Pets Left in a Ruff Spot After Automatic Feeders Go Down

Petlibro, the California-based pet-technology company, is in the doghouse with customers after a service outage that left some of its products inoperable.

In a post on its website, the company said functions were restored and the issue fully resolved Wednesday after apps that connect to its smart devices, such as pet feeders and fountains, were unavailable starting on Tuesday.

“Our team will continue reviewing the incident over the coming days to better understand the cause and identify improvements to help prevent similar disruptions in the future,” the company said in the post.

But customers on the Petlibro subreddit, some of whom have been using the devices to care for their pets remotely while traveling, say they’re still experiencing problems even after contacting the company. That’s concerning for owners who depend on automatic feeders, including models with built-in cameras, to feed and monitor their pets from afar.

“They suggested I troubleshoot the connection, completely ignoring what I told them about being away from home on vacation,” wrote one Reddit poster.

A representative for Petlibro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The first service alert from Petlibro was at 8 a.m. ET on Aug. 11 and read, “We began investigating a service disruption affecting the Petlibro app. Some users experienced difficulty accessing the app or controlling devices remotely. Existing settings and schedules stored locally on devices continued to operate as programmed.”

As the outage continued, some users reported that even devices already set up for feeding were not dispensing food as usual, regardless of communication with the Petlibro app.

A screenshot posted by the owner of a pet named Ralphie appears to show Petlibro’s network malfunctioning the morning of Aug. 13.

The company’s CEO, York Wu, told the website The Verge that the outage was related to the Petlibro app and its online servers, not the hardware products themselves. He told the website that feedings “are programmed directly onto the device and should continue to run as scheduled without an internet command,” and that the company was investigating reports contradicting that information.

In addition to feeders and fountains, the company also makes automated litter boxes and pet cameras. Issues with those products, which use the same app for remote functions, have also been reported on the Petlibro subreddit.