BarkUp app to silence nuisance barking dogs

27 September 2018

PROBLEM barking dogs could soon be a thing of the past if a new app is widely adopted to manage and report the perennial neighbourhood nuisance.

Ipswich City Council has entered into an agreement with the Aaron Brand, the developer of BarkUp, an app which allows for complaints to be lodged and managed through a smart phone.

Last November council hosted a Hackathon, or problem solving weekend, at Fire Station 101.

Acting Chief Operating Officer of Health, Security and Regulatory Services Kylie Goodwin said Aaron won the event and has since been provided with guidance through mentoring, business legal advice and the opportunity to network his idea to a broader developer and business audience.

“With council’s support Aaron attended the high tech Myriad Festival to help boost his business acumen, to scale up the business and to potentially go national and international.

“On this journey he has also been supported by Fire Station 101 and the Queensland Government’s Advancing Regional Innovation Program,” she said.

Developer Aaron Brand was working as a mechanical engineer until recently.

He said web development was a hobby until he attended Fire Station 101.

“Attending the Myriad Festival as part of winning the Hackathon was excellent.

“It had a really good atmosphere. I found the start-up community very supportive from all levels.

“People are really open to share.

"Future development of BarkUp will be user led. The direction it takes will depend on feedback.

“Roughly 40 per cent of Australian households have dogs and there can be simmering tensions about barking dogs.

“This application gives residents the opportunity to address barking dog issues without having to go to council."

He added the application was web-based but mobile friendly and that apps would be the next phase.

The official launch of BarkUp was held at Ipswich Civic Centre on Thursday September 27, 2018.

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