We're Andre, Lisa and Shea.
We built what we needed.
Shea came into our lives and immediately became the centre of our world. She's a Maltese with strong opinions, boundless energy, and a deeply complicated relationship with the delivery driver. From day one, we were head over heels for her.
But loving a dog — truly loving one, the way you love a family member — means spending a lot of time trying to understand them. Is she anxious right now, or just tired? Is that bark playful or stressed? What does that look mean, the one she gives us at 6pm every day?
We're both dog people to the bone, but we still found ourselves guessing. And the more we learned about dog behavior and development, the more we realized how much owners are left to figure out on their own.
So we built PawPaw.
Not just something fun — though wait until your dog "explains" why the vacuum cleaner is a personal attack. But a real tool for understanding your dog's development, their wellbeing, their personality, and what they might need from you on any given day.
Because the dogs in our lives aren't pets. They're family. And family deserves to be understood.
Meet the dog who started it all
Shea
Shea is a Maltese with the energy of a dog twice her size, a bark she discovered and immediately weaponized, and an ability to make absolutely everyone she meets feel like the most important person in the room. We still can't explain how she does it.
She is obsessed with tennis balls, deeply suspicious of pigeons, and has a very specific look she gives you when dinner is three minutes late. She is not subtle. She is also the entire reason PawPaw exists — because watching her, loving her, and constantly wondering what was going on in her head made us want to build something that could actually help.
She is not a pet. She is family. And that's exactly who PawPaw is built for.
The humans behind the app
Two dog lovers who got tired of guessing — and decided to build something better.
Andre Barrett
Co-founder
Andre has spent years watching Shea closely — learning her signals, her moods, her quirks. That curiosity about what dogs are really communicating became the foundation of PawPaw.
Lisa
Co-founder
Lisa brings a deep understanding of dog behavior and what owners actually need — not more guesswork, but real insight into how their dog is developing and feeling day to day.