{"id":8530,"date":"2025-07-28T16:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T16:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pawrpose.org\/?page_id=8530"},"modified":"2026-03-11T08:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T08:08:46","slug":"despina-neratzouli","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pawrpose.org\/despina-neratzouli\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Our Founder – Despina Neratzouli"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Meet our Founder<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Pawrpose\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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I\u2019m Despina<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Founder of Pawrpose <\/a>and a specialist in animal welfare and AI. My journey involves obtaining credible certifications in animal behavior and welfare through Coursera, edX, and IAABC<\/a>, with tech industry practice. I learn from TED talks on animal welfare, conversations with vet tech experts, and from books like The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson and Don\u2019t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. I actively engage with shelters to understand their challenges, therefore supporting their work and remaining up to date with pressing matters in the field.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Pawrpose is not another addition to the plethora of pet tech products. I created it to address specific problems exposed as gaps through my detailed research, specialist consultations, and direct conversations with shelter staff. Each feature, blog, or update is reviewed and tested by professionals, animal behaviorists, veterinarians, and tech specialists to ensure we are addressing the challenges, not adding to them. To encourage others to learn, I lead them to the same resources that inspired me, and recommend foundational literature and leading voices to every person interested in animal welfare or behavior training.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Technological advances, especially AI, can be invaluable for pet owners during the initial phases of welcoming a new pet, making the transition smoother. Pawrpose assists users in journaling, behavior tracking, and deriving valuable insights into their pets using AI features. With AI, concerns can be flagged, patterns recognized, and informed advice tailored to the individual animal given. This is the magic of AI real science and expert knowledge put to work. Currently, I\u2019m focused on researching AI in the context of animal welfare. I aim to enhance the relationship between pet parents and proper care through technology. My objective is to make it simple to interact, learn, and cater to the animal\u2019s individual needs through AI.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What struck me was that a lot of individuals undoubtedly want to help animals, yet they aren\u2019t always prepared to take action, whether emotionally, mentally, or otherwise. That realization pushed me to create Pawrpose as a gamified, empathy-driven app. You may not be able to assist in a physical capacity, but you can always report issues or educate yourself on the matter, and every minor action adds up. I aim to enable users to understand animal behavior, aid shelters, and participate in their schedules and through methods that feel comfortable to them. I dedicate all my resources to making our tools.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tObtained Certification<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Animal Behaviour and Welfare<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Books I highly recommend if you want to understand more about animals:<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA foundational book that explains the real reasons behind dog behavior, busts myths, and gives practical, science-based training advice.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Don\u2019t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAn essential read on positive reinforcement and clicker training. It\u2019s clear, practical, and relevant for all kinds of animals (and even people)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis book explores animal emotions and welfare from a renowned expert\u2019s perspective, providing insights into how animals think and feel.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Excel-Erated Learning by Pamela Reid<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA deep dive into how animals learn, written for trainers and owners who want to understand the science behind behavior change.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Decoding Your Dog by American College of Veterinary Behaviorists<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReal advice from top veterinary behaviorists, offering up-to-date, science-backed solutions for common problems.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis book looks at how human behavior affects animal behavior, with relatable stories and actionable insights.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide by Brenda Aloff<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \u00a0A visual guide that helps you interpret subtle signals in dogs\u2019 behavior – great for anyone wanting to read animals more accurately.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Cat Sense by John Bradshaw\n\n<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor cat lovers, this book explains feline behavior and the science of what makes cats tick\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Meet our Founder I\u2019m Despina Founder of Pawrpose and a specialist in animal welfare and AI. My journey involves obtaining credible certifications in animal behavior and welfare through Coursera, edX, and IAABC, with tech industry practice. I learn from TED talks on animal welfare, conversations with vet tech experts, and from books like The Culture […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8530","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPawrpose Founder Despina | Animal Welfare & AI Specialist - Pawrpose<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pawrpose founder Despina brings certified animal behavior expertise, AI experience, and real-world shelter involvement to improve animal welfare practices. Read More!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pawrpose.org\/despina-neratzouli\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet Our Founder - Despina Neratzouli\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pawrpose founder Despina brings certified animal behavior expertise, AI experience, and real-world shelter involvement to improve animal welfare practices. 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