AZKALS: Revolutionizing Pet Care with an IoT-Powered Smart Dog Cage Management System

Pet ownership offers numerous physical and mental health benefits, transcending age groups. However, pet owners often face challenges caring for their beloved animals, from time constraints to inexperience. Technological advancements have arisen to address these challenges, particularly after the pandemic-induced shift to remote work and increased pet adoption rates. This paper explores the evolving landscape of pet care technology, driven by the demand for pet health maintenance and technological innovation. Traditionally, dog cages were basic living spaces with manual feeding and waste management. A previous study introduced an IoT-based smart cage, which still required significant manual operation. This paper proposes the Azkals Smart Dog Cage System, designed to offer minimal supervision while ensuring pet well-being. The system integrates autonomous waste management, automatic feeding and watering, real-time video monitoring, temperature sensing, and remote cage control via a smartphone application. The Azkal system has successfully met its functional requirements, evidenced by a 100% accomplishment rate during functional testing. The system also receives high user acceptance and satisfaction ratings, with low standard deviations indicating a consistent and cohesive user experience. With Azkals, pet owners can confidently address the challenges of modern pet care, providing enhanced well-being for their animal companions and ensuring peace of mind, even in remote locations.