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Americans spend $60 billion a year caring for their pets, and one wearables start-up is aiming for a piece of that market.
"There's over 80 million dogs in the U.S. That's more dogs than children," said Ben Jacobs, CEO of Whistle, a health-activity monitor for pets.
Jacobs told CNBC his company's $130 device—placed on an animal's collar—monitors the pet's activity and sends that data to a smartphone.
He describes the device as a "a new data platform for pet owners."
"If you look at the great hardware companies, hardware is simply the entry point," Jacobs said. "The idea is to offer pet owners and vets data that they "have never seen before," Jacobs said.
—By CNBC.com