Built with Empathy. Driven by Purpose. Inspired by Bailey.
Bailey was a Christmas gift—but not the kind that brought lasting joy.
Just weeks after arriving at her first home, she was returned to the shelter. No behavioral issues. No medical concerns. Just unwanted.
That’s where my wife found her—just 12 weeks old, still a puppy, —confused, unsure, already showing signs of anxiety. We brought her home, and she quickly became part of our family. A bundle of joy, full of life and trust, Bailey didn’t just adapt—she made us whole.
And as she lay beside me during countless late nights of work, one question kept echoing in my mind since we had Bailey:
How can a life this loving be cast aside—through no fault of her own?
That question became the foundation of a mission—one that would take shape over the eight months after I finally had a solution to work on.
From Heartbreak to Breakthrough: Eight Months to Impact
This wasn’t a quick prototype. It became a mission rooted in empathy, built with conviction. Over eight intense months, I rebuilt the system from scratch multiple times. I ran hundreds of simulations, drawing from real-world shelter and rescue data to model the deeply human complexities of dog adoption.
But the challenge went far beyond algorithms.
In the absence of reliable, standardized data on adoptions and surrenders, the process demanded deep research—from international studies to psychological frameworks and behavioral science. I simulated not just successful adoptions, but failures—the painful cases where mismatches led to returns. I constructed detailed adopter personas, accounting for lifestyle, motivation, readiness, emotional state, and more.
Every line of code had to reflect reality—not just theory. This wasn’t just about prediction—it was about understanding the heartbreak that happens when we get it wrong.
The first version of the model? Just 2% precision. Practically unusable. Discouraging, especially with a target of 90%. But not defeating.Because every failure taught something vital.
Rebuilding. Testing. Learning. And then—after a focused 30-hour push over Memorial Day weekend—everything aligned. The model started making the right kind of mistakes. And then, almost everything started going right.
What the Results Show
This innovation now delivers results that meet the complexity—and the heart—of real-world dog adoptions:
- Precision: 96.2%
When the system recommends a match between a dog and an adopter, it’s right almost every time. That means very few poor matches. - Recall: 95.2%
Out of all truly compatible dog–adopter pairs, the system successfully identifies nearly all of them—so the best matches don’t slip through the cracks. - F1 Score: 95.7%
A strong balance between accuracy and completeness—proving it can find great matches and be confident about them. - Accuracy: 95.2%
Whether recommending or advising against a match, the system is right more than 95 out of 100 times. - AUC: 0.993
It can clearly distinguish between a successful match and a risky one—even in subtle, complex cases.
These aren’t just numbers. They represent real lives:
–Fewer mismatches
–Fewer dogs returned
–Fewer families heartbroken
–More lifelong bonds formed
–Fewer dogs at risk of euthanasia
This innovation is now patent-filed—a behavioral intelligence system designed to empower shelters and rescues to place dogs where they’ll truly thrive.
A Broader Discovery: From Dog Adoption to Human Compatibility
While building this system, something unexpected happened.
We discovered that the same underlying logic—empathy, behavioral alignment, lifestyle fit—could be extended to human relationships.
With thoughtful adaptation, the same framework can support compatibility matching for humans as well:
–Dating
–Roommate matching
–Caregiver and support placement
This insight led to a second patent filing, expanding the impact of the work far beyond animal welfare. It turns out that solving one heartbreak can help prevent others, too.
Built with Empathy. Inspired by Bailey.
This innovation isn’t just intelligent—it’s intentional. It’s built on the belief that every dog deserves a second chance, and no life should be lost or returned simply because it was misunderstood or mismatched.
Bailey lay beside me through every version. Every failure. Every breakthrough.
Just a few months earlier, she had been a 12-week-old puppy, rejected and left behind.
She didn’t just inspire this work—she is the reason it exists.
Now her story lives on in a system built to help thousands of other dogs find what she found: a true forever home.
What Comes Next
With the foundation in place and the patent filed, this service will be available to shelters and rescue staff across the United States in the coming weeks.
#LoveFurryFamilyMember #BuiltForBailey #AIForGood #DogAdoption #AnimalWelfare #TechWithHeart #InnovationForImpact
