There’s a reason that dogs are known as man’s best friend. They are unconditionally loving, selfless, and loyal companions. Because of this, only people who have had dogs of their own can fully understand the pain and grief that comes with losing one. They truly become part of the family who are by your side through thick and thin. Losing a dog brings a unique kind of grief, and it can take an emotional toll unlike any kind of loss you have experienced before. Hero Trainer founder and app developer Yash Jain, who lost his beloved dog Jugni when she was just seven-years-old, found a way to keep her memory alive forever through his app.
When Jain first met a two-year-old Jugni at a shelter, she had cuts under her eyes and patchy, brittle fur, ear and eye infections, and was missing all her vaccinations. The first week of ownership proved to be incredibly tough, requiring constant care and emotional support to a dog that was still full of fear. Having been abused by a previous owner, even lifting a single hand would cause Jugni to tremble in fear. “It boiled my blood to imagine the trauma her previous owner caused her,” Jain says. Taking her on walks was challenging, and the damage from her abuse meant she would lash out at other dogs.
Slowly but surely, Jugni would grow more comfortable and become more affectionate, while still having her bad days. “Sometimes it felt like we weren’t reaching her heart, but we persisted,” Jain says. But Jugni would do something phenomenal that changed everything. One night Jugni unusually slept in Jain’s mother’s room. That night, Jain’s mom would suffer a stroke, which prompted Jugni to scratch at his sister’s door, alerting her to the emergency. “If it wasn’t for the brave action by Jugni, my mom wouldn’t be here today,” Jain says reflectively.
When Jain began working on his startup Hero Trainer, the fitness app that translates steps into gaming rewards, Jugni would become Jain’s partner in crime. Not only would she keep him company when he worked tirelessly at his computer, but she would keep him active, spotting him while he lifted weights. She would come into her own, making friends with new dogs and being open to new people. Jugni even became somewhat of a celebrity in the Hero Trainer community, appearing on the Twitch streams and prompting viewers to flood the chat with channel points that would translate to real life treats for Jugni. “I had to set a limit to how many I could give her!” Jain says.
But one day Jugni became ill very suddenly due to a rare genetic disease linked to her breed called Shar Pei Fever. She passed away within 48 hours. “When she passed away, the whole community mourned,” Jain says. “Several Hero Trainer members cried and dozens of people offered their condolences.” He needed to find a way to capture her memory forever. As Hero Trainer continues to expand and grow with more gaming features, Jain introduced the very first item in the app dedicated to Jugni called “Jugni’s Blessing”. It is designed from a model of her real paw print, and will allow users to increase their daily step limit and level up by 20%. Through this deeply personal app feature filled with meaning for the Hero Trainer community, Jain hopes it will not only keep her memory alive, but act as a reminder of the app’s greater mission. “She will always be part of my heart, but now her legacy will live on forever virtually,” Jain says. “She was the first hero.”
Find out more about Jugni’s blessing and Hero Trainer in this video and on the website.
