and the app itself frames photo scanning as the faster, cheaper alternative rather than a fully equivalent one. The company’s website footer carries a 2023 copyright, but the Dog Scanner app itself was last updated in July 2026 according to its App Store listing, with a 4.63 rating from more than 36,000 US reviews, so the apps are still actively maintained even though the marketing site looks dated.
The core scanning apps are free to download; specific in-app purchase pricing for extended features is shown in each app’s own store listing rather than on the company website.
