‘I always wanted to know what my rescue dog was thinking, so I invented an AI app to translate for me’

Maria Makarova never set out to become the co‑founder of a start-up, she just wanted to understand her anxious rescue dog Riley better.

Almost seven years ago, she adopted the nervous pet from the Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home, but Riley’s nervy reactions left Maria feeling helpless.

Those struggles eventually inspired her to create an AI‑powered app to help herself and other dog owners decode their dogs’ behaviour.

Now living in Forres, Maria set up Tailo with co‑founder Dan Ives and user‑behaviour specialist Yana Varanakov.

The platform is designed to help dog owners better understand and manage their pets’ behaviour.

Owners can upload videos, which the AI then analyses frame by frame to detect posture, body language and early stress signals.

It aims to help busy owners stay consistent with training when juggling work and family using ethical, practical and science-based technology.

‘I felt very guilty, I didn’t think I was doing the right thing for my dog’

Tailo recently won the top prize at the UHI Business Competition to develop her business, securing £1,000 in cash and a further £2,000 in legal and accountancy support.

She said: “When I rescued Riley, she was very anxious and reactive.

“I went through multiple different trainers and behaviourists looking for the one that actually worked.

“We did find one amazing behaviourist in West Lothian, but when I moved up to Forres I felt like I was failing her again.

“I felt very guilty and I questioned myself if I was doing the right thing.”

She added: “I thought if I could use technology eventually like pointing my phone at me to tell me if I’m using the wrong tone, incorrect posture or saying something incorrectly which could upset the dog.

“Last May I came up with the idea and spoke to Business Gateway and it has went from there.

“I’m very much a dog person, and it’s all about helping the dogs by helping people who own them, and that’s the goal of all of this.

“Now we have the platform and we are continuing to improve it.”

Helping dog owners track pet’s behaviour

The platform also connects with trainers and behaviourists, enabling more effective, data-driven training programmes.

It is currently free to use for a limited time and is already being adopted by early users and trainers.

She says the app is backed up with scientific research.

She said: “We’re trying to base everything on science and ethics and our discovery and the feasibility study was done together with Strathclyde University.

“We are currently applying for research and development with a clinical dog behaviour researcher to improve our model.

“We work with behaviourists who validate our model.

“Tailo helps owners track triggers, stay consistent and understand what their dog is trying to communicate.”

She added: “It’s not there to replace behaviourists, it is to help people who want to do right by their dog.

“A lot of behavioural issues start because we miss early stress signals.

“The app can highlight things like lip‑licking or stress yawns that people often don’t notice.

“If we can help owners understand signals earlier, we can prevent problems before they escalate.

“We are hoping in the long run, you will be able to use it in real-time like Gemini live.”

‘Finding the right market is a challenge’

Maria says the biggest challenge so far has been finding the right market fit, understanding who needs the app and how to reach them.

She said: “A lot of dog owners tell us they feel guilty, ashamed, or like their world is shrinking because of their anxious or reactive dogs.

“But convincing them that we can genuinely help is the hard part.

“We want people to feel that if they didn’t have us, they’d be losing something important.”

She added that the team is constantly refining the product and the way they communicate its value.

Looking ahead, Maria says her long‑term dream is to open a dog sanctuary somewhere along the Moray coast or in the Highlands.

It would be a quiet patch of land with a house, a few acres and plenty of space for dogs to roam.

She is hoping to make this happen using revenue from the app.

Maria explained: “In around three to five years, I’m hoping to use the revenue from the app to purchase land to create a sanctuary.

“Where you have a lot of dogs supported by a team of people from a behavioural point of view.

“I want the dogs to be happy, free and have land to run around.

“I would love to just have lots of dogs and a team who helps me out with them.

“The sanctuary would be a place where we would offset the AI carbon footprint and it’s part of a bigger picture plan.”

[Source: Press and Journal]